New York State Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services

The board meeting included procedural items such as calling the meeting to order and approving the minutes from the August 14, 2024 session and the draft agenda for the current meeting. Key discussions focused on committee reports and program updates. The N1 Advisory Committee reported on the 901 standards notice and comment rule process, aiming for final adoption in January. The NG911 and I1 Working Group discussed call handing equipment, technical standards for P APs, and decided to shift to monthly meetings due to increased workload. The GIS Working Group reported on recent meetings, scheduling a special meeting for county input on GIS procedures relevant to the NextGen transition. The State Agency Communications Committee finalized the state agency initial response Communications plan for distribution in January. The Citizen Learning Committee discussed successful testing of a satellite-to-cell phone Wireless Emergency Alert (WEA) message and proposed creating a New York Alert User Group. Program updates included status reports on the 2024 PSIG targeted Grant process, the 2024 and 2025 training schedules, and succession planning concerns regarding retiring technical staff. The 911 Program update detailed progress on the NG 911 roadmap, staffing plan, RFI completion, and the review of an 87-page Continuum assessment report influencing the strategic plan. Federal partner updates covered the rollout of a new FirstNet Authority training class for the fire service, followed by law enforcement, EMS, and Emergency Management, and monitoring weather events like Invest 94L, emphasizing the need for pre-storm coordination with commercial carriers to avoid unnecessary escalation to national leadership.

The meeting commenced with roll call and acceptance of the agenda. Key discussions involved personnel updates, welcoming new staff members, and updates on vacant positions for the assistant director role and the CPort membership. Significant time was dedicated to committee and working group reports, particularly concerning the NG911 working group, the GIS working group, and the State Agency Communications Committee, focusing on asset sharing opportunities. The Citizen Alerting Committee reported on updating its mission statement and the crucial compliance requirements regarding FEMA's IPWS testing, noting an enforcement start date of September 1, 2023. Program updates covered grant processing, including the 2023 PSAP and SAFE formula funds, and announcements regarding upcoming Community Program training courses, shifting towards a regional approach to accommodate staff availability. Finally, updates on the 911 program highlighted progress on the Statewide 911 plan review, including a gap analysis, and ongoing work for the Next Gen 911 project.

This document outlines a methodology for conducting a data-driven Community Risk Assessment (CRA) to effectively identify and prioritize hazards within a community. It details the process of gathering and analyzing data from incident reports, CAD information, and state/national trends to build a comprehensive community profile. Key focus areas include analyzing demographics, identifying causal factors, at-risk populations, and target hazards. This assessment serves as a foundational tool for developing targeted training programs and establishing comprehensive Community Risk Reduction Programs, with the overarching goal of strategically investing resources to mitigate risks and enhance public safety.

The meeting involved roll call and agenda approval, followed by committee reports. The 911 Advisory Committee reported on achieving wireless standard approvals and establishing technical and operational subcommittees for NG 911 initiatives, while reviewing national standards and variance requests. The NG 911 Working Group discussed the establishment of technical guidelines, drafting backup PAP guidelines, and assessing strategic initiatives. The GIS Working Group presented on onboarding new members, the importance of GIS policy, and group discussions regarding county and PAP boundary alignment. The State Agency Communications Committee and Citizen Alerting Committee reported on their recent activities, including updates on radio replacement and combined IPA workshops with counties, discussing sample alerting scenarios, and planning regional meetings with broadcasters regarding EAS participation. Additionally, T-Mobile's satellite emergency messaging capability was mentioned for future testing. Program updates detailed the release of award letters and contract development for NextGen and SIG grant cycles. The 911 unit confirmed the completion of the New York State 911 plan, ongoing assessment reviews with counties, and growth within the unit, while emphasizing continued work on policy and procedure development and monitoring 911-related issues. Finally, GIS updates focused on addressing boundary data gaps and overlaps, ongoing discussions with geospatial services, and developing a collaborative platform for policy review.

The meeting covered committee reports and program updates, focusing heavily on the transition to NG 911. Key policy discussions included routing protocols for center outages, records retention for multimedia data, equipment management, handling abusive callers, change management, multimedia policy, and data sharing for call transfers. Operational policies regarding call answering, privacy, training, and updating job descriptions for telecommunicators were also addressed. The NG 911 working group noted the need to create a policy plan outlining necessary guidance, with policies to be delegated to subject matter experts for drafting. Committee reports included updates on the 911 advisory committee reviewing PAP standards, high attendance at the GIS working group meeting discussing NextGen 911 updates, finalization of the state agency initial on-scene communications plan, and discussions by the Citizens Alerting Committee on FCC requests for comment regarding EAS and WEA modernization. Program updates detailed grant awards for NG 911 and E-Zec grants, various training course schedules (some postponed to 2026), and staffing changes within the 911 unit. The strategic plan review emphasized achieving milestones over the next three to five years to ensure NG 911 compliance.