WiCAB Organization

The Tennessee Public Safety Wireless Interoperable Communications Advisory Board (WiCAB) was created to advise the Governor in creating a communications system that will ensure all government departments and agencies can understand each other over the network.

The WiCAB consists of 13 members, including the:

Director of the Tennessee Emergency Management Agency

Adjutant General of the Department of Military

Director of the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation

Director of the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency

Commissioner of the Department of Agriculture

Commissioner of the Department of Correction

Commissioner of the Department of Environment and Conservation

Commissioner of the Department of Finance and Administration

Commissioner of the Department of Health

Commissioner of the Department of Safety

Commissioner of the Department of Transportation

Two representatives of local government (a representative from an “urban” jurisdiction and a representative from a “rural” jurisdiction).

The Director of the Tennessee Emergency Management Agency is appointed as Chairman, per the executive order.

The board selected the Commissioner of the Department of Safety as the Vice-Chair.

The board adopted by-laws and rules on Oct. 23, 2007 which created four standing committees:

Planning Committee

Resources Committee

Technical Committee

Users Committee

The standing committees were assigned general responsibilities as follows:

Planning Committee:

· Develop strategic plan outline, especially suggested structures, policies and procedures, time lines, phases and directions regarding specific position assignments.

· Assess risks and include risk management considerations in Strategic Plan

· Determine work assignments for other committees

· Report progress to the board

· Review progress of other committees and coordinate results between committees

Resource Committee:

· Develop strategic plan for funding and obtain new sources of funding

· Develop procurement strategy

· Accomplish life cycle costing models

· Recommend marketing strategies

· Monitor budget cycle and forecast nexus points for fiscal strategies

· Review RFP information and monitor the RFP development

· Provide recommendations to the Planning Committee

Technical Committee:

· Coordinate activities between the Communications Consultant Project Manager and the Technical Committee

· Develop recommendations for wireless technology and conceptual architecture, for regulatory issues, and for operations and maintenance.

· Provide technical information as needed for existing systems, infrastructure, traffic patterns, and communications equipment and discuss technical and operational details

· Provide planning information on future system upgrades

· Review baseline assessment information and recommend needs

Users Committee:

· Recommend concept requirements to improve response and recovery

· Assign a member to the Strategic Planning Work Group, Base Assessment

Work Group and Request for Proposal Work Group to complete deliverables

· Participate in BGA interviews to discuss operational issues

· Provide operational information related to the use of systems, areas of operation or emergency response plans

· Provide information on interoperability requirements with other departments

· Provide training requirements for the strategic plan and RFP

· Provide transition requirements and timelines for the strategic plan and RFP

· Review and comment on the baseline assessment, strategic plan and RFP

Rules for operation of the board:

· Sub-elements. The board may create additional committees as needed, and committees may create working groups. Working groups may be created by the committees without approval of the board, but committees shall be formed only by decision of the board chairman.

· Rules of operation. Each committee or working group may establish its own ground rules for operating and may use the WiCAB by-laws as a guide; however, this is subject to board’s public information rules limitation.

· Minutes or records. Committees and working groups are not required to maintain minutes, but the WiCAB itself must maintain minutes for formal record. Products or deliverables will be captured at the board level in the minutes.

· Secretary or Administrative Support. Only the WiCAB board will receive administrative support from TEMA; each working group or committee must arrange for its own support.

· Release of Information. The board or any of its committees or working groups will not be subject to open meetings and no one may waive this rule except the chairman of the board. This rule helps prevent violations of law and state purchasing regulations. The minutes of each meeting are releasable, and a summary of the meetings will be available online after the meeting. No sidebars are allowed for members to talk with media, contractors or lobbyists, and releases will be handled by the board itself through the Public Awareness Coordinator. An information letter or letters will be developed for release to legislators, media and other interested parties (to be accomplished by the PAC; the TEMA PIO will not release information regarding the WiCAB unless it relates to TEMA itself).

· Each chair of a committee will present project deliverables and recommendations to the board in writing and will present a briefing to the board using PowerPoint.

The chairman decided that no information or other release would be made until the contractor, Buford Goff & Associates, had an opportunity to review the release.