Safer Buildings Coalition Issues "No Noise" Call to Action and Position Paper

The Safer Buildings Coalition (SBC) is calling for the immediate convening of a task force to address public safety radio interference caused by the improper use of "Signal Boosters" commonly deployed to remediate poor in-building public safety and commercial wireless coverage. The details of this call to action are documented in a position paper entitled “No Noise.”

Download the No Noise Position Paper here: 

DOWNLOAD THE POSITION PAPER 

What is the Problem We're Trying to Solve?

To put it succinctly, Radio System Operators / Administrators / Managers – i.e., the FCC License Holders, have had it up to here with the incidences of harmful noise and interference on their public safety radio networks caused by improperly deployed BDAs.

And they have begun to act. Recently, an FCC complaint was filed on a building owner out west as a result of an interfering BDA. Rumor has it that more violations are forthcoming. Battle lines are being drawn.

In a discussion with FCC License Holder volunteers to the Task Force, the number one goal was to “Ensure First Responders Radios work inside (and outside) buildings and structures.” The number one obstacle identified was “Getting all stakeholders on the same page.”

 

Read related article on the " WHY": 
In-Building Public Safety Coverage at the Crossroads of Conflict

 

 

Task Force Structure

The Task Force features an Executive Steering Committee, supported by 4 Working Groups. It is Chaired by Michelle Geddes,  Chief Information Officer at City and County of San Francisco Department of Emergency Management. The Steering Committee will provide guidance and oversight to the Work Groups.

Here are the four Work Groups:

• Seek First to Understand – Define the Baseline
• Start With the End in Mind – Establish Goals
• Disorder to Order – How to get from Baseline to Goals
• Bet You Didn’t Know – How to Communicate NNTF to Stakeholders and the Public

The following industry veterans have already accepted positions on the Steering Committee. 

• Michelle Geddes - [Task Force Chair] Chief Information Officer at City of San Francisco Department of Emergency Management
• Chief Alan Perdue [SBC Lead] – Executive Director, Safer Buildings Coalition
• Chief Michael O'Brian - Director, Fire & Life Safety Section for the IAFC, and Fire Chief with Brighton Area Fire Authority (MI)
• Andy Seybold – Noted thought leader in the public safety comms space. 
• Richard Roberts - Senior Industry Affairs Manager - Honeywell
• Michael Baltrotsky - Assistant Chief, Technology Section Chief at Montgomery County (MD) Fire & Rescue Service
• Neil Horden – Principal Consultant; Wireless and Public Safety Practice at Horden Technology, LLC
• Mark Crosby - President/CEO at Enterprise Wireless Alliance
• Ed Steffens – Division Chief  & Fire Marshall - Iona Fire District
• Kenny Blakeslee – President & CEO Pulse Signal Solutions / Apex Site Solutions
• Richard Roberts – Industry Affairs Manager, Honeywell
• Charlie Fleetham - President, Project Innovations [Task Force Sherpa and Master Facilitator] 

FCC Designates Commission staff to serve as a resource to the No Noise Task Force Force 

SBC is pleased and proud to announce that the FCC has designated representatives from each of the following bureaus or offices to act as resources to the Task Force:

• Enforcement Bureau
• Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau
• Office of Engineering and Technology
• Wireless Telecommunications Bureau

The FCC’s offer of support is a strong validation of the importance of eliminating harmful noise and interference that is creating challenges for public safety radio systems, first responders, and License Holders from around the country. This is very welcome support.

No-Noise Task Force BHAG: Become the One Source of ERCES Truth

BHAG stands for Big Hairy Audacious Goal, an idea conceptualized in the book, “Built to Last: Successful Habits of Visionary Companies” by James Collins and Jerry Porras. According to Collins and Porras, a BHAG is a long-term goal that changes the very nature of an organization's existence.

What is needed is a single, trusted place where all stakeholders can turn to for reliable information about ERCES. This is the gist of our BHAG – “Become the One Source of ERCES Truth.”

Read More about the BHAG in this May 27 SBC Article:
SBC No-Noise Task Force Forges Ahead with a BHAG: Become the One Source of ERCES Truth

To Learn More

Please contact us here to learn more about the SBC No Noise Task Force: CONTACT US