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National Emergency Communications Plan (NECP)
Overview
The National Emergency Communications Plan (NECP) is the Nation's first strategic plan to improve emergency response communications. The Office of Emergency Communications (OEC) at DHS developed the NECP in cooperation with federal departments and agencies, state, local, and tribal governments, emergency response providers and the private sector. The vision of the NECP is to ensure emergency response personnel at all levels of government and across all disciplines, can communicate as needed, on demand and as authorized through improvements in communications operability, interoperability and continuity nationwide.
The NECP sets forth 3 key goals for improved interoperability, operability, and continuity of communications as follows:
- Goal 1 - By 2010, 90 percent of all high risk urban areas designated within the Urban Area Security Initiative (UASI) are able to demonstrate response level emergency communications within one hour for routine events involving multiple jurisdictions and agencies
- Goal 2 - By 2011, 75 percent of non-UASI jurisdictions are able to demonstrate response-level emergency communications within one hour for routine events involving multiple jurisdictions and agencies
- Goal 3 - By 2013, 75 percent of all jurisdictions are able to demonstrate response-level emergency communications within three hours, in the event of a significant incident as outlined in national planning scenarios.
Emergency Communications is defined by the NECP as the ability of emergency responders to exchange information via data, voice and video, as authorized to complete their missions. Response level emergency communications is defined by the NECP as the capacity of individuals with primary operational leadership responsibility to manage resources and make timely decisions during an incident involving multiple agencies, without technical or procedural communication impediments.
NECP Goal Two Measurement
NECP Goal One Assessments were conducted for Phoenix and Tucson UASIs in 2010. All Non-UASI jurisdictions are required to demonstrate Goal Two performance in 2011. OEC is requesting that each state measure (a) capabilities and (b) performance to demonstrate Goal Two compliance. OEC has developed a capability questionnaire for purposes of documenting and reporting county level capability data. OEC has also developed a web based tool for measuring county level performance data. OEC is requesting that each state document their process or methodology for using these tools to measure meeting NECP Goal Two.
To prepare for NECP Goal Two Assessments, the Public Safety Communications Advisory Commission (PSCC) approved the "Arizona Approach for Assessing Non-UASI Counties Progress toward Meeting NECP Goal Two Methodology" ("Arizona's Goal Two Methodology") on July 20, 2010. Arizona submitted our measurement methodology as part of our 2010 SCIP Implementation Report on November 22, 2010.
Required capability data has already been collected by the Arizona Department of Homeland Security (AZDOHS) as part of the Target Capabilities Assessment (TCA) process and is being analyzed by AZDOHS and the PSIC Office.
The PSCC approved "Arizona's NECP Goal Two Performance Assessment Guide" ("Performance Assessment Guide") on November 16, 2010 to help Counties prepare for their Goal Two Performance Assessments. The guide was revised by the PSCC on April 19, 2011. The Performance Assessment Guide supplements Arizona's Goal Two Methodology (which is included as Appendix I to the Guide) and was developed based on experience with NECP Goal One Assessments, which were judged on similar criteria.
The Performance Assessment Guide describes the four Phases of the planned assessment process:
- Event Selection
- Pre-Planning
- Event Observation
- Completion of Assessment Documentation
NECP Goal Two Resources
Arizona Compendium of Findings and Recommendations from National Emergency Communications Plan (NECP) Goal 2 
Presentation: NECP Goal Two Results - Statewide Summary
Arizona's NECP Goal Two Performance Assessment Guide Revised April 19, 2011
Arizona Approach for Assessing Non-UASI Counties Progress toward Meeting NECP Goal Two
Presentation: NECP Goal 2 Planning
DRAFT: DRAFT NECP Goal 2 Capability Factors Informational only draft document pending paperwork reduction act approval.
NECP Provisions Applicable To State Governments
The NECP identifies the following objectives, initiatives and milestones that are relevant to States to improve emergency communications for Federal, State, local, and tribal emergency responders across the Nation. The majority of the NECP objectives, initiatives and milestones, which are not listed below, apply to the Federal government, not to the States.
Objective 1: Formal decision-making structures and clearly defined leadership roles coordinate emergency communications capabilities.
Initiative 1.1: Facilitate the development of effective governance groups and designated emergency communications leadership roles.
Milestone 1.1.2: Within 12 months, all States and Territories should establish full-time statewide interoperability coordinators or equivalent positions. (p.12)
Milestone 1.1.5: Within 12 months, SIECs (AZ SIEC = PSCC, SIEC and sub-committees) in all 56 States and Territories should incorporate the recommended membership as outlined in the SCIP Guidebook and should be established via legislation or executive order by an individual State's governor. (p.13)
Initiative 1.3: Integrate strategic and tactical emergency communications planning efforts across all levels of government. Tactical and strategic coordination will eliminate unnecessary duplication of effort and maximize interagency synchronization, bringing together tactical response and strategic planning.
Milestone 1.3.2: Within 12 months, tactical planning among Federal, State, local, and tribal governments occurs at the regional interstate level. (p.14)
Objective 3: Emergency responders employ common planning and operational protocols to effectively use their resources and personnel.
Initiative 3.1: Standardize and implement common operational protocols and procedures. A national adoption of plain-language radio practices and uniform common channel naming, along with the programming and use of existing national interoperability channels, will allow agencies across all disciplines to effectively share information on demand and in real time. Using common operational protocols and procedures avoids the confusion that the use of disparate coded language systems and various tactical interoperability frequencies can create. Use of the existing nationwide interoperability channels with common naming will immediately address interoperability requirements for agencies operating in the same frequency band.
Milestone 3.1.6: Within 18 months, DHS develops training and technical assistance programs for the National Interoperability Field Operations Guide (NIFOG); (Footnote 26) programs an appropriate set of frequency / band-specific nationwide interoperability channels into all existing emergency responder radios; (Footnote 27) and preprograms an appropriate set of frequency / band-specific nationwide interoperability channels into emergency response radios that are manufactured or purchased through Federal funding as a standard requirement. (p. 22)
Footnote 27 states: Milestones in this area refer to the programming of an "appropriate set" of interoperability channels. This language is used in recognition that most radios used by emergency responders do not have the capacity to hold all of the national interoperability channels in addition to their required operational channels. Some radio channels are discipline-specific and are inappropriate to program in radios of other disciplines.
Milestone 3.1.7: Within 24 months, all SCIPs reflect plans to eliminate coded substitutions throughout the ICS, and agencies incorporate the use of existing nationwide interoperability channels into SOPs, training, and exercises at the Federal, State, regional, local, and tribal levels. (p. 22)
Initiative 3.2: Implementation of the NIMS and the NRF across all levels of government. Emergency response agencies across all levels of government should adopt and implement national-level policies and guidance to ensure a common approach to incident management and communications support. Implementation of these policies will establish clearly defined communications roles and responsibilities and enable integration of all communications elements as the ICS structure expands from the incident level to the national level.
Milestone 3.2.1: Within 12 months, all Federal, State, local, and tribal emergency response providers within UASI jurisdictions have implemented the Communications and Information Management section of the NIMS. (p.22)
Objective 7: The Nation has integrated preparedness, mitigation, response, and recovery capabilities to communicate during significant events.
Initiative 7.2: Implement disaster communications planning and preparedness activities. Identifying critical communications vulnerabilities and developing mitigation strategies is important for all agencies with operational responsibilities during major events. Agencies should evaluate the readiness posture of communications centers (e.g., Public Safety Answering Points [PSAP]) and emergency response and commercial networks that may be vulnerable to weather damage, flooding, and man-made disasters. The vulnerabilities identified should be a primary focus of disaster planning and preparedness activities. System planning activities should account for the availability of alternative and backup communications solutions and redundant pathways (i.e., provided by different vendors) to support communications if primary capabilities become unavailable.
Milestone 7.2.4: Within 24 months, complete disaster communications training and exercises for all 56 States and Territories. (p. 36)
Milestone 7.2.5: Within 24 months, all Federal, State, local, and tribal agencies in UASIs have defined alternate/backup capabilities in emergency communications plans. (p. 37)
NECP Resources
National Emergency Communications Plan
NECP Fact Sheet
NECP Frequently Asked Questions
NECP Cross Reference to Relevant State of Arizona SCIP Initiative Provisions
SCIP Strategic Initiatives Aligned to NECP
Presentation: National Emergency Communications Plan (NECP) Requirements
For more information, please contact the PSIC Office.
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