For Immediate Release
DHS Science & Technology Press Office
Contact: John Verrico, (202) 254-2385
California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services Press Office
Contact: Brad Alexander, (916) 845-8455
Washington, DC – The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Science and Technology Directorate (S&T) and the California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services (Cal OES) today announced a strategic partnership to collaborate on advancing public safety information sharing.
“This effort will help advance information sharing across all levels of government and the private sector to provide our front line first responders with faster access to critical information,” said DHS Under Secretary for Science and Technology Dr. Reginald Brothers. “Through this collaborative effort, we can help to increase responder safety and effectiveness in saving lives and reducing property damage.”
Over the next 12 months this partnership will help to establish data sharing links between Cal OES and DHS’s Geospatial Information Infrastructure. The partnership will also facilitate the development of an incident management information sharing capability to help first responder agencies determine areas for improvement.
“To further our strategic partnership, Cal OES has recently taken a leading role in the First Responder Resource Group, which provides the DHS S&T with feedback and guidance on requirements for first responders needs,” said Cal OES Director Mark Ghilarducci.
Other points of collaboration between DHS S&T and Cal OES include strengthening satellite communications capabilities for first responders in rural areas with low connectivity, and enhancing support to the wildland fire community users of the Next-Generation Incident Command System (NICS), which includes the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL FIRE). DHS S&T also participates in the Cal OES public safety information sharing initiative known as the California Common Operating Platform (Cal-COP).
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