SAFECOM Nationwide Survey

OMB No. 1670-0048

Expiration Date: 11/30/2025

SAFECOM Nationwide Survey

TITLE OF INSTRUMENT:

SAFECOM Nationwide Survey

PURPOSE:

To meet the statutory requirements of 6 U.S.C. § 573, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) Emergency Communications Division (ECD) is mandated to conduct an assessment every 5 years to assess evolving capability needs and gaps and track progress against policy initiatives; status of strategic plans; and major industry or market shifts affecting the emergency communications capability. The SAFECOM Nationwide Survey (SNS) is how CISA obtains the data for that assessment. The last SNS was conducted in late 2017 through early 2018. To ascertain this information, the SNS will deploy a survey through Qualtrics or alternate survey forms to various emergency response disciplines at each level of government - federal, state, territorial, local, and tribal. The survey will solicit responses regarding issues affecting the public safety community to determine a jurisdiction’s level of operability, interoperability, and continuity and thus their overall emergency communications capability level. CISA ECD will analyze the data collected from this general survey to identify major gaps and themes affecting emergency communications across levels of government. This analysis is the basis for the Congressionally mandated Nationwide Baseline Communications Assessment (NCBA) and National Emergency Communications Plan (NECP) updates. The data is shared with all stakeholders that have a role in emergency communications.

DESCRIPTION OF RESPONDENTS:

The potential universe of respondents includes federal, state, territorial, tribal, and local public safety organizations representing the emergency response disciplines of fire and rescue, law enforcement, emergency management, emergency communications centers, and emergency medical services.

TYPE OF COLLECTION: (Check one)

[ ] Customer Comment Card/Complaint Form [ ] Customer Satisfaction Survey

[ ] Usability Testing (e.g., Website or Software) [ ] Small Discussion Group

[ ] Focus Group [X] Other: Capability Assessment

To assist review, please provide answers to the following question:

Personally Identifiable Information:

1. Is personally identifiable information (PII) collected? [ ] Yes [X] No

2. If yes, is the information that will be collected included in records that are subject to the Privacy Act of 1974? [ ] Yes [X] No

3. If Applicable, has a System or Records Notice been published? [ ] Yes [X] No

Gifts or Payments:

Is an incentive (e.g., money or reimbursement of expenses, token of appreciation) provided to participants? [ ] Yes [X] No

BURDEN HOURS

The time required to complete this information collection is estimated to average 30 minutes per response based on usability testing for the 2023 survey and the administration of the 2018 SNS.

Per the generic clearance, approved on November 1, 2022, estimates the total number of targeted respondents for the SNS are approximately.

Level of Government	Number of Targeted Respondents
State/Territories	1,913
Tribal Nations	574
Local	29,502
Supplemental Surveys	10,000
Total	41,989

However, that amount factored in a placeholder of 10,000 respondents for supplemental surveys. Therefore, the projected number of respondents for the SNS is 31,989 (Total number of targeted responses less the 10,000 for the supplemental surveys.

• The projected response rate is 17 percent based on the 2018 SNS.

• Total Frequency of Response: Once every five years (6 U.S.C. § 573 requires DHS through the ECD Assistant Director to conduct the survey no less than every five years)

• Total annualized number of respondents for the SNS: 31,989/5 = 6,397.8 rounded up to 6398 respondents per year.

DHS will be using the formula: (Mean Hourly Wage Rate) x (Benefit Multiplier)

For the purposes of these calculations, DHS is using data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) regarding the Mean Hourly Wage rate for each discipline. The Benefit Multiplier was designated as 1.449 for each discipline. The source-compensation factor is calculated using the December 2022 BLS Economic News Release with September 2022 data on Employee Compensation.¹ Accordingly, the source-compensation factor was derived by applying the following formula: Total compensation divided by Wages and salaries = compensation factor (i.e., $41.86 total compensation ÷ $28.88 in wages and salaries = 1.449446 compensation factor).

In addition, as example to illustrate how the multiplier is applied to a public safety discipline specifically, the fully loaded hourly wage rate for a Fire Department member is $38.53 ($26.58 BLS base rate x 1.449 compensation factor = $38.53²). This process is illustrated for all disciplines in Table A.1, and information sources for base pay by public safety discipline are cited in footnotes 4, 5, 6, 7, and 8 below.

Table A.1: Estimated Annualized Burden Hours and Costs from Generic Clearance

Type of Respondent	Percent of Population	Number of Respondents	Responses per Respondent	Average Burden per Response (in hours)	Total Annual Burden (in hours)	Average Hourly Wage Rate	Total Cost
Law Enforcement3	28%	1,791	1	0.5	895	$49.31	$44,157.24
Fire Department4	47%	3,007	1	0.5	1,503	$38.53	$57,924.25
Emergency Medical Service5	8%	512	1	0.5	256	$33.55	$8,590.00
Public Safety Answering Points6	8%	512	1	0.5	256	$32.77	$8,389.63
Emergency Management7	9%	576	1	0.5	288	$56.60	$16,283.52
Totals	100%	6,398			3,199		$135,344.64

Administration of the Instrument

1. How will you collect the information? (Check all that apply)

[X] Web-based or other forms of social media

[ ] Telephone

[ ] In-person

[X] Mail

[ ] Other

The online version of the survey will be administered through Qualtrics. A link to the survey can be found at: https://cisaecd.gov1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_9SLCcO7oycNTpH0.

The alternate forms are available if requested. Two options include paper copies and Adobe fillable forms. Testers completing the hard copies will be provided with a pre-paid mailing envelope to submit the completed tests to CISA. Copies of the local, tribal, state and federal surveys are attached.

For use of Qualtrics, CISA will ensure that tester IP addresses are not collected by ensuring that the Qualtrics settings are updated to opt out of collecting this information.

2. Will interviewers or facilitators be used? [ ] Yes, for telephone or in-person distribution [X] No

Attachments:

• Attachment 1 SNS Local Survey (Attachment_1_sns_2023_local_version_03172023)

• Attachment 2 SNS Tribal Survey (Attachment_2_sns_2023_tribal_version_03172023)

• Attachment 3 SNS State/Territorial Survey (Attachment_3_sns_2023_state_territorial_version_03172023)

• Attachment 4 SNS Federal Survey (Attachment_4_sns_2023_federal_version_03172023)

1 Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics. Employer Costs for Employee Compensation - September 2022: Website: https://www.bls.gov/news.release/archives/ecec_12152022.htm

2 Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics. Firefighter Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2021: Website: https://www.bls.gov/oes/2021/may /oes332011.htm

3 Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics. Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2019 Police and Sheriff’s Patrol Officers. Website: https://www.bls.gov/oes/2021/may /oes333051.htm ($34.02 *1.449=$49.31)

4 Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics. Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2021 Fire Fighters. Website: https://www.bls.gov/oes/2021/may /oes332011.htm ($26.58*1.449=$38.53)

5 Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics. Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2021 Emergency Medical Technicians and Paramedics (Occupation Code 29-2040). Website: https://www.bls.gov/oes/2021/may/naics4_624200.htm#11-0000 ($23.15*1.4449=$33.55)

6 Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics. Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2021 Public Safety Telecommunicators. Website: https://www.bls.gov/oes/2021/may /oes435031.htm ($22.61*1.449=$32.77)

7 Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics. Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2021 Community Food and Housing, and Emergency and Other Relief Services, Management Occupations (11-0000). Website: https://www.bls.gov/oes/2021/may /oes110000.htm ($39.05*1. 449=$56.54)

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