Today, Kansas Governor Kathleen Sebelius, issued Executive Order 07-27, which establishes a Statewide Interoperability Executive Committee (SIEC). The committee will be responsible for the following activities:

1. Conduct an assessment to better understand the current baseline of communications interoperability in the state.
2. Identify and recommend future technologies that will enhance communications interoperability.
3. Create a statewide interoperability plan.
4. Manage implementation of the interoperability plan.
5. Create statewide best practices, policies, procedures, and protocols for communications interoperability.
6. Provide training opportunities for all necessary public safety practitioners.

Kent Koehler, Sedgwick County Division of Information and Operations will serve as chairman of the committee and Richard Old, Lyon County Undersheriff, will serve as vice chair. Jason Moses was hired on July 16 to act as the interoperable communications coordinator for the state. Other members of the committee include:

• Tod Bunting, Adjutant General
• Deb Miller, Secretary, Department of Transportation
• Colonel William Seck, Kansas Highway Patrol
• Tyler Brewer, Augusta Director of Public Safety
• Bob McLemore, Chief, Colby Fire Department
• Kerry McCue, Ellis County EMS
• James Reed, Sumner County EMS

The Adjutant General Department will provide staff support to the committee.

INPUT's Take

On September 30, the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) awarded Kansas $10,667,169 under the Public Safety Interoperable Communications (PSIC) grant program, a nearly $1 billion grant program created to improve the nation's public safety communications network. However, the money will not be distributed until awardees submit a statewide communications interoperability plan and investment justifications for each of the projects to be funded by the grant allocation. All grant projects should be completed by September 30, 2010. The statewide plan and investment justifications were due on December 3rd. Developing a statewide communications plan as rapidly as possible should be a priority for the SIEC and vendors should engage the committee at their earliest opportunity.