National Emergency Communications Plan Released
August 2008
The National Emergency Communications Plan (NECP), newly released by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, aims to allow emergency response personnel at all levels of government and across all disciplines to communicate as needed, on demand, and as authorized.
The NECP is the nation's first strategic plan to improve emergency response communications, and complements overarching homeland security and emergency communications legislation, strategies and initiatives. It coordinates with the recently approved Statewide Communication Interoperability Plans.
By 2010, the NECP aims to have 90 percent of all high-risk urban areas designated within the Urban Areas Security Initiative (UASI) able to demonstrate response-level emergency communications within one hour for routine events involving multiple jurisdictions and agencies.
By 2013, 75 percent of all jurisdictions will be expected to demonstrate response-level emergency communications within three hours of a significant event, as outlined in the department's national planning scenarios.
