Collaboration is in CISA’s DNA and is the foundation of our emergency communications mission – our stakeholders identify their challenges and guide the development of resources to address those challenges. Because this message is so important, the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) has designated this April as the first ever Emergency Communications Month.
Through its emergency communications mission, CISA conducts extensive, nationwide outreach to support and promote the ability of emergency response providers and government officials to be able to communicate in the event of a natural disaster, terrorist act, or other hazard. CISA also provides guidance on how facilities can establish protocols for identifying and reporting significant cyber incidents to appropriate facility personnel, local law enforcement, and the agency.
During April, CISA will highlight the growing community of emergency communicators and their role to the American public as well as our partnerships with stakeholders, without whom we would be unable to carry out our mission. We will also highlight how Emergency Communications fits into CISA’s mission while also promoting the role of cybersecurity in emergency communications.
During the month, CISA will also recognize and celebrate National Public Safety Telecommunicators Week (NPSTW), which is held annually during the second week of April to honor telecommunications personnel for their commitment, service, and sacrifice. For more information on NPSTW, please visit cisa.gov/national-public-safety-telecommunicators-week.
For additional Emergency Communications Resources from CISA, please visit cisa.gov/emergency-communications and cisa.gov/safecom.
Additional Resources
- Public Safety Communications and Cyber Resiliency Toolkit
- Public Safety Communications and Cyber Resiliency Assessment Tools fact sheet
- Radio Frequency Interference Best Practices Guidebook
- Cyber Risks to Next Generation 911
- Cyber Risks to 911: Telephony Denial of Service
- Cyber Risks to Public Safety: Ransomware
- Public Safety Dependencies on Non-Agency Infrastructure Best Practices
- Encryption Key Management Best Practices
- Operational Best Practices for Encryption Key Management
- Protect Your Center from Ransomware Poster
- Public Safety Drone Resources Guide
- SAFECOM Interoperability Continuum
- Ten Keys to Improving Alerts, Warnings and Notifications (Key 5)
- 911 Geographical Information System (GIS) Best Practices
- Funding Resources | CISA
- FY2021 Emergency Communication Technical Assistance (TA) Planning Guide (TA/SCIP Guide)
- SAFECOM Nationwide Survey (SNS)
- Priority Telecommunications Services (PTS) Fact Sheet
- PTS Area Representative Map
- Incident-Related Imagery Impacts 101 Document
- National Emergency Communications Plans (NECP) Webinar
- WPS 20th Anniversary
- Priority Telecommunications Services Champions Oregon SWIC
Videos
- 2022 Emergency Communications Month channel on YouTube
- SAFECOM: Created by Public Safety Stakeholders to Strengthen Emergency Communications
- The National Emergency Communications Plan (NECP)
- Basics of P25
- Encryption in Three Minutes
- Next Generation 911 Self-Assessment Tool
- Extraordinary Day Video
Opinion Editorials and Blogs
- April 8: CISA Declares April as Emergency Communications Month | CISA
- April 12: Celebrating Telecommunicators Series: Preparing for Multimedia Use | CISA
- April 13: Celebrating Telecommunicators Series: Preparing for Multimedia Use | CISA
- April 15: Celebrating Telecommunicators Series: “Collaboration Across Federal, State, Local, Tribal, and Territorial (FSLTT) Agencies: How Telecommunicators Benefit” | CISA
- April 18: Partnership and collaboration must be the foundation for emergency communications - Urgent Comms