September 2022
*Updated November 2023

Developed by the Interoperability Council with Support from the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency

Table of Contents

Letter from the Interoperability Council Chair

Introduction

Interoperability and Emergency Communications Overview

Vision and Mission

Governance

Technology and Cybersecurity

Land Mobile Radio

Public Safety Broadband

9-1-1/Next Generation 9-1-1

Alerts and Warnings

Cybersecurity for Public Safety Technology

Funding

Implementation Plan

Appendix A: State Markers

Appendix B: Acronyms

Letter From The Interoperability Council Chair

Greetings,

As the Chair of the Wisconsin Interoperability Council (IC), I am pleased to present to you the 2022 Wisconsin Statewide Communication Interoperability Plan (SCIP). The SCIP represents the State’s continued commitment to improving emergency communications interoperability and supporting the public safety practitioners throughout the state. In addition, this update meets the requirements of the current U.S. Department of Homeland Security grant guidelines.

Representatives from the IC and its subcommittees collaborated to update the SCIP with actionable and measurable goals and objectives that have champions identified to ensure completion. These goals and objectives focus on Governance, Technology and Cybersecurity, and Funding. They are designed to support our state in planning for new technologies and navigating the ever-changing emergency communications landscape. They also incorporate the state interoperability markers which describe Wisconsin’s level of interoperability maturity by measuring progress against 25 markers.

As we continue to enhance interoperability, we must remain dedicated to improving our ability to communicate among disciplines and across jurisdictional boundaries. With help from public safety practitioners statewide, we will work to achieve the goals set forth in the SCIP and become a nationwide model for statewide interoperability.

Sincerely,
Sheriff Matt Joski
Chair
Wisconsin Interoperability Council

Introduction

The SCIP is a three-year strategic planning document that contains the following components:

• Introduction – Provides the context necessary to understand what the SCIP is and how it was developed. It also provides an overview of the current emergency communications landscape.
• Vision and Mission – Articulates the IC’s vision and mission for improving emergency and public safety communications interoperability over the next three years.
• Governance – Describes the current governance mechanisms for communications interoperability within Wisconsin as well as successes, challenges, and priorities for improving them. The SCIP is a guiding document and does not create any authority or direction over any state or local systems or agencies.
• Technology and Cybersecurity – Outlines public safety technology and operations needed to maintain and enhance interoperability across the emergency communications ecosystem.
• Funding – Describes the funding sources and allocations that support interoperable communications capabilities within Wisconsin along with methods and strategies for funding sustainment and enhancement to meet long-term goals.
• Implementation Plan – Describes Wisconsin’s plan to implement, maintain, and update the SCIP to enable continued evolution of and progress toward the State’s interoperability goals and SAFECOM/NSWIC State Interoperability Markers.

Interoperability and Emergency Communications Overview

The Emergency Communications Ecosystem consists of many inter-related components and functions, including communications for incident response operations, notifications, alerts and warnings, requests for assistance and reporting, and public information exchange. The primary functions are depicted in the 2019 National Emergency Communications Plan.¹

The Interoperability Continuum, developed by the Department of Homeland Security’s SAFECOM program and shown in Figure 1, serves as a framework to address challenges and continue improving operable/interoperable and public safety communications.² It is designed to assist public safety agencies and policy makers with planning and implementing interoperability solutions for communications across technologies.

NOTE: We’re currently unable to provide an accessible version of the above image. If you have any questions or need assistance reading this image, please contact the Office of Emergency Communications at Interop@widma.gov. Thank you for your understanding.

Interoperability is the ability of emergency response providers and relevant government officials to communicate across jurisdictions, disciplines, and levels of government as needed and as authorized. Reliable, timely communications among public safety responders and between public safety agencies and citizens are critical to effectively carry out public safety missions, and in many cases, saving lives.

Traditional voice capabilities, such as land mobile radio (LMR) and landline 9-1-1 services, have long been and continue to be critical tools for communications. However, the advancement of internet protocol-based technologies in public safety has increased the type and amount of information responders receive, the tools they communicate with, and the complexity of new and interdependent systems. New technologies increase the need for coordination across public safety disciplines, communications functions, and levels of government to ensure emergency communications capabilities are interoperable, reliable, and secure.

¹ 2019 National Emergency Communications Plan
² Interoperability Continuum Brochure

Vision and Mission

This section describes the Interoperability Council’s vision and mission for improving emergency and public safety communications interoperability:

Governance

The Interoperability Council (IC) is Wisconsin’s interoperable communications governing body, and contains four subcommittees: 9-1-1, Land Mobile Radio (LMR), Public Safety Broadband (PSB), and the Wisconsin Interoperable System for Communications (WISCOM). Both the IC and the 9-1-1 Subcommittee are statutorily created, and members are appointed by the Governor. Under Wis.

Stats. §323.29, the IC is responsible for advising the Department of Military Affairs on various topics related to statewide public safety interoperable communications systems. The IC and its subcommittees recently completed a refresh of their charter and bylaws in 2021 to refine the responsibilities of each group.

The IC does not include alerts and warnings within the scope of its governance. However, guidance in these areas is provided by Wisconsin Emergency Management (WEM). WEM is responsible for administering the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Integrated Public Alert Warning System (IPAWS) in Wisconsin and has established a Statewide IPAWS Work Group to advise WEM, counties, and tribes to better serve customers who use the IPAWS system. The duties of the work group are to act as a forum for collaborating on new ideas in notification and developing training plans, to act as a resource for agencies considering becoming alert originators, to write after-action reviews of IPAWS incidents, and to be a source of consistent information for users across the state.

Wisconsin’s Homeland Security Council (HSC) is a 16-member, non-statutory council responsible for advising the governor on homeland security issues, coordinating state and local threat prevention and response efforts, and producing periodic reports on the state of homeland security in Wisconsin. The governor appoints council members, and the chair of the Council is the Adjutant

General, who also serves as the governor’s homeland security advisor. The Council has also created work groups and subcommittees that meet in between Council meetings and focus on specific strategic goals.

Cybersecurity is an area that is important to the work being conducted by both the IC and the HSC, and there is a need for increased collaboration between the committees to better understand the roles and responsibilities of each group.

The Wisconsin Statewide Interoperability Coordinator (SWIC) and the Deputy SWIC reside within the Office of Emergency Communications (OEC). Responsibilities of the SWIC include³:

• Overseeing the daily operation of the state’s interoperability efforts
• Coordinating interoperability and communications projects
• Maintaining governance structures
• Assembling working groups to develop and implement key initiatives
• Updating and implementing the SCIP

Wisconsin’s governance structure is depicted in Figure 2.

During the 2022 SCIP Workshop, participants frequently discussed the need for greater engagement by the IC and subcommittee members, and increased outreach by the IC and subcommittees to the rest of the emergency communications stakeholders in Wisconsin.

The following table outlines goals and objectives related to Governance:

³ https://www.cisa.gov/statewide-interoperability-coordinators

Technology and Cybersecurity

Land Mobile Radio

WISCOM

WISCOM is Wisconsin’s statewide interoperable public safety trunked land mobile radio communications system. It is a Very High Frequency (VHF) Project 25 (P25) Phase I digital radio system that allows for agencies at all levels of government to communicate statewide during emergency situations. WISCOM currently supports over 44,000 subscriber radios with 140 sites across the state. While some local entities utilize WISCOM for daily use and have made individual enhancements for additional portable coverage, most entities in the state have retained their local or regional radio systems and use WISCOM as a means for interoperability. WISCOM also connects to other local and state networks to further enhance interoperability.

At the time this SCIP was being drafted, the State was engaged in a procurement process to replace the existing VHF P25 Phase I WISCOM system with a 700/800-Megahertz (MHz) P25 Phase II WISCOM system. The primary goals of the new system are to meet the needs of both interoperable and daily users by providing increased coverage, increased capacity, interconnection with disparate systems, 4G/5G LTE integration, and infrastructure lifecycle management.

Additional Statewide Interoperability Resources

In addition to WISCOM, the State of Wisconsin maintains a comprehensive interoperability channel plan utilizing conventional channels in the VHF, 700 MHz, and 800 MHz bands to support communications for all public safety disciplines. Licenses are centrally managed for itinerant mobile and portable use throughout the state, while counties and other local agencies wishing to deploy base stations or stationary repeaters may obtain their own coordinated licenses for these channels with concurrence from the State. Other local stand-alone systems across the state utilize VHF, UHF, 700 MHz, and 800 MHz spectrum, and these systems may be linked to WISCOM or other conventional interoperability channels using analog and digital gateways. Other emerging technologies, such as push-to-talk over cellular applications, are also able to connect to these interoperability resources with concurrence from the State.

Public Safety Broadband

The State and the PSB Subcommittee of the IC are both carrier-neutral and provide information to stakeholders regarding the PSB offerings of each carrier. Agencies across the state currently use a variety of priority and preemption services from different broadband vendors. There are many different Push-to-Talk (PTT) applications which can be used on each network which has made interoperability between them difficult. Vendor information can also be dense and difficult to understand during an emergency. The PSB Subcommittee serves as the clearing house for public safety broadband solutions from various carriers, acts as a resource to users when questions arise, and makes recommendations for best practices and improving interoperability.

9-1-1  /Next Generation 9-1-1

The current state of 9-1-1 in Wisconsin is very decentralized due to the home rule nature of the state. There are 122 PSAPs in the state that handle approximately 3 million 9-1-1 calls annually. The provisioning of 9-1-1 services is currently administered at the local level, with each PSAP operating under the direction of county or municipal authorities and with minimal State oversight. With the transition to NG9-1-1, the State and 911 Subcommittee will be able to provide more direction and ensure there is increased interoperability.

The 9-1-1 Subcommittee is statutorily responsible for advising the Department of Military Affairs (DMA) on various tasks related to the statewide efforts to transition to NG9-1-1, including updating the NG9-1-1 Strategic Plan which was first published in May 2017 and updated in 2020.

DMA is statutorily required to contract for the network needed to implement NG9-1-1, to distribute grants to PSAPs, and to oversee GIS in relation to NG9-1-1. In 2021, DMA contracted with AT&T to provide a statewide Emergency Services Internet Protocol Network (ESInet) and NextGen Core Services (NGCS).

Since there is no requirement for PSAPs to join the statewide ESInet provided by AT&T, counties and municipalities are free to build their own or join other ESInets. There are currently two other ESInets functional in the state. All ESInets will be required to interconnect to provide full PSAP interoperability in NG9-1-1. To ensure PSAP interoperability and a common vision of 9-1-1 services statewide, additional updates to Wisconsin’s NG9-1-1 Strategic Plan will be necessary as Wisconsin PSAPs continue to transition to NG9-1-1 services.

Alerts and Warnings

Wisconsin Emergency Management (WEM) is responsible for administering the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Integrated Public Alert Warning System (IPAWS) and Wireless Emergency Alert (WEA) systems through its Warning and Communications Program. The program works with a variety of federal, state, and local government agencies, volunteer groups and private industry in providing emergency communications in Wisconsin regardless of the type of disaster or emergency. Approximately 30 Wisconsin counties participate in the IPAWS program.

There is a need for increased cybersecurity protections for Alerts and Warnings systems including IPAWS, WEA, and other emergency broadcast systems.

Cybersecurity for Public Safety Technology

The Wisconsin Division of Enterprise Technology’s (DET) Bureau of Security is responsible for all aspects of cybersecurity in the State network. The Wisconsin Homeland Security Council (HSC) has the Wisconsin Cyber Strategy Planning Working Group (WCSPWG), and the State Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) coordinates public and private resources to promote cybersecurity and respond to cybersecurity incidents. The Bureau of Security, along with the Department of Military Affairs, manage volunteer-based Cyber Response Teams (CRTs) that strive for a safer, stronger environment for users by responding to major incidents, analyzing threats, and exchanging critical cybersecurity information with trusted partners. The State’s multiple cybersecurity resources assist local governments, tribal government, public academic institutions, and critical sectors in the entire spectrum of cybersecurity, including assisting with prevention, protection, mitigation, response to, and recovery from cyber events.

To continue to improve Wisconsin’s cybersecurity posture, the IC looks to assist its stakeholders in accessing and sharing information about cybersecurity as it relates to the emergency communications ecosystem.

Technology and cybersecurity goals and objectives include the following:

Funding

The IC does not have direct control over funding but looks to increase stakeholder awareness on funding streams and grant opportunities at all levels of government. Funding priorities include purchasing radios, and annual funding for WISCOM, NG9-1-1, IPAWS subscriptions, and training and exercises.

Funding goals and objectives include the following:

Implementation Plan

Each goal and its associated objectives have a timeline with a target completion date, and one or more owners who will be responsible for overseeing and coordinating its completion. Accomplishing goals and objectives will require the support and cooperation of numerous individuals, groups, or agencies; accordingly, these goals and objectives will be added as formal agenda items for review during regular governance body meetings. It is expected that any objectives assigned to a subcommittee would also route through the IC. The State and IC will review and update the SCIP again in 2025, with the planning starting in 2024.

The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency’s (CISA) Interoperable Communications Technical Assistance Program (ICTAP) has a catalog⁴ of technical assistance available to assist with the implementation of the SCIP. Technical assistance requests are to be coordinated through the SWIC. Based on the discussions during the SCIP Workshop, CISA recommends the following TAs to support Wisconsin’s SCIP goals:

• Grant Funding for Emergency Communications
• 9-1-1/PSAP Cybersecurity Awareness Webinar
• 9-1-1/PSAP Cybersecurity Assessment
• Communications Unit Training Courses

Wisconsin’s implementation plan is shown in the table below.

⁴ Emergency Communications Technical Assistance Planning Guide

Appendix A: State Markers

In 2019, CISA supported states and territories in establishing an initial picture of interoperability nationwide by measuring progress against 25 markers. These markers describe a state or territory’s level of interoperability maturity. Below is Wisconsin’s assessment of their progress against the markers as of July 2022.

Appendix B: Acronyms

AAR – After-Action Report
AUXCOMM/AUXC – Auxiliary Emergency Communications
A&W – Alerts and Warnings
CASM – Communication Assets Survey and Mapping
CISA – Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency
COML – Communications Unit Leader
COMT – Communications Unit Technician
COMU – Communications Unit Program
COOP – Continuity of Operations Plan
CRT – Cyber Response Team
DHS – Department of Homeland Security
DMA – Department of Military Affairs
ECD – Emergency Communications Division
ESInet – Emergency Services Internal Protocol Network
FEMA – Federal Emergency Management Agency
FirstNet – First Responder Network Authority
FOG – Field Operations Guide
GETS – Government Emergency Telecommunications Service
GIS – Geospatial Information System
HSC – Homeland Security Council
HSGP – Homeland Security Grant Program
IC – Interoperability Council
ICTAP – Interoperable Communications Technical Assistance Program
INCM – Incident Communications Center Manager
INTD – Incident Tactical Dispatcher
IP – Internet Protocol
IPAWS – Integrated Public Alerts and Warnings System
ISSI – Inter-RF Subsystem Interface
IT – Information Technology
ITSL – Information Technology Service Unit Leader
LMR – Land Mobile Radio
MHz – Megahertz
MOU – Memorandum of Understanding
NECP – National Emergency Communications Plan
NG9-1-1 – Next Generation 9-1-1
NGCS – Next Gen Core Services
OEC – Office of Emergency Communications
PSAP – Public Safety Answering Point
PSB – Public Safety Broadband
PTS – Priority Telecommunication Services
PTT – Push-to-Talk
P25 – Project 25
RADO – Radio Operator
SCIP – Statewide Communication Interoperability Plan
SME – Subject Matter Expert
SOP – Standard Operating Procedure
SWIC – Statewide Interoperability Coordinator
TA – Technical Assistance
TERT – Telecommunications Emergency Response Team
TICP – Tactical Interoperable Communications Plan
VHF – Very High Frequency
WCSPWG – Wisconsin Cyber Strategy Planning Working Group
WEA – Wireless Emergency Alert
WEM – Wisconsin Emergency Management
WISCOM – Wisconsin Interoperable System for Communications
WPS – Wireless Priority Service