Office of Emergency Communications

The Office of Emergency Communications (OEC) supports the Secretary of Homeland Security in developing, implementing, and coordinating interoperable and operable communications for the emergency response community at all levels of government.

Mission

The mission of the Office of Emergency Communications is to support and promote the ability of emergency responders and government officials to continue to communicate in the event of natural disasters, acts of terrorism, or other man-made disasters, and work to ensure, accelerate, and attain interoperable and operable emergency communications nationwide.

Brief History

Congress established OEC in response to the communications challenges resulting from Hurricane Katrina through the Fiscal Year 2007 Appropriations Act. Opening its doors on April 1, 2007, OEC is the newest office within the Department of Homeland Security's Office of Cybersecurity and Communications within the National Protection and Programs Directorate.

Initiatives

As the federal focal point for emergency communications, OEC seeks to drive change in five primary areas related to emergency communications.

Policy and Planning
OEC works collaboratively to establish nationwide policy regarding emergency communications and monitor and evaluate progress against the requirements outlined by Congress.

• National Emergency Communications Plan
• Statewide Communications Interoperability Plans
• National Communications Capabilities Report

Coordination and Collaboration
OEC is a stakeholder-driven organization, focused on ensuring that federal, state, local, tribal, and territorial stakeholders have a mechanism for sharing information and providing valuable input to shape national policy as well as OEC's programmatic activities.

• SAFECOM Executive Committee and Emergency Response Council
• Emergency Communications Preparedness Center
• Federal Partnership for Interoperable Communications
• Statewide Interoperability Coordinators
• Metropolitan Area Working Group
• Regional Emergency Communications Coordination Working Groups

Demonstration Projects
Demonstration projects focus on investing small funding amounts in areas with a high probability of producing repeatable solutions. These include standard operating procedures, best practices, and lessons learned that OEC may disseminate nationally either through technical assistance or other mechanisms.

• Shared Infrastructure Initiatives
• Border Interoperability Demonstration Project

Grants
OEC coordinates interoperable emergency communications grant guidance across all federal programs. OEC works closely with FEMA to collectively maximize the impact of federal resources.

• Interoperable Emergency Communications Grant Program

Technical Assistance
Technical Assistance OEC provides direct support to federal, state, local and tribal agencies through the development and delivery of training, tools, and onsite assistance.

• Interoperable Communications Technical Assistance Program (ICTAP)
• Shared Infrastructure Projects
• Communications Unit Leader (COML) Training
• Guidance Documents
• 2010 Olympics Security Committee