Steve Souder

Steve Souder

Advisory Board - RapidSOS

 

Steve Souder is a nationally and internationally recognized and respected, authority and leader in the 9-1-1 public safety communications profession and industry.
 
During his extensive forty-eight year 9-1-1 career, he has served in four jurisdictions of the National Capital Region (NCR); i.e. Washington, DC, Arlington County, VA, Montgomery County, MD and Fairfax County, VA…. the latter three, spanning 31 years, as the 9-1-1 center director. During his tenure in Virginia he worked very closely with the Virginia Information Technology Agency, Integrated Services Program, 9-1-1 Services Board and when in Maryland with the Maryland Emergency Number (9-1-1) Systems Board on a wide variety of issues. Recently, Maryland Governor Hogan appointed Steve to a five (5) year term on the Emergency Number (9-1-1) Systems Board.
 
Steve is a frequent guest speaker, presenter, spokesperson, writer and consultant on 9-1-1 matters, and on numerous occasions has provided testimony before Congress and state legislative bodies. 
 
In 2014, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) requested Steve to serve as chair of the Task Force on Optimal PSAP (Public Safety Answering Point) [aka….9-1-1 Center] Architecture/TFOPA. The report, recently issued (fcc.gov/tfopa), provides the nation's 9-1-1 community, Local and State government appointed and elected officials…. a way forward for the implementation of the Next Generation 9-1-1 (NG9-1-1).

Steve is Life Member of the Association of Public-Safety Communications Officials (APCO), the National Emergency Number Association (NENA), International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP), International Association of Fire Chiefs (IAFC). Additionally, he has served as the founding chair of the
Metropolitan Washington (DC) Council of Governments (MWCOG) 9-1-1 Director's Committee.  Steve is also active in the NG9-1-1 Institute of the Congressional NG9-1-1 Caucus.
 
In addition to his distinguished 9-1-1 career, Steve is a highly decorated former Senior Chief Firefighter (retired) of the United States Coast Guard Reserve.
 
During Steve's career he, with his 9-1-1 communications center personnel at that time, were involved in many historic events including; the massive fires that swept Washington, DC following the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., the shooting of President Ronald Reagan, crash of Air Florida Flight 90 into
the Potomac River, 9-11 terrorist  attack on the Pentagon, Beltway Sniper event in 2002 and the massive derecho storm and associated wide-spread 9-1-1 outage of 2012 plus many more.