The Department of Homeland Security Office of National Capital Region Coordination and the Department of Defense Pentagon Force Protection Agency joined public and private sector participants last month in a demonstration to validate the functionality of the First Responder Authentication Credential.

The demonstration, known as Winter Storm, was a multi-jurisdictional test to verify the integration and interoperability of credential system attributes such as qualifications, authorizations, certifications, and privileges.

"Winter Storm provided further validation of the technological advancements that will enable the nation to meet the goal of developing a unified credentialing system for first responders," said Thomas Lockwood, director of the Office of National Capital Region Coordination. "Such advancements will ensure that emergency personnel are better-equipped to respond to incidents across the nation in an expedited fashion."

More than 50 organizations in over 20 locations across the United States, including the National Capital Region, actively participated in the exercise. Participants and observers viewed details on a commercially available mapping program that gave local, regional and nationwide emergency operation centers real-time situational awareness of first responders.

The exercise was a follow-up event to Winter Fox, a multi-jurisdictional demonstration in February 2006 that tested the interoperability and usability of the credential system through simulated emergency incidents at federal, state and local facilities. Both demonstrations are part of the DHS First Responder Partnership Initiative that is working to provide federal and non-federal first responders with a standardized identity management process and common credential that will enable access to government buildings and incident areas in the event of a terrorist attack or other all hazards events.

Since Sept. 11, 2001, there has been a critical demand for a common authentication credential for first responders; not only during an all-hazards event, but day-to-day for physical and logical access. The Office of National Capital Region Coordination has attempted to advance the credentialing program through the cultivation of interagency and multi-jurisdictional partnerships with federal and non-federal agencies.