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About SIEC

The SIEC coordinates resources, develops policy and guideline recommendations, and identifies technology standards to facilitate coordinated emergency interoperable communications. 

What is interoperability?

Interoperability is the ability of emergency responders to communicate across jurisdictions and disciplines to respond to day-to-day incidents and large-scale emergencies. It allows emergency communications to take place among public safety professionals using a variety of frequency bands, as needed and as authorized.


Vision


Saving lives and protecting the public depends upon reliable communications systems that allow safety officers and other emergency officials to talk to one another. New digital communication technology allows us to protect lives and reduce the costs of operating public safety agencies. Oregon's public safety community is working to improve wireless communications to facilitate coordination in an emergency.

SIEC Goals 

  • Create a common understanding of communications interoperability throughout Oregon
  • Identify, develop and recommend standards, protocols and common language for interoperability
  • Integrate existing and future interoperable communications systems.


Priorities 

  
The Governor's priorities for the SIEC are:

  • Recommending strategies to improve Oregon’s wireless interoperability between public safety agencies communication systems.
  • Determining standards to ensure consistent development of existing and future wireless communications infrastructure.
  • Identifying immediate short-term technological and policy solutions that tie existing infrastructure together into an interoperable communication system.
  • Developing long-term technical and policy recommendations to establish a statewide public safety radio backbone to improve emergency response and day-to-day public safety operations.
  • Providing policy leadership in the development of legislation and state and local policies necessary to achieve wireless interoperability in Oregon.

The ability for safety officers and emergency responders to communicate across jurisdictions is vital to public safety. This includes the full-data ecosystem of radio, broadband and data. The SIEC continues to provide leadership and solutions as we put Oregon on a path to a fully interoperable statewide communications system.