Schedule of Events
Keynote Address: Pennsylvania National Guard Role and Capabilities for Emergency Response, Major General Stephen M. Sischo, Deputy Adjutant General and Commander of the Air National Guard.
Main Session: Communications exercise built around a major-event scenario
| Day 1 — Wednesday, September 30, 2009 | |
| 11:00 a.m.–noon | Registration |
| noon–1:30 p.m. |
Lunch, Introduction, and
Keynote |
| 1:30–1:45 | Break and Exhibits |
| 1:45–5:45 | Communication Exercise* |
| 1:45–2:45 | Classroom Sessions |
| 2:45–3:00 | Break and Exhibits |
| 3:00–4:00 | Classroom Sessions |
| 4:00–4:15 | Break and Exhibits |
| 4:15–5:15 | Classroom Sessions |
| 5:15–6:30 | Pre-dinner Break |
| 6:30–8:00 | Dinner and Evening Program |
| Day 2 — Thursday, October 1, 2009 | |
| 7:00–7:45 a.m. |
Continental Breakfast
Introduction to Day 2 |
| 7:45–8:45 | Common Session |
| 8:45–9:00 | Break and Exhibits |
| 9:00–10:00 | Classroom Sessions |
| 10:00–10:15 | Break and Exhibits |
| 10:15–11:15 | Classroom Sessions |
| 11:15–11:30 | Break and Exhibits |
| 11:30 a.m.–12:30 p.m. | Classroom Sessions |
| 12:30–1:30 | Lunch and Conference Wrap-up |
* A schedule of classroom sessions occurs concurrently with communications exercise activities.
Common Sessions
The conference opens with remarks by Charles Brennan, deputy secretary for public safety radio, and Naomi Wyatt, secretary of administration, Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Major General Stephen M. Sischo, deputy adjutant general and commander of the Air
National Guard will give the keynote address.
The second day of the conference opens with a common session featuring Donny Jackson of Urgent Communications, an authoritative and influential publication in the mobile
communications community. This session, entitled, Interoperable communications: Trying to Hit the Moving Target will address how significant technological, cultural, and
regulatory changes are impacting first-responder communications and the ability for local, state, and federal agencies to coordinate response efforts.
Donny Jackson is the senior writer for Urgent Communications magazine (formerly known as Mobile Radio Technology), where he has been covering public-safety communications for the past six years. Previously, he served as news editor for Telephony magazine, a sister trade publication within Penton Media. A graduate of the University of Texas at Austin, Donny began his journalistic career in 1986 as a reporter and editor for several suburban newspapers in the Dallas area.
Sessions are in rooms accommodating up to 90 participants. Facilities in these rooms include projection capabilities and amplification. Sessions occur throughout both days of the conference, with some repeated to allow a wider audience. Visit Classroom Sessions for this year’s confirmed sessions.
Technology Exhibits
Exhibits to be included at the conference include the following:
- Pennsylvania State Police helicopter
- Harris Corporation mobile communications van
- Tactical air-to-ground video technology demonstration
- Pennsylvania National Guard Third Civil Support Team communications team vehicles and equipment
- Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Mobile Emergency Response Support (MERS) vehicles and tactical communications equipment
