| Jeff Bratcher
Technical Manager
Public Safety Communications Research (PSCR) Program
Jeff Bratcher is the Division Chief for the Telecommunications and IT Planning Division at the U.S. Department of Commerce National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) Institute for Telecommunication Sciences (ITS) located in Boulder, Colorado. Mr. Bratcher has been with ITS since 2003, and one of his primary roles is serving as the Technical Manager for the Public Safety Communications Research (PSCR) program.
The PSCR program is a joint effort with the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Office of Law Enforcement Standards (OLES) and serves as an objective technical advisor and laboratory to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and public safety practitioners to accelerate the adoption and implementation of the most critical public safety communication standards and technologies.
Prior to joining ITS, Mr. Bratcher worked for 10 years in the private sector for multiple cellular infrastructure vendors testing and deploying commercial cellular systems worldwide. Mr. Bratcher received his Master’s of Science in Telecommunications from Southern Methodist University and a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering from Texas Tech University.
The evolution of public safety standards for 3GPP - LTE
This presentation will provide you with an overview of the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) and will be highlighted with specifics related to the efforts to introduce public safety specific requirements into the Long Term Evolution (LTE) standards development process.
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| Stan Causey
Member
Project 25 Steering Committee
Mr Causey is currently assigned to the Radio Unit of the Office of Investigative Technology, and is detailed to the US Department of Justice, Integrated Wireless Network Program Office (IWN) as a Principal Engineer for Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) in the nationwide design and deployment of a shared P25 Land Mobile Radio network for the four Department of Justice components, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Alcohol Tobacco Firearms and Explosives, and the United States Marshall Service.
As part of Mr Causey’s duties at the DEA he is the Chairman of the Special-Agent-in-Charge (SAC) Technology Advisory Council to assist Executive Management with technology decisions and investigate new technologies for DEA.
Prior to joining DEA, Mr Causey worked for many years in the private sector as a contractor supporting research and development programs for the United States Government. Mr Causey received his Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering from George Mason University and is a Certified Information System Security Professional (CISSP). Mr Causey is past President of the National Technical Investigators Association (NATIA) a professional law enforcement organization dedicated to training law enforcement officers in the latest surveillance technologies. After 23 years of service he retired from the Metropolitan Police Department, Washington, DC in 1992 as a Detective Sergeant where he commanded the Electronic Surveillance Unit.
The P25 Standard: current status and future direction
The P25 Steering Committee coordinates the user needs and requirements through the Project 25 User Needs Subcommittee and the Users Statement of Requirements for the development of the Project 25 Standards for digital public safety land mobile radio within the Telecommunications Industry Association (TIA) an American National Standards Institute (ANSI) recognized Standards Development Organization. The proposed and draft standards must be approved by the P25 Steering Committee ensuring the standards satisfy the needs of the public safety user community before being forwarded to the TIA Engineering Committee(s) to be considered and published as a standard, in accordance with the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) signed in 1993.
Participation in the P25 Steering Committee was expanded in 2010, from eleven members representing Association of Public-Safety Communication Officials (APCO), National Association State Technology Directors (NASTD) and selected US federal agencies, to an authorized membership of twenty-one members. This action provides a broader base of representatives from the public safety community at all levels of government.
The P25 Steering Committee in partnership with TIA TR-8 Engineering Committee, and the APCO Project 25 Interface Committee (APIC), which is comprised of user and manufacturer representatives, has been working on expanding the number of published standards. Currently there are a number of these standards which will be distributed for letter ballot this year; two-slot TDMA and Inter RF Sub-System Interface (ISSI) are two examples of Phase II Activities. The completion of the ISSI Standards will lead to completion of the remaining Console Sub-System Interface (CSSI) in 2013. There is also significant work being done on Link-Layer-Encryption to address security concerns for clear communications data on the control channels.
The P25 Steering has begun investigating emerging telecommunications technologies such as Long Term Evolution (LTE) and its application to public safety communications. Providing high bandwidth data to mobile units opens the door to additional information and situational awareness, for first responders, as well as various levels of command and control.
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| John Coleman
Ret. Regional ICT Operations Manager
New Zealand Police
John has recently retired from New Zealand Police after many years’ service. As Regional Operations Manager for the Information, Communications and Technology (ICT) Group he was responsible for the operation of radio, data, telephony and computer networks throughout the South Island. His non-sworn Police staff of 20 technicians installed and maintained network and terminal equipment for all 3 South Island Police Districts – Tasman, Canterbury and Southern. Technical support for Police communications during special operations and natural disasters was a key role for his team.
Christchurch Earthquake Events – Challenges of providing police communications
This presentation will address the following topics:
• Police networks status prior to Canterbury earthquakes
• Initial response to events
• Network and equipment failures and outages
• Performance of recently installed APCO25 radio network
• Requirements by Police in first 48 hours
• Expectations of Police after initial USAR phase
• Influx of additional Police staff / equipment
• Support from manufacturers
• Team performance under stress
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| Bruce Esplin
Director
Bruce Esplin Pty Ltd
Bruce is a board member of Regional Arts Victoria, and a board member and fellow of Emergency Media and Public Affairs. His company provides expert advice in the corporate and not for profit sector.
The former Victorian Emergency Services Commissioner (10 years), he held senior positions in emergency management in Victoria for over 20 years. He was awarded the Centenary Medal for public service in the emergency management sector.
Bruce advocates an inclusive approach to emergency management, and encouraged partnerships between community, all levels of government, emergency services and the private sector. He is a strong supporter of an increased use of technology, believing it can not only improve public safety, but also, in a networked society, support greater social inclusion.
Bruce holds a vision for progressive emergency management arrangements where communities are not passive recipients of services, but active participants in their own safety planning and decision making.
Using Cloud Computing to improve public safety outcomes
The need for better communication between emergency service organizations and communities - particularly emergency warnings - has been highlighted by all recent inquires into the all too frequent large scale disaster events around the world, and more particularly, in Australia.
Timely, effective and appropriate emergency warning systems require better intelligence gathering and sharing, and the development of a more sophisticated situational awareness.
Similarly the rapid widespread uptake and use of social media demands that appropriate strategies be developed to appropriately include social media as one of the available critical communication tools.
At the same time, economic pressures will make it more difficult to achieve capital funding for investments in new technology and infrastructure.
Existing and emerging technologies such as cloud computing and high speed broadband provide exciting opportunities to radically improve the connectedness, speed and ease of sharing data between agencies and with the public in a cost effective way.
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| Andrew Ford
Chief Executive Officer
Volunteer Fire Brigades Victoria
Andrew Ford brings a considerable variety of experience to his role as Chief Executive Officer of VFBV, the association that represents Victoria’s 60,000 CFA volunteers.
Andrew was previously the General Manager of the Country Fire Authority’s (CFA’s) Western Port Area which protected a population of more than 800,000 Victorians.
He has performed senior management roles with CFA for over 15 years, including working as Manager Corporate Planning, a role in which he led major organisational reforms.
Andrew is also a qualified volunteer firefighter, and was a member of a tanker crew fighting the Black Saturday fires of 2009.
As CEO of Volunteer Fire Brigades Victoria, Andrew stresses the importance of the volunteers’ experience and fire fighting expertise.
VFBV played a significant part in the 2009 Bushfires Royal Commission’s examination of the future of fire and emergency services in Victoria, and Andrew was involved as a witness and in presenting a series of submissions on behalf of the state’s CFA volunteers.
Meeting the public safety communications needs of volunteers
Volunteer Fire Brigades Victoria’s Andrew Ford and Allan Monti will introduce the association representing Victoria’s CFA volunteers and how it engages its 60,000 members and understands their views and addresses their concerns.
VFBV is recognised in Victorian law as the voice of volunteers when working with CFA, government, business and the public, and the body to be consulted on matters that affect their welfare and efficiency.
Andrew will encourage participants to think differently about engaging frontline volunteers to shape future innovation, technical solutions and product design to ensure industry meets the needs of firefighters on the ground.
Allan will provide the perspective of experienced volunteers on the challenges that face them in the field of communications systems. He brings their wish list for communications that will help them fight fire more effectively, to the industry leaders and innovators who can help them push back the boundaries of what is possible in the future.
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| Ged Griffin
Detective Inspector, Crime Strategy Group
Victoria Police
Ged is a Detective Inspector in Crime Department at the Victoria Police Force. He has performed duties in general operations, marine policing, criminal investigations, intelligence and counter terrorism operations. He has performed a wide range of roles in East Timor including duties at the UN Serious Crimes Unit, Victoria Police Contingent Commander and as Liaison Officer supporting the former Victorian Premier Hon Mr Steve Bracks during his work assisting Xanana Guasmao and the new government of East Timor.
He is a member of the Australian Civil Corps and has been appointed as the Team Leader for the Post Disaster Response Team. His qualifications include a Master of Police Practice, Master of Professional Education and Training, Graduate Certificate in Police Management, Graduate Certificate in Criminal Intelligence and a Diploma of Training and Assessment Systems. Ged is currently completing a PhD at Melbourne University in regards to the next generation emergency management systems and procedures.
Social media and disaster management
Social media has had a significant impact on our society and the way we communicate with each other. The penetration of smart phone technology has contributed to this change and has allowed people to record and upload information into cyberspace using a range of social media in real-time. As was seen during the Queensland and Victorian floods, this trend provides public safety officials an opportunity to significantly increase their situational awareness during an emergency. Whilst public safety organisations are turning towards social media channels to engage with the community and create meaningful relationships with followers and key groups, it is essential that public safety officials and system developers carefully consider how they can maximise the potential of social media and smart phone technology.
Strategic implications of unmanned aircraft systems for public safety officials
Throughout history warfare has lead to significant technological advancement. Over time the proliferation of that technology into civil society can have a significant impact on our lives. The Iraq and Afghanistan conflicts have seen the dramatic development of unmanned aircraft systems (UAS’s) and the significant advancement in their capabilities. Whilst the use of these systems in the civil society is currently restricted by civil aviation authorities, it is anticipated that regulatory reform over the next 5 years will remove some of these limitations. When this occurs the use of UAS’s within civil society will dramatically increase and transform the way public safety officials manage emergencies. This presentation will provide an overview of how UAS’s are being used within the international public safety community and outline some of the strategic implications that officials will need to consider and address over the next decade.
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| Cameron Hanns
Director
Entwined Solutions
With over 15 years’ experience in telecommunications and mobile computing industries, Cameron Hanns has been involved in delivering great robust mobility solutions to both domestic and international markets. His ability to adapt current technology solutions to everyday challenges has been a big part of his business successes.
Defining mobile communication and computing – Will the boundaries ever stop expanding?
Convergence has been the catch phrase for the IT and communication sectors for years now and for the foreseeable future but what is it? Convergence is everywhere! It’s easier than ever to reach a large audience, but harder than ever to really connect with them. We will discuss how convergence and the ever transforming space of mobile communications and computing can help us access, gather and disseminate information.
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| Olaf Hedberg AM
Independent Chair
Victorian Spatial Council
Olaf (Ollie) Hedberg AM is the independent Chair of the Victorian Spatial Council. He is also Chair of the Board of PSMA Australia Limited, and a founding member of the Australian Spatial Consortium. In 2002-03 he chaired the Review of the Survey and Spatial Information Framework in Victoria. He has also been chair of the South Natural Resource Management Association in Tasmania and a member of ANZLIC – the Spatial Council.
Ollie is the principal of Information Management and Land Administration consulting firm Dakel Nominees, which was established upon his retirement after a long career in the area of land information disciplines, including Survey, Valuation, Titles and Mapping.
Managing Information Spatially for Public Safety
The Victorian Spatial Council is Victoria’s peak body for spatial information. It has a particular interest in provide an environment in which spatial information is used, and that the benefits of the latest technologies are realised. The needs of emergency management for reliable and available information are a critical aspect of its deliberations.
Managing information spatially ensures that decisions made by public safety agencies apply to the right locations. It underpins their ability to make sense of events as they happen on the ground, and to respond to them in a way that meets the expectations of an increasingly well informed public.
This presentation will outline the Council’s approach to providing the ‘right’ environment, in particular the importance of authoritative information from the right sources and the need to share information and create a common operating picture, and highlight some key initiatives from Victoria that are demonstrating the value of this approach.
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| Dr Clive Horn
Head of Research and Principal Engineer
Tait Communications
Clive graduated from the University of Wales with a PhD in Electrical Engineering in 1993. For five years he worked within the defence industry within the UK. In 1998 he moved to New Zealand and joined Tait Electronics Ltd working on a range of digital radio communications technologies. He is presently a Principal Engineer and Head of Research.
Evolution of Mission Critical Systems for PPDR
In recent years, those who work in the Public Protection and Disaster Relief agencies of governments around the world have been called upon to serve their communities in the most extreme situations. These situations require the mission critical communications systems that first responders rely on to perform to the highest level throughout these times.
Around the world, there is increasing recognition that PPDR can benefit greatly from broadband systems designed to meet mission critical specifications. At the 2011 APCO Australia event we highlighted some of the practical implications of deploying broadband. In this presentation we explore the ways these systems are evolving by describing their integration with other bearers and how some of the advanced features of these systems may operate when deployed.
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| Steve Jacoby
General Manager, Spatial Information
Department of Environment and Resource Management
Steve Jacoby is the General Manager for Information Policy in the Queensland Department of Natural Resources & Mines, Chair of QSIIC (Queensland Spatial Information Infrastructure Council) and the State's ANZLIC representative. He has been in this role for two years now. Previously he was the Director of the Land Information Group in Victoria. Steve has over 20 years experience in government and the spatial industry and has formal qualifications in cartography & surveying.
Steve Jacoby commenced his career in the Victorian Lands Department as a trainee drafting officer and went on to lead its Land Information Group for 7 years. His formal qualifications include a Bachelor of Applied Science (RMIT), and a Masters degree in Surveying Science (UniMelb).
Relocating to Queensland in 2003 as Chief Information Officer for Natural Resources and Water, Steve is the Chair of QSIC and the State's representative on ANZLIC, PSMA and the CRC-SI. Responsible for key components of the State Government's spatial information infrastructure, in 2011 he received Queensland's Spatial Eminence and Excellence award.
The role of spatial information in response to Queensland’s natural disasters in 2011
The Department of Environment and Resource Management’s (DERM) Spatial Information Group (SIG) played a lead role in response to the recent Queensland natural disasters through the coordination and provision of aerial imagery, flood mapping and on-line access to critical spatial information. This data has been used by many key agencies including Emergency Management Queensland, Australian Defence Force, Queensland Reconstruction Authority, Flood Commission of Inquiry, Bureau of Meteorology, local, state and federal agencies, non-government organisations as well as the Insurance Council of Australia.
SIG’s early involvement ensured that information was captured only once and as soon as possible after the event. It was then made widely available to all interested parties including the public. The SIG team led the development of new products and services and provided solutions that have proven critical to the recovery and reconstruction efforts and this is setting a new benchmark in how the government responds with information during and following natural disasters.
The presentation will cover the role played by spatial information and present the key products and services developed and provided by the group during the disasters.
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| Lee Johnson
AFSM, Assoc Dip App Sc (Fire Technology), FAIM, MIFireE
Commissioner, Queensland Fire and Rescue Service
Lee was appointed as Commissioner in January 2002.
Lee began his fire service career in 1975 as a firefighter. He has held firefighting, officer and management positions in Townsville, Gold Coast, Rockhampton and in Brisbane. Lee became an Assistant Commissioner in the QFRS in 1997.
Lee is currently the President of the Australasian Fire and Emergency Services Authorities Council (AFAC). Additionally, he represents Queensland as a Director on the Board of the National Aerial Firefighting Centre.
Lee has a keen interest in the development of AIIMS and chairs the AFAC AIIMS Steering Committee, he is also dedicated to improving operational communication systems and co-chairs the Public Safety Frontline Communications Committee in Queensland.
Deployable Communications for large scale events
The role of Emergency Service Organisations (ESO) has changed dramatically over the last decade and further change driven by the Global economic situation and the impacts of Climate Change is anticipated. A key element of this new operating environment is the “information war” the need to keep the chain of command right through to the political leadership of a jurisdiction informed as well as the community in as near to real time as possible. Of course this presents an enormous challenge to ESO to have excellent situational awareness that enables quality information to be fed upwards and outwards to satisfy the demands of Government and Community.
ESO must have a well developed communications system that enables the sharing of real time situational awareness not simply in a built up area but also in remote and rural areas. The use of a wide range of deployed technologies to enable connectivity from any location of both narrow band and broad band data is essential, and should be a part of any agencies frontline equipment. The Command and Control process also has to be well supported from both a LAN and WAN perspective. I will also discuss some of the recent experiences that QFRS has had during disaster operations in Queensland.
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| Christian Kelly
President
Australian Radio Communications Industry Association (ARCIA)
Christian graduated from Swinburne University with a Bachelor of Electrical Engineering & Electronics in 1982. He then worked for 19 years at Motorola as a systems, project engineer and engineering manager responding to tenders and designing and building police radio networks, simulcast, receiver voting, trunking, mobile data, telemetry, console and CAD systems.
After spending two years in Sydney 1991, Christian returned to Victoria as a systems specialist, moving on to become an account manager in Victoria, national systems engineering manager, and eventually service business manager for the Asia Pacific region. During that time he completed an MBA in Technology Management at Deakin University. Christian joined Telstra in 2002, and is currently a design manager of radio and wireless solutions.
Christian has been president of ARCIA since 2008 and has been active in promoting the industry through the accreditation program, attracting new talent to the industry through training and education with industry advisory committees at RMIT and protecting the radio environment through spectrum management consultation on the RCC with ACMA.
How should public safety communications be integrated into urban, rural and remote area response plans
This presentation will address how public safety communications should be integrated into urban, rural and particularly remote area response plans and what opportunities should there be for interaction between private mobile radio systems and emergency responders.
• What’s the issue
- Remote area resource communities (particularly fly-in fly-out)
- Public safety agencies have limited (if any) fixed infrastructure for mobile radio which limits operational response effectiveness
- Resource companies usually have substantial mobile radio systems
- Opportunity for PSAs to use these
• What happens in an emergency response situation (some scenarios)
- Can public safety agencies use the privately owned mobile radio systems
- Legal, Commercial, Technical impediments
• Is there a better way?
- Resource company mobile radio systems designed with additional capacity/channel for public safety agencies
- Would this provide a better outcome
• Any precedents from overseas
• Precedents in Australia (do the mining companies just issue police, fire, etc with mining company radios?)
• ARCIA view of what could be done to improve the situation
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| Dr Andrew Kerans
Executive Manager, Spectrum Planning Branch
Australian Communications and Media Authority
Andrew Kerans is currently the Executive Manager of the ACMA’s Spectrum Planning Branch, responsible for the planning of Australia’s radio frequency spectrum.
Andrew has 33 years radio communications experience since joining Telecom Australia in 1979. Andrew has worked throughout Australia installing terrestrial radio systems as well as some time working for the Defence Department at Geraldton Western Australia.
Andrew holds a PhD from James Cook University, a Bachelor of Engineering from Charles Darwin University (formerly NTU), a Masters of Engineering from the Australian Defence Forces Academy and a Graduate Diploma and Graduate Certificate in Environmental Engineering.
Andrew has been with ACMA and its predecessors the ACA and SMA since 1996.
Benefits of a networked approach to spectrum use
The Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) is required to take an economy-wide perspective in meeting the many and varied spectrum needs of the Australia community. Whilst the provision of spectrum for public safety use carries obvious societal benefits, it is necessary to consider the opportunity cost forgone in the process, and what constitutes an ‘optimal’ provision in terms of cost/benefit to the Australia public. Public safety communications’ needs are many and varied, necessitating allocations of spectrum across a broad range of frequency bands.
A nested, hierarchical approach to public safety communications presents, at all levels, a range of differing spectrum requirements (in terms of frequency, bandwidth and primacy/protection). This holistic view helps in determining what is ‘adequate’ in meeting the needs of public safety agencies, without compromising on capability, and facilitates deployment of complementary systems to help respond to a broad range of operational demands.
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| Phil Kidner
Chief Executive Officer
International TETRA Association
Phil Kidner has been the CEO of the TETRA and Critical Communications Association and its predecessors for the last six years. During this time he has promoted TETRA throughout the world and across all sectors that utilise critical communications. He also coordinates the TETRA community in its support for the ongoing development of the TETRA standard and broadband communications for existing and future users.
Public safety communications evolution – TETRA Digital radio investments and addressing the growing mobile broadband demands
This presentation will address the following areas:
• Ongoing importance and evolution of TETRA network investments
• Key considerations for addressing open standards for public safety mobile broadband
• Evolution of the public safety network in the Netherlands (C2000) – present and future
• Cross border interoperability
• Role of TETRA and Critical Communications Association
• Future requirements and spectrum and regulatory challenges
Further information on this presentation will be made available shortly.
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| Superintendent Ian Krimmer
Media Officer
Fire and Rescue NSW
Superintendent Ian Krimmer AFSM, a firefighter with 36 years experience and currently Media Officer for Fire & Rescue NSW (FRNSW), was deployed on Monday 14 March 2011 to Minami Sanriku in northern Japan as the media officer for the Australian Urban Search and Rescue (USAR) team.
Ian joined FRNSW in 1976 as an operational firefighter and has attended countless incidents and emergencies. Ian has a Graduate Certificate in Social Sciences. In 1992 he was awarded a Churchill Fellowship to investigate child education programmes in the USA and UK and has implemented many ground breaking education initiatives across NSW. In the 1994 Queens Birthday Honours he was awarded the Australian Fire Service Medal for his education work.
In 1997 he established the Fire Media Unit for FRNSW and in 2000 was awarded the Australian Bicentenary Medal for his work with media. Ian has attended numerous major disasters as the operational spokesperson for FRNSW.
The Japanese Tsunami – Australia’s rescue team tells their story
Located 180 kilometres from the Fukushima reactor, in the centre of the world’s most watched earthquake and tsunami disasters, thousands are missing and there are growing fears of a toxic nuclear cloud. The world’s media have been ordered out, communication systems at Ground Zero are destroyed and rumours are rife. Superintendent Krimmer coordinated the Australian Rescue team’s “credible voice” to the world media now desperate for information on the unfolding Japanese crisis.
With pictures, videos and first hand accounts, this presentation will describe how with communication infrastructures destroyed, no access to mobile phones, Twitter, Facebook or emails, live information was still fed from Japan to media using a satellite phone and a new unique FRNSW dissemination system known as “CHUMBY”.
This paper will provide a unique insight into the Australian tsunami rescue operations and the rapidly changing demands of media during emergencies. It will show how FRNSW and government were protected from unfounded rumours by establishing media trust and keeping emergency managers constantly one step ahead of the game.
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| Craig Lapsley
Fire Services Commissioner
Victoria
Craig Lapsley has enjoyed an impressive career in the Emergency Management sector for nearly 30 years. The majority of this time has been as an employee of Country Fire Authority (CFA), and has served as a volunteer firefighter prior to that. Craig finished his employment with CFA in August 2007 at the rank of Deputy Chief Officer.
In 2010, Craig was appointed as the first Fire Services Commissioner for Victoria. The Fire Services Commissioner has legislative responsibility to provide leadership to the three fire services being CFA, DSE and MFB and is the senior operational firefighter in Victoria who will exercise control over major fires as the State Fire Controller.
The Fire Services Commissioner role includes developing a 3 year rolling reform program for the three fire services; developing and reviewing performance standards; developing and reviewing incident management training, development and accreditation; developing incident management facilities and systems and manage the state control centre.
Craig prides himself on being a dynamic leader in the Emergency Management industry and is a strong believer in the integration of the community into all levels of Emergency Management in an all hazards, all agencies approach.
Technology advances and innovation in fire and emergency management
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| Colin Lawrence
EACC Service Development and Contracts Manager
St John New Zealand
Commencing his career with St John as a Volunteer Ambulance Officer in 1978, Colin achieved his Advanced Paramedic qualification and held a number of leadership roles within St John Operations, Auckland, including that of Station Manager.
In 1992 he was appointed Communications Centre Manager, Auckland, responsible for managing people and technical systems related to an Emergency Service Communications Centre. This included management of the St John alarm monitoring business.
Transferring to Christchurch he took up the position of Technical Support Manager for the Communications Centre and became heavily involved in the national Ambulance Communications Project (ACP) from its inception in 2001. In May 2005 Colin was appointed to the position of National Technical Work Stream lead for ACP, which was the rationalisation of 8 Communications Centres down to 3, including strategic development and contract management in the area of communications for the sector. He was also involved in a lead role in the design and implementation of new technologies for Lifelink alarm monitoring.
In 2007 Colin was appointed National Operations Manager for the Emergency Ambulance Communications Centres and then in 2009 to the role of National EACC Contracts and Service Development Manager, a role he currently holds.
His extensive knowledge and contribution to St John and the wider health sector continues to be significant.
Challenges faced during and since the Christchurch earthquakes
This presentation will look at how St John has performed during the Christchurch earthquakes from a communication centre perspective, operationally and as an organisation at large.
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| Superintendent Lance Martin
Program Manager, Business Technology Delivery
Western Australia Police
Superintendent Martin has 29 years of extensive front line policing experience in a range of operational and support roles including Police operations,communications, and emergency management.
As the Program Manager for Business Technology Delivery, he is responsible for implementing significant business and technical change within Western Australia Police. Recent Projects include:
• The upgrade and expansion of the Police Metropolitan Radio Network project.
• The state wide implementation of in-vehicle and handheld mobile data.
• The upgrade and state wide implementation of the Computer Aided Dispatch project
• The Forensic Digital Exhibit Management project
• The WA Police Concept Police Vehicle
Superintendent Martin was recently awarded the 2011 Australasian Public Safety Communications Officer of the Year.
The WA Police Approach to Implementing Second Generation Mobility Solutions
WA Police has an extensive investment in its mobility solution, with statewide computer aided dispatch, and in-vehicle and handheld mobile data providing query and tasking information to all patrol officers.
As part of it’s approach to continuous improvement, WA Police are planning their second generation mobility solution. During his presentation,Superintendent Lance Martin APM will speak on:
• The build and evaluation of second generation technology in police cars and motorcycles,
• The integration of social mobility into the community engagement process; and
•The current roll out of the state-wide digital trunked and conventional radio network by Police, incorporating the Department of Corrective Service and Fire and Emergency Services.
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| Chris Morgan
Operations Manager
Airwave Solutions Australia
Chris Morgan relocated to Australia in mid 2011 to join the Airwave Solutions Australia team as Operations Manager. Prior to this Chris was Head of Central Service for Airwave in the UK, which saw him responsible for the engine room of the business – the Service Centre. This included network monitoring, problem, change and configuration management as well as performance monitoring and business auditing.
Before joining Airwave, Chris worked as the Regional Service Manager for the National Policing Improvement Agency (NPIA) in the UK. This role saw Chris help UK Police forces maximise the benefits of using the Airwave Service in the North of England and Scotland on behalf of NPIA.
Chris is also a retired Inspector of the UK Police, having served over 26 years.
The transformation of the UK Police
Chris Morgan’s career has paralleled the implementation of a national, multi-agency communications network in the UK – from the gathering of initial requirements through to the full integration within the UK Police Force.
Chris will share some anecdotes related to both the pitfalls (and later the benefits) associated with the adoption of the network. Given that Chris was himself a member of the UK Police Force for 26 years, this presentation will centre around the operational impacts on police officers using a multi agency network.
Today the Airwave network is recognised as a fundamental and strategic part of the communications provided to police, fire and ambulance in the UK. UK agencies have benefit from the adoption of open standards, collaborative incident response and a shared approach. These benefits have led agencies to incorporate the network into their long term strategy and incident response plans – both individual and multi agency.
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| Keith O’Brien
Regional Manager
Victoria State Emergency Service
Keith has been involved in Emergency Management roles for over 25 years as both a Volunteer and in the last decade as an Emergency Manager in Health and for the last 7.5 years as Regional Manager North East Victoria one of the highest risk areas in Victoria for Flooding.
Keith performed the role of Incident Controller and State Commander a number of times during the floods that affected Victoria during the summer of 2010-11. The recent floods saw an increase in the use of spatial information compared to previous events in managing the flood events. Keith was very involved in the new uses and developments including the establishment of intelligence units in the Incident Control Centre’s. Keith has been extensively involved with developing relationships with Local Government and Catchment Management Authorities and increasing the spatial information available for flood intelligence and planning.
How spatial information was utilised during the 2011 Victorian floods
The 2010-11 summer floods that involved large areas of Victoria saw the Victoria State Emergency Service (VICSES) considerably increase its use of spatial information in comparison with previous flooding events. Spatial information was sourced from a number of sources including partner agencies such as Department of Sustainability and Environment (DSE), Country Fire Authority (CFA) and Catchment Management Authorities. Various technologies were used at local, incident management, regional and state levels. Some of the uses included detailed inundation mapping where available, linescan adapted from fire use to map flood extent, satellite imaging as well as streaming video from observation aircraft. This along with readily available spatial information being interpreted by consultant hydrologists employed in incident control centre’s and flood height predictions informed decision making at a level not previously seen. Spatial Information was also used extensively in planning for the recovery process. This session will explore each of the above uses at the same time identifying the future potential of a well resourced spatial information system.
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| David Parsons
Chair Water Services Sector Group
Trusted Information Sharing Network
David is the Manager of Sydney Water’s Emergency Management and Security Unit. Within this portfolio David has responsibility for Emergency Management, Operational Continuity and Security. Prior to commencing at Sydney Water David served as the District Emergency Management Officer for Central West NSW where he was awarded a Ministerial Commendation for his efforts.
Following September 11 David established the Water Services Sector Group within the Australian Government’s Trusted Information Sharing Network. He has held the position of chair since inception and is a member of the national Critical Infrastructure Advisory Council. David is also a member of the Critical Infrastructure Advisory Council’s Organisational Resilience Expert Advisory Group, and Standard Australia’s Committee MB-021 on Societal Resilience.
David holds a number of advisory positions including Advisory Board Member to the Canadian Centre for Emergency Preparedness and editorial committee of the Australian Journal of Emergency Management. David is a Visiting Fellow at the Australian Emergency Management Institute. David has presented at more than twenty international conferences in the areas of Critical Infrastructure Protection, Business Continuity Management, Crisis Management and Organisational Resilience.
Australian Water Sector Mutual Aid Deployment to Christchurch
This presentation tells the story of the first international task force deployment buy the Australian Water Sector. This was one of nine mutual aid operations conducted in 2011. The task force of 14 vehicles were shipped to New Zealand and deployed for 6 months to support local resources. |
| Chief Superintendent Grant Pitman
Information and Communications Technology
Queensland Police Service
Chief Superintendent Grant Pitman has over 30 years law enforcement experience in the Queensland Police Service. He has served in frontline policing, education and training; several operational support functions and corporate services in Brisbane, Ipswich and south west Queensland and currently manages Strategic Services, Communications and Major Projects in Information and Communication Technology for the Queensland Police. He has also studied extensively in policing practice, policy and theory and holds a Phd in politics and policing.
Co-Presenter
David Usher
Principal Consultant
Telstra
David has approximately 35 years experience in the ICT Industry with the Australian Federal Government in Canberra; IBM in Australia, Asia Pacific and the USA; and Telstra in Queensland.
David currently holds the position of Principal Consultant, Telstra Corporation responsible for delivery of an ICT Productivity Diagnostic Consultancy to Telstra Large Corporate and Government clients.
Telstra ICT Productivity Diagnostic Engagement for a Police organisation: A case study
This presentation will provide an overview of a current Telstra assessment and anticipated future use of ICT solutions as a means of driving policing productivity at an individual group and organizational level. The assessment methodology is designed to enhance the potential contribution of ICT solutions towards the achievement of police strategic objectives including community safety; reducing the incidence and impact of crime and road trauma; and to strengthen the role police play in planning, responding to and recovering from disasters and major events. |
| Phil Sidebottom
Manager, Product Operations
Motorola Solutions
Phil Sidebottom manages the APCO P25 product portfolio for Motorola Solutions across the Asia Pacific region.
During a career spanning more than 36 years with Motorola, Phil has worked in many roles including development, manufacturing, quality, marketing and product management. This experience has involved him in the definition, configuration and implementation of many communications solutions for customers across the Asia Pacific region.
These systems have included large statewide networks with hundreds of sites for Government and Public Safety users to smaller systems of one to five sites for use within mining operations, in addition to deployable systems for military application and transport systems for railways.
His direct involvement with customers from such a wide variety of agencies and industries means Phil is well equipped to discuss and advise the many applications of the APCO P25 digital standard as a solution for today’s communications needs.
P25 Phase Two interoperable communications for public safety: showcasing the complete application story and customer deployment
This session will look at the P25 Phase 2 TDMA, the current situation, examples, status and the future. Lets look at first hand examples in the field from customers already experiencing phase two and what this is allowing them to achieve for their communication requirements. We will drill down to system installation and deployment methods & considerations on how this technology can provide enhanced user experience and ease of use through such features as backwards compatibility – all to ensure much needed flexibility for users. We’ll also touch on the P25 standard status, identifying future development and migration opportunities which underline it, enabling users to take complete advantage of the latest technology regardless of their current communications infrastructure.
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| Inspector Steve Smith
Queensland Fire and Rescue Service
Steve joined the Service in 1994 and progressed through the Fire Fighter and Station Officer (2001) ranks, serving in various roles at stations and speciality units throughout Brisbane. Throughout this time he developed and maintained his special interest in rescue and disaster response. Steve developed his rescue skills across all disciplines as an operator and subsequently as a Senior Instructor. He focused his energy into developing Technical Rescue across the Service, as a result becoming heavily involved in disaster management and the deployment and management of specialised teams.
In 2007 he started in the role of Manager, Technical Rescue, where he is responsible for all facets of Technical Rescue within the Service. He was promoted to Inspector in 2008. One of his key responsibilities is the Queensland Urban Search and Rescue Taskforce. This work has led to Steve’s involvement in a number of overseas USAR deployments, most recently to Christchurch. He has represented Australia at a number of United Nations INSARAG events, is an International Classifier and sits on the INSARAG Operations Working Group.
The Swiftwater rescue phenomenon – the high end of high risk operations
Swiftwater Rescue - Is there a higher risk call for our fire fighters/emergency service personnel?
Queensland has experienced extraordinary growth in demand for Swiftwater rescue capability over the last decade. Never was this more evident and the capability more greatly tested than in the summer of 2010-2011. This presentation focuses on experiences the Queensland Fire and Rescue Service had in meeting this demand and the lessons it identified. The challenges of developing and delivering service of this nature in a state as large and diverse as Queensland are explored – discussing delivery models, training and equipment.
A change of this nature cannot but affect an organisation – this presentation will look at the deeper questions of sustainability, recruitment and funding before finally commenting on what the future must hold in this field → greater public education and landholder/asset owner engagement.
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| Ian Vaskess
Chair
National Coordinating Committee for Government Radio communications
Ian is almost a radio communications industry icon with over 25 years involvement in the planning, procurement, design and implementation of radio networks. He is the current chairperson and Victorian Government representative on the National Coordinating Committee for Government Radio communications (or NCCGR), where he has played a key role in the development and implementation of the new Australian 400 MHz LMR Band plan. Ian also represents the NCCGR in the assessment and planning of next generation wireless broadband capabilities for public safety. A tireless spectrum advocate who believes in the value of good governance, cross border coordination and dedicated (spectrum) allocations to public safety.
Harmonising Government Radio Networks and the 400 MHz LMR Band Plan
At the direction of the Council of Australian Governments (COAG), the NCCGR has the responsibility for development and governance of a Government Only 400 MHz band plan to deliver improved radio communications interoperability across Government. This presentation will cover Government land mobile networks - past present and future; the recent 400 MHz land mobile band plan changes, and the NCCGR developed band plan for all tiers of Government dependent on 400 MHz spectrum for operational communications. |
| Kit Wignall
Director
UXC Consulting
Kit Wignall is the National Practice Lead of the Telecommunications Business Services group in UXC Consulting. This group includes the areas of public safety communications, telecommunications industry advisory services and specialist radio services including frequency assigning and radio coverage modelling.
Kit has had extensive involvement in the area of specialist operational mobile communications systems used by public safety organisations and other specialist users. Kit has led consultancy teams carrying out needs analysis, strategic planning, business case development, procurement and implementation technical advisory services. Kit has carried out major projects recently for Queensland Government (Police and Department of Community Safety), Emergency Services Telecommunications Authority and Department of Justice (Victoria), NT Government, Australian Communications and Media Authority and Department of Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy.
Kit has been a key advisor in the development of a number of major public safety systems in Australia including Melbourne MMR (P25 trunked), Melbourne MDN and SAGRN. Kit has recently led the UXC Consultancy team providing technical advice to the Commonwealth Public Safety Mobile Broadband Steering Committee. Kit has formerly been a Director of Gibson Quai-AAS and run consultancy offices in Perth, Adelaide and Melbourne.
The potential for application of mobile broadband 4G/LTE technology in public safety communications – A consultant’s view
This presentation will explain 4th Generation (4G) Long Term Evolution (LTE) mobile broadband technology and will identify the role of the 3GPP standards body, what the 3GPP LTE standards cover and how LTE is different to 3G. An outline of the capabilities of 4G/LTE and its relevance to the public safety sector as well as the background on why APCO is supportive of its use for public safety will be discussed.
The International and Australian perspective will be explored along with considerations such as the challenges faced by public safety organisations moving to mobile broadband technology. Issues identified include access to the spectrum, availability of suitable equipment, the setting of priority mechanisms, interworking with public access systems, the development of public safety software applications for video, images and files to be carried across the LTE network and the development of Operational Use working arrangements.
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