The participants in the strategic planning session will review the data collected across the state, understand and validate the local perspectives, and determine the best route forward to achieve statewide communications interoperability. Therefore, the participants must be presented with the most critical issues facing the local practitioner communities in an accurate, concise, and understandable way. Consolidate the comments into a top 10 list to help uncover a handful of hot topics that appear across all regions of the state. These hot topics will in turn drive the strategic initiatives defined later in the strategic planning session.
Figure 8, seen below, is an excerpt from the case for change arguments gathered across Virginia.
Figure 8: Case for Change Compendium Map
Lesson Learned: Identifying needs that are common to all regions can influence policy and decisionmakers in determining what to prioritize in addressing communications interoperability. The hot topics found in Virginia were:
• Establish Regional Interoperability Communication Coordinators
• Establish a unified code/plain text to complete seamless interoperability between all disciplines.
• Develop one mobile device/one band/one programmable radio.
• Implement a communications plan to educate first responders on existing programs and ensure their participation in the creation of new programs.