"An Essential Event for Professionals Dedicated to Advancing Public Safety Communications"

The 2024 SBC Wireless Tech & Policy Summit is in the books - Check out all the pix!

Posted on July 17, 2024

The 2024 Safer Buildings Coalition In-Building Wireless Tech & Policy Summit took place at Washington, DC's National Housing Center last month. The Summit featured A-list speakers and discussions about school safety, workforce development, ERCES, and much more. And lots of great networking. It was, as one of the speakers — Mark Ryckman, City Manager & Director of Public Safety, City of Corning, New York — put it: "an essential event for professionals dedicated to advancing public safety communications"! Check out all the great pix below!

Keynote: Lori Alhadeff, Co-Founder - Make Our Schools Safe

The Wireless Tech & Policy Summit put the focus on school safety with a poignant keynote from Make Our Schools Safe (MOSS) Co-Founder Lori Alhadeff who tragically lost her 14-year-old daughter, Alyssa, in the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School massacre in 2018. Following Lori Alhadeff's keynote, Jim Bugel, President of the FirstNet Program at AT&T, presented a $5000 donation from AT&T to MOSS.

Panel Discussion: School Safety and the Critical Role of Wireless Connectivity

Following Lori's keynote, Safer Buildings Coalition Past President Eric Toenjes led a panel discussion on school safety with a focus on state and federal legislation (such as Alyssa's Law, which requires panic buttons in classrooms) that offer help to schools to ensure that critical communications are always available inside school buildings during emergencies.

Speakers:

Moderator: Eric Toenjes - Past President, Safer Buildings Coalition / Wireless Solutions - Graybar
Tim Hay – Executive Director, Florida Dept. of Education, Office of Safe Schools
John Chiaramonte - President & Consulting Services, Mission Critical Partners
Chief Alan Perdue - Executive Director, Safer Buildings Coalition

Fireside Chat: Jim Bugel, President, FirstNet and Public Safety, AT&T

SBC Founder and Cathedral Consulting CEO Seth Buechley interviewed Jim Bugel, President, FirstNet and Public Safety, AT&T covering the present and future of FirstNet.

Panel Discussion: Emergency Responder Communication Enhancement Systems (ERCES) Tech and Policy Urgently in Need of Improvement

ERCES plays a critical role in eliminating wireless "dead zones," which hamper public safety communication and put first responders and the public they serve at risk. Chief Perdue and panelists from industry and public safety zeroed in on the current state of these systems and explored urgently needed changes to ERCES technology and policy.

Moderator: Alan Perdue - Executive Director - Safer Buildings Coalition
Todd Early - Director of Public Safety Business Development, FirstNet, Built with AT&T
Manuel Ojeda - CTO, Morcom International, Inc.
Ken Rehbehn - Principal Analyst, CritComm Insights / Firefighter/EMT/Comms Expert with Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Services
Bill Suthard - Superintendent, Charlotte Fire Department

Panel Discussion: A View from the Top: In-Building Wireless

Moderated by Urgent Communications Senior Editor Donny Jackson, a panel of executive thought leaders explored the current state and future outlook of the wireless sector, with special insights on In-Building Wireless Connectivity.

Speakers:

Moderator: Donny Jackson - Senior Editor of Informa - Urgent Communications
Preston Marshall - Director of Wireless Standards and Policy at Google - Chairman, OnGo (CBRS) Alliance
Patrick Halley - President and Chief Executive Officer, Wireless Infrastructure Association (WIA)
Jeff Johnson – President – Western Fire Chiefs, Former Vice Chair, FirstNet
Steve Devine - Chief Technology Officer, APCO

Panel Discussion: 9-1-1 Inside: A Call to Action

The FCC estimates that a one-minute improvement in 9-1-1 response time would save 10,000 lives in the US. Time is Life. This session zeroed in on SBC's new rallying cry: 9-1-1 Inside, which sets the expectation that calls and texts to emergency services initiated from inside buildings should always get through, with clarity and accurate location.

Moderator: Seth Buechley - SBC Founder and Cathedral Consulting CEO
Heather McGaffin - Director, DC Office of Unified Communications
Mark Ryckman - City Manager, City of Corning, NY
Ed Parkinson - President, Public Sector, RapidSOS
Joel Lindholm - CEO / Co-Founder InfiniG

Fireside Chat: FCC Commissiona Anna M. Gomez

FCC Commissioner Anna M. Gomez joined SBC Managing Director John Foley on stage.

Panel Discussion: Building the Wireless Workforce

Ken Clark - Founder & CEO, Engineering Wireless Services hosted a discussion on the critical issue of building a competent workforce capable of fulfilling the objective of eliminating in-building wireless "Dead Zones."

Speakers:

Moderator: Ken Clark - Founder & CEO, Engineering Wireless Services
Cesar Ruiz – President and CEO, Learning Alliance Corporation
Nathan Leamer – CEO, Fixed Gear Strategies, NATE Government Relations Team
Ted Norman - Former State Director of Apprenticeship (Florida), and current Business Implementation Manager at Public Consulting Group (PCG)
Sasha Cooper-Morrison, MBA - Supervisory Program Analyst and Industry Engagement Team Lead, US Department of Labor

Expo Hall

More than 250 attendees took the opportunity to network and visit this year's exhibitors at the National Housing Center.

Signing off in Style - Hanging & Socializing at the Closing Reception

We wrapped up the '24 installment with a Closing Reception where the attendees, speakers, sponsors, et al kicked back, chatted, had a few drinks while digesting a full day's educational program.

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