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OEC Releases Two New Tools to Assist Public Safety Stakeholders
Formal Agreement and SOP Template Suite and Reference Library Now Available!
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Office of Emergency Communications (OEC) has released the Formal Agreement and Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) Template Suite and Reference Library. These resources provide great value to the emergency response community, helping to guide the effective and efficient development of formal agreements and SOPs among interoperable communications stakeholders.
The Template Suite and Reference Library also assist the Nation in meeting its interoperable communications milestones as outlined in the National Emergency Communications Plan (NECP). In particular, their release satisfies NECP Milestones 1.1.1 and 3.3.41, which state,
“DHS will establish a central repository of model formal agreements (i.e., Memoranda of Agreement [MOA], Memoranda of Understanding [MOU], and Mission Assignments) and information that will enhance interstate and intrastate coordination.”
“DHS identifies and refines model SOPs for emergency communications during specific types of incidents and all-hazards response (beyond tactical communications).”
Formal Agreement and SOP Template Suite
The Formal Agreement and SOP Template Suite, includes guidance documents for the creation of a:
- Charter
- Executive Order
- State to Local MOU
- Local to Local MOU
- System-to-System Console Patch SOP
- Mobile Gateway SOP
- Shared Channel SOP
- Shared System SOP
- Radio Cache SOP
Each guidance document is divided into two parts. Part I highlights sample language, reference formal agreements/SOPs, and “Questions to Consider” when creating a formal agreement or SOP. Part II provides a template with “blanks” and customizable pre-populated language that stakeholders can tailor to meet the needs of their formal agreement or SOP.
Formal Agreement and SOP Reference Library
The Formal Agreement and SOP Reference Library, which is only available through the National Interoperability Information eXchange, contains over two hundred formal agreement and SOP examples provided by public safety stakeholders from across the country. When using the Template Suite to construct a formal agreement or SOP, emergency responders are encouraged to leverage the real-world examples contained within the Reference Library as these resources are most effective when used in conjunction with one another. When referencing these examples, stakeholders should recognize that inclusion in the Reference Library does not constitute an official endorsement on the part of DHS.
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