Since each state has different types of stakeholders affiliated with the public safety and first responder communities, identifying the right stakeholder will take special consideration when identifying focus group interview participants. Developing criteria to help identify participants is recommended to standardize the invitation process, and it serves the purpose of setting expectations from the project team for participation in the strategic planning process. The criterion can be based on a combination of field experience, an identifiable leadership role in the public safety field, and familiarity with issues relating to interoperable communications, but should not exclude individuals who wish to attend that may or may not meet the description offered. Below is the process design used in Virginia to develop the criteria to identify participants.
Process Design and Participant Selection for the Commonwealth of Virginia
Process Design
The Commonwealth of Virginia, with the support of SAFECOM, a federal program created to help public safety agencies improve communications interoperability, designed a process to solicit input and obtain consensus from local, regional, and state public safety practitioners and policymakers on the fundamentals of a statewide strategic plan for communications interoperability. The locally-driven nature of the strategic planning process was designed to secure the participation and buy-in of those who ultimately will be implementing and complying with the strategic goals and initiatives outlined in the plan.
The strategic planning process designed by SAFECOM and Virginia consisted of six (6) regional focus group interviews across the Commonwealth and a final strategic planning meeting. During each focus group interview, an average of 20 representatives from the public safety community, along with state and local government, offered their perspectives on the current state of communications interoperability in their region, established a case for change, envisioned the ideal future state of communications interoperability, recommended strategies for reaching that future state, and highlighted potential barriers to achieving the recommended strategies.
The strategic planning process concluded in a strategic planning session; the culmination of which served as a forum to discuss and validate the data gathered from the regional focus group interviews. Participants provided further clarification to the regional perspectives and prioritized the strategies gathered during the focus group interviews and offered the state valuable insight into what efforts would result in the biggest positive impact on the level of communications interoperability statewide. These strategies were offered as cornerstones of the Communications Interoperability Plan for the Commonwealth of Virginia.
Participant Selection
Virginia’s Office of Interoperability partnered with SAFECOM to establish criteria for identifying “the right” participants. The criteria was based on a combination of field experience, an identifiable leadership role in the public safety field, and familiarity with issues relating to interoperable communications, created to ensure productive discussion and valuable contributions to the strategic planning process. SAFECOM and representatives from the Commonwealth Office of the Secretary of Public Safety then met with public safety associations and state department leaders to identify potential participants who met the proposed criteria.
Leaders from the following associations were asked to provide names and contact information for potential focus groups and strategic planning participants:
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Virginia Association of Chiefs of Police
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Virginia Department of Emergency Management
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Virginia Department of Fire Programs
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Virginia Department of Health
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Virginia Sheriffs’ Association
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Virginia State Police
The criteria was not strictly adhered to; in fact, it was used primarily as a shared reference point to guide any and all individuals involved in the recruiting process. In an effort to ensure optimal representation of disciplines and jurisdictions, the strategic planning team (SAFECOM and VA Office of Interoperability) proposed a numerical breakdown for a comprehensive representation of stakeholders. The breakdown appears below: ..
- Fire: 6
- EMS: 6
- Police: 6
- Local Government: 2
- State Government: 2
When representation was particularly low in a specific discipline or jurisdiction, the project team proceeded with additional recruiting efforts by contacting local public safety leaders for further recommendations.