Tristan Allen

The meeting included reports on legislative activities and operational priorities for the State 911 office, including updates on upcoming RFPs for CAD-to-CAD and Call Handling as a Service systems. Subcommittee reports addressed public education outreach, policy language updates, and a proposal to engage a consultant for a long-term review of the statewide 911 funding model. Additionally, the committee approved the Annual Legislative Report, made updates to subcommittee membership, and discussed regionalization efforts, World Cup planning, and telecommunicator training initiatives.

The meeting included reports on agency activities such as fire season outcomes, impacts of federal grant processes, and new funding opportunities including the World Cup Preparedness Grant and UAS Grant. Members discussed legislative session preparations, communication system transitions for upcoming major events, and ongoing LTE system testing. Updates were provided regarding bridge incident data, workforce communication staffing, statewide communication interoperability plans, cybersecurity grant applications, and prison radio system upgrades. Additional discussion topics featured new radio technology developments, Starlink integration, and event support coordination.

The meeting focused on finalizing revisions to the Certification Handbook and formally adopting a fiscal-year recertification model. Key discussions included revising reciprocal certification language, which now allows applicants with qualifying external certification and experience to request a waiver of specific Washington training, subject to passing knowledge exams. The Board adopted a fiscal-year continuing education (CE) tracking cycle from July 1 to June 30, stipulating that all certified PSTs must complete 24 CE hours annually. Initial certifications were approved. Action items involve publishing the updated handbook, distributing Board communication regarding recertification changes, and hosting a webinar to support agencies during the transition to the new model. A proposal regarding college coursework was tabled.

The meeting included a report on the hiring of George Long as the new Statewide Interoperability Coordinator (SWIC). Key legislative updates covered the '911 Goes to Washington' event and the Governor's budget proposal for increased state 911 appropriation, which is now in House Bill 2289. Progress was reported on the Regional Resiliency Assessment Program (RRAP) with CISA, and updates were provided on upcoming RFPs for CAD-to-CAD and Call Handling from the Core. Procedural developments included a new monthly ESChat testing procedure and the ongoing Phase 1 migration to FCC SIP. The committee discussed the Comtech Call Diversion Tool, which allows temporary blocking of nuisance numbers. Subcommittee reports detailed efforts for the statewide 911 campaign creative, policy adjustments including a potential 15% funding cap increase, and planning for strategic initiatives. The Chair Election confirmed Katy Myers for the 2026-2028 term, and the 2026 meeting calendar was finalized, including a change of the February meeting to an in-person Advisory Committee meeting.

The meeting primarily focused on advancing final revisions to the Certification Handbook and clarifying certification and recertification processes. Key discussions included reciprocal certification requirements for out-of-state telecommunicators, which requires documentation and passing a knowledge exam, and how continuing education (CE) credit hours are determined—based on instructional content rather than completion time. The Board also addressed recertification tracking models, ultimately discussing options for a standardized calendar-year system. Initial certifications and new training programs (CRESA, NORCOM, SECO T2 Program) were unanimously approved.