RD348 - Virginia Interoperability Annual Report for 2010


Executive Summary:
Although Virginia has been at the forefront of national efforts to improve emergency response communications, there is still a significant amount of work to be done to achieve voice and data communications interoperability.

Virginia realized long ago that emergency response communications and interoperability cannot be solved by any one entity and requires a partnership among local, state, and Federal public safety organizations. That understanding led to the development of the Commonwealth of Virginia Statewide Communication Interoperability Plan (SCIP), which identifies the Commonwealth’s strategic initiatives and Vision for improved public safety communications in Virginia. The Commonwealth’s interoperability Vision states that:

“By 2015, agencies and their representatives at the local, regional, state, and Federal levels will be able to communicate using compatible systems, in real time, across disciplines and jurisdictions, to respond more effectively during day-to-day operations and major emergency situations.”

This year, the State Interoperability Executive Committee (SIEC)—the primary practitioner-based steering group for interoperability efforts—worked to make progress toward achieving the seven initiatives identified in the SCIP. The SIEC provides communications interoperability recommendations to the Governor’s Office of Commonwealth Preparedness (OCP).

OCP is committed to the improvement of statewide public safety interoperable communications through effective governance and stakeholder management and coordination, and continues to engage local leaders in a regional approach to interoperability planning and implementation.

This Annual Report highlights Virginia’s interoperability successes in 2010.

Major achievements in 2010 include:

• Annual update of the SCIP to introduce new and prioritized interoperability initiatives that will move Virginia closer to its 2015 Vision for interoperability.

• Facilitation, organization, and support for the ongoing governance structure of seven Regional Preparedness Advisory Committees for Interoperability (RPAC-Is) and two SIEC Subcommittees (Operations and Policy).

• Ongoing stakeholder engagement to ensure the most relevant voices in the interoperability community are included in important planning and problem-solving discussions at the regional and state levels.

• The SIEC Grants Working Group (GWG) evaluation of 19 grant applications for the 2010 State Homeland Security Grant Program (SHSGP) grant funds, resulting in the award of $4.9M toward local equipment, planning, training and exercises.

• Collection of local input to the Interoperability Baseline Survey designed to asses the state’s current interoperability capabilities. In total, 106 of the 134 localities submitted responses.

• Deployment of all five of Virginia’s communication caches to assist with both planned events and/or emergency situations, including the devastating January 2010 earthquake in Haiti.

With continued support from the Governor, the General Assembly, and Virginia’s public safety community, Virginia will continue to make strides towards achieving the 2015 vision and serve as a national model for interoperability planning and progress.