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 National Emergency Communications Plan

National Emergency Communications Plan

National Emergency Communications Plan

About the National Emergency Communications Plan

The National Emergency Communications Plan (NECP) is a strategic plan that sets goals and identifies key national priorities to enhance governance, planning, technology, training and exercises, and disaster communications capabilities.  The NECP provides recommendations, including milestones, to help emergency response providers and relevant government officials make measurable improvements in emergency communications over the next three years.

NECP Update

In 2010, OEC launched efforts to update the NECP.  The new Plan will reflect the changing landscape of interoperable communications (e.g., next-generation technologies).  OEC Director Chris Essid, Fire Chief Charles Werner (Charlottesville, Virginia) and Deputy Chief of Police Eddie Reyes (Alexandria, Virginia) explain the updated NECP and what it will mean for the public safety community.
 
 
NECP Goals

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) defined a series of goals that establish a minimum level of interoperable communications and a deadline for Federal, State, local, and tribal agencies to achieve that minimum level.  These goals provide an initial set of operational targets that will be further defined by the Office of Emergency Communications (OEC) through a process that engages Federal, State, and local governments; the private sector; and emergency responders.

  1. Goal 1:  By 2010, 90 percent of all high-risk Urban Areas designated within the Urban Area Security Initiative (UASI) are able to demonstrate response-level emergency communications[1] within one hour for routine events involving multiple jurisdictions and agencies.
  2. Goal 2:  By 2011, 75 percent of non-UASI jurisdictions are able to demonstrate response-level emergency communications within one hour for routine events involving multiple jurisdictions and agencies.
  3. Goal 3:  By 2013, 75 percent of all jurisdictions are able to demonstrate response-level emergency communications within three hours of a significant event as outlined in national planning scenarios.

The vision of the NECP is to ensure emergency response personnel at all levels of government and across all disciplines can communicate as needed, on demand, and as authorized, through improvements in communications operability, interoperability, and continuity nationwide.

OEC welcomes ongoing feedback on the NECP.  To provide your comments, please click the link below.  This will launch your e-mail program, which will allow you to send an e-mail message to OEC.  Please do not include any personally identifiable information with your comments.

NECP General Feedback

Documents

[1] Response-level emergency communications is the capacity of individuals with primary operational leadership responsibility to manage resources and make timely decisions during a multi-agency incident without technical or procedural communications impediments.
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