Wisconsin Office of Emergency Communications

Wisconsin CASM Account User Policy

The Communication Assets Survey and Mapping Tool (CASM), offered by the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) Interoperable Communications Technical Assistance Programย (ICTAP), is the primary resource nationwide for the emergency communications community to inventory and share agency, asset, and Communications Unit (COMU) information, for the purpose of planning public safety communications interoperability.

CASM has the capacity to store information for all statewide communication assets, personnel, and points of contact, as well as shared channels and talkgroups for all public safety and public service entities across the state and nation. Each state is responsible for entering and updating its own information.

The purpose of this policy is to define administration, account creation, rules for data entry, and maintenance of information related to CASM for the State of Wisconsin.

Application Process

To apply for access to CASM, complete the CASM User Account Request/Approval Form. Submit the completed application to the Wisconsin CASM Administrator(s) electronically at DMA Inter Op or by mail to:

Wisconsin Department of Military Affairs
Office of Emergency Communications
Attn: CASM Administrator
2400 Wright Street
Madison WI 53704

Training

Once your account has been created and you are allowed access to CASM, it is recommended that you view the CASM Training Videos available on the CASM homepage dashboard. Additional training may be required at the request of the Wisconsin CASM Administrator(s).

Wisconsin CASM Administrator(s)

Wisconsin designates CASM account creation responsibility to the State CASM Administrator(s). This will be coordinated by the Statewide Interoperability Coordinator (SWIC) and the responsibility will remain within the Department of Military Affairs, Office of Emergency Communications.

The CASM Administrator(s) will:

  • Be responsible for CASM data entry, management, and maintenance for all accounts statewide.
  • Possess State/Urban Area Access to CASM.
  • Review applications and create user accounts.
  • Determine access and, if approved, the level of CASM access for authorized account users.
  • Provide guidance to users, however, management of local user accounts is the responsibility of the authorized CASM user for the local agency.
  • Enter and maintain state sponsored COMU class lists and COMU position recognition information to ensure that personnel records are kept current in CASM.
  • Send annual account update reminders to user/asset Points of Contact (POCs).

Wisconsin CASM User Levels

CASM offers four levels of access to asset and agency information:

State/Urban Area Access: Ability to enter and edit communication equipment and infrastructure information for any agency in the assigned state or urban area(s) and display the information graphically on a map for interoperability analysis. Ability to create new jurisdictions and agencies and edit any jurisdiction and agency profile. This access type is limited to CASM Administrators who manage CASM for Wisconsin.

Jurisdictional Access: Ability to enter and edit communication equipment and infrastructure information for any agency in the assigned county or counties in Wisconsin. These users may view all state and urban area information and display the information graphically on a map for interoperability analysis. Jurisdictional access also provides the ability to initiate new jurisdictions and agencies and edit jurisdiction and agency profiles within the assigned county or counties.

Agency Access: Ability to enter and edit communication equipment and infrastructure information for any assigned agency in Wisconsin. These users may view all state and urban area information and display the information graphically on a map for interoperability analysis. Each applicant should generally be authorized to only enter and maintain their own agency information and assets, unless special permission is granted by another agency

CAM Only/Map View Access: Ability limited to viewing Wisconsin communication information graphically on a map for interoperability analysis. These users will not be able to enter or edit any information.

Generally, the following should be afforded at least CAM Only/Map View Access to CASM:

  • Professional public safety communications personnel (employed by a public entity or under contract to a public entity).
  • COMU students currently engaged with a public safety entity during their training and the three- year window to become recognized.
  • COMU credentialed personnel certified and currently engaged with a public safety entity.
  • ARES/RACES members that have completed an ICS AUXCOMM training course.

Guidelines for Entering and Updating Data

Wisconsin users with edit privileges shall follow the guidelines outlined below to ensure that data is entered uniformly across the state.

General Asset Information:

  • Plain language should be used.
  • Acronyms should be avoided (e.g. Milwaukee Fire not MFD).
  • Abbreviations should be avoided (e.g. Saint versus St. and Street versus St.).
  • Phone numbers should be entered in this format: (715) 555-1234.
  • Users should update all CASM data as needed, and review on at least an annual basis.

Agency Entry:

  • The full name should be spelled out as much as character limitations allow.
  • Agencies should be listed individually and not under the county in which they reside (e.g. Portage Fire Department, not Columbia County-Portage Fire Dept or Columbus Police Dept).
  • An โ€œagencyโ€ need not be a government entity (e.g. private ambulance services) nor must it be a primary responder (e.g. disaster relief organizations, utilities, railroads, and private hazmat response companies).
  • Agencies that have large geographical jurisdictions should be entered separately in each area where the agency serves based on its self-assigned jurisdictional boundaries. As an example, the Wisconsin State Patrol should be listed in each of its districts.
  • Agencies that are not interoperable communications users should not be included in CASM and, if found in CASM, should be removed (e.g. Wisconsin Police Chiefโ€™s Association).

Point of Contact (POC) Entry:

  • At least two contacts are recommended for each asset entered.
  • The primary contact should be a 24/7 contact with knowledge of the asset and who has physical access to the asset. The primary contact should be able to promptly locate and notify the correct person to provide access to the asset.
  • The secondary contact or operational POC should be the lead person assigned to manage the asset or infrastructure in that area.
  • In all cases, POC data should be thorough and updated annually.

Asset Entry:

  • Include only radio systems that might be used for interoperability or listed on an ICS 205 (Radio Communications Plan).
  • Include only talk groups or channels that might be used for interoperability or listed on an ICS 205 (Radio Communications Plan).
  • Include equipment that is available for use for an event or incident such as emergency resource personnel, gateways, cache radios and deployable communication equipment.