It Takes a Village: Leveraging the Whole Community to Make Critical Emergency Communications Decisions

Effective governance is a critical component of successful emergency communications. It relies on the cooperation of jurisdictions, agencies, and organizations across the emergency communications ecosystem. Establishing and maintaining inclusive governance entities is critical to preparing for and responding to emergencies, yet it is a complex process, especially in the constantly evolving communications landscape.

While emergency communications governance bodies typically involve traditional disciplines or sectors, contributions from additional functions (e.g., transportation, public works, public health, utilities, natural resources or parks and recreation, building inspectors), support systems (e.g., information management, network infrastructure, cybersecurity), neighboring jurisdictions, and elected officials may be beneficial. The SAFECOM Nationwide Survey found that 4 percent or fewer of emergency communications decision-making groups are proactively seeking new participants beyond first responders. Involving a wider variety of organizations when developing strategic, operational, and contingency plans results in reciprocal benefits for all. In this webinar, you will hear from representatives who are actively participating in building more inclusive emergency communications governance bodies. They will offer lessons learned and discuss the overall impact of a comprehensive approach to planning. During the webinar, participants can expect to learn about:

• The benefits of more inclusive emergency communications governance bodies
• Leveraging the National Emergency Communications Plan to enhance governance processes
• Resources such as the Emergency Communications Governance Guide that can assist public safety organizations with expanding their membership