DHS S&T ANNOUNCES NEW ACCREDITATION ORGANIZATIONS TO JOIN COMPLIANCE ASSESSMENT PROGRAM

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Science and Technology Directorate (S&T) today announced that the American Association for Laboratory Accreditation, ANSI-ASQ National Accreditation Board, and International Accreditation New Zealand joined the Directorate’s laboratory accreditation efforts. These three accreditation organizations will participate in S&T’s Project 25 Compliance Assessment Program (P25 CAP) that tests emergency response communications equipment to verify required standards are met.

“We look forward to working with these accreditation organizations to ensure public safety agencies can tell which P25 equipment is genuinely interoperable," said David Boyd, Director of S&T’s Office for Interoperability and Compatibility, which leads the P25 effort that develops standards for radios and other equipment to interoperate regardless of manufacturer—allowing first responders across disciplines and jurisdictions to maintain seamless critical communications.

To date, accreditation of P25 CAP laboratories had been conducted solely by the U.S. Department of Commerce National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). The three accreditation organizations joining these efforts will be helping to sustain the program and enhance overall interoperability for the first responder community.

DHS and NIST will continue to work with partner accreditation organizations to develop program guideline documents, furthering the P25 CAP mission of sustainability.

For more information on P25 CAP and other S&T initiatives, visit http://www.firstresponder.gov.