- Describe the nominee’s public safety communications agency. Please include staffing levels, size, and discipline; please describe the RF system, area of operations, number of subscribers, radio channels, console positions, and users. (Law, fire, EMS, PSAP only, etc.)
The California State Military Reserve (CSMR) is a volunteer operational force upon which the California National Guard depends. The mission of the CSMR is to provide an adequately trained and organized State military reserve force under the exclusive control of the Governor. The CSMR is meant to be capable of accomplishing State emergency responsibilities assigned to the National Guard, when the Guard is federalized or otherwise not available and provide additional support for daily operations by being embedded in Guard units. The CSMR is a Ready Force, Providing the Highest Quality Support to the Army National Guard (ARNG), the Air National Guard (ANG), and the Joint Staff Serving California. Its members are subject to call to state active duty by the Governor of the State of California. The CSMR performs such military duties as the Governor directs within the parameters of applicable federal and state law. Typically those additional military duties include assisting civil authorities during domestic emergencies and assisting in the mobilization and demobilization process of the National Guard. The CSMR has more than 1500 members spread throughout the state of California based at various Guard units and Joint Forces Headquarters (JFHQ). Chief Warrant Officer Two (CWO2) Wilhelm works with the J6 branch (communications) assigned to JFHQ. They are responsible for providing communications, video, and intelligence information transport to state leadership and incident command centers during state emergencies or domestic operations. They manage and operate 9 Interconnected Command and Control Communications Computer Units (IC4U mobile command unit), 6 satellite internet access terminals, 5 Harriers satellite internet phone and video distribution suite, 12 Rovers, Video Scout, video distribution and downlink from multiple airborne assets, wireless internet access points, and multiple VHF/UHF radios, Audio Communication Gateways (ACU-2000) and the Mobile Emergency Operations Center (MEOC).
- Describe the nominee’s daily and additional pertinent duties and responsibilities.
CWO2 Wilhelm volunteers as a CSMR and develops and recommends solutions, maintains, operates, and performs training on a wide variety of telecommunications equipment in support of CA Joint Forces Headquarters and multiple Army and Air Guard units. In addition, he has volunteered his time to the Long Beach Fire and Police Departments, Los Angeles Fire and Police Departments, LA County Sheriff, and multiple other police departments to include Ventura, Burbank, San Bernardino, and Riverside. He has also assisted the Harris County Sheriff in Texas, and the National Guard in Montana, Idaho, and Hawaii. He provides technical consultation and development, as well as customer service to users to solve a wide variety of problems on complex and interconnected RF, IT, voice, data and server equipment. Most of this work is done on a strictly volunteer basis with no monetary compensation for the vast number of hours he puts in. He is responsible for creating military orders (FRAGOs) identifying communication equipment and personnel requirements during state emergencies. He is one of the primary members of the team responsible for the communications equipment used for Domestic Operations and Defense Support of Civil Authorities. He is a crew chief on the IC4U mobile command unit, Harrier satellite internet phone and video distribution suite, Rover 4 and rover 6 video downlink equipment, and tactical fly away kit (mobile satellite internet and voip phone access) providing training, operation and periodic maintenance of the equipment.
- Tell us how long the nominee has been at this job and any previous public safety communications positions the nominee has held.
As a CSMR, CW2 Wilhelm has been assigned to Joint Forces Headquarters for the last 10 months, the prior 10 years he was assigned at Joint Training Base (JTB) Los Alamitos. In addition, he retired in 2016 from CalTrans after over 20 years working with RF communications, video and emergency communications equipment.
- Describe how the nominee functions as a team player.
CW2 Wilhelm has fulfilled both team leadership and support roles dependent on the personnel assigned and the specific needs of the mission. Has not only trained multiple crew chief’s on the IC4U mobile command unit, but has acted as a team lead directing site planning and set up, installation of grounds, antenna systems, emergency power generators, transmission lines, and video equipment. CW2 Wilhelm has a tireless work ethic and will do whatever it takes to complete the mission. As a team leader, and member he will take on any job. He is proactive, taking care of necessary tasks without direction from superiors. CW2 Wilhelm’s team ethos is clearly demonstrated through his volunteerism with multiple public safety organizations nationwide.
- Describe how the nominee demonstrates his/her knowledge of the profession and flexibility in task assignments. Provide an example of how the nominee may go above and beyond what may be required of an individual in this position.
CW2 Wilhelm’s in depth field experience enables him to quickly and accurately identify the specific RF and communications equipment needed to support incident commanders and resulted in his assignment to Joint Forces Headquarters. He is able to adapt to the rapidly changing requirements of an emergency incident and provide the most relevant personnel and equipment to meet mission needs. Real-time downlinking and distribution of video and intelligence information from airborne assets and use of Remotely Piloted Aircraft (RPA) in support of Domestic Operations (DOMOPS) is an emerging area of collaboration and the CA Military Department has been at the forefront of the innovation necessary to make this endeavor successful. Therefore much of the equipment, time, and manpower to meet these new requirements are not part of the regular mission and are above and beyond the normal requirements. CW2 Wilhelm took it upon himself to become a systems expert on all of this new equipment that is not part of his normal duties. He consistently volunteers to support DOMOPS exercises and events to include wildfire support, search and rescue operations, emergency response planning, and has shared his expertise with multiple other agencies. Developing these new procedures and capabilities requires an in depth knowledge of the systems and telecommunications principles and shows great flexibility in finding new and innovative uses for the equipment. CW2 Wilhelm has also shown his flexibility working multiple different shifts, nights and weekends to support these events and taskings. CW2 Wilhelm does the majority of this work with no monetary compensation and has on multiple occasions spent his own funds to purchase equipment to ensure mission success. He has also paid for his own travel to locations in Idaho, Montana and Texas to assist them with training and development of their own equipment and programs.
- The work of a Public Safety Radio Frequency Technologist involves rapidly changing technology. How does the nominee keep his or her expertise current?
CW2 Wilhelm worked closely with multiple vendors to develop the Harrier, a satellite communications terminal that integrates video encoding, uplinking, and distribution in one easy to use plug and play kit. This is just one example of CW2 Wilhelm’s efforts to improve the technology and capabilities of the CA Military Department. CW2 Wilhelm is a highly sought out Subject Matter Expert (SME) and multiple vendors reach out to him to assist with test and evaluation of emerging technologies and provide feedback to improve their products. He also brings technology partners and military personnel together to develop methods and use new and existing tools for collaboration across military branches and civilian agencies for use in DOMOPS missions and emergency response. This has given him an invaluable resource for training on new and emerging technologies.
- Maintaining and troubleshooting radio and communications equipment means dealing with many vendors and different types of user agencies. Describe how the nominee develops and employs good communication with all involved.
CW2 Wilhelm is a very effective communicator and is professional, outgoing, and affable in all his interactions. As mentioned above he has developed relationships with multiple vendors and organizations. Additionally, he has made numerous contacts, with law enforcement and fire personnel that he has worked with. Whenever he sets up a training event or demonstration he brings together as many of the Public Safety organizations, vendors, and military personnel as possible. He strives for seamless interoperability between all organizations. CW2 Wilhelm has worked with multiple agencies including the Army National Guard, Air National Guard, Long Beach Fire and Police Departments, Los Angeles Fire and Police Departments, LA County Sheriff, and multiple other police departments to include Ventura, Burbank, San Bernardino, and Riverside. He encourages open and honest exchange of information to quickly and effectively resolve technical and personal issues and to meet the mission at hand.
- Describe how the actions of the candidate improved the coverage, capacity, and/or reliability of their radio system.
CW2 Wilhelm’s development of the Harrier kit has greatly improved the ease of use, coverage, capacity, and reliability of the equipment to enable the distribution of real time Full Motion Video from airborne platforms to command centers and decision makers providing critical intelligence information. This provides an unprecedented amount of information on a nearly instantaneous time frame to key public safety personnel during critical events. Through video downlinking and distribution, a first responder on the scene can receive real time video from an aircraft on his smart device at the same time as the incident commander in the command center. CW2 Wilhelm is on the forefront of these capabilities and maintains and operates the telecommunications equipment that make it possible. He participates in multiple training events and interoperability exercises to continually refine and improve the ability of the CA Military Department to integrate and work seamlessly and effectively communicate with other public service agencies. CW2 Wilhelm’s move to Joint Forces Headquarters has brought a wealth of practical field experience to the decision making and planning level of leadership. He is able to make key decisions regarding the acquisition and distribution of new equipment to key operational areas, greatly improving the coverage, capacity and reliability of radio systems throughout the state of California. CW2 Wilhelm does not restrict his efforts to improving the systems that he is responsible for but selflessly devotes time and effort to improving the equipment and interoperability of all the organizations that he has had interactions with.
- In one page or less, describe why the nominee should receive the 2017 APCO-International Public-Safety Communications RF Technologist of the Year award
CW2 Ric Wilhelm is a highly motivated professional at the forefront of innovations enabling the closer collaboration between military and civilian agencies to ensure Public Safety. He enables the distribution of real time Full Motion Video from airborne platforms to command centers and decision makers providing critical intelligence information and maintains and operates UHF, VHF, satellite, C-Band, and KU transmitters and receivers. He is also responsible for creating military orders (FRAGOs) identifying communication equipment and personnel requirements during state emergencies, deploying mission critical assets to key operational areas in support of local first responders and public safety officials. The equipment he fields provides an unprecedented amount of information on a nearly instantaneous time frame to key public safety personnel during incidents. This enables incident commanders to make the best choices during quickly changing dynamic events. CW2 Wilhelm was essential to the CA Military Department response to multiple emergencies during 2017.
In February 2017, Oroville Dam’s main and emergency spillways were significantly damaged, prompting the evacuation of more than 180,000 people living downstream along the Feather River and the relocation of a fish hatchery. CW2 Wilhelm deployed to the incident area in support of multiple federal and state agencies. He was essential to the deployment of fly away kits, Rover 4, Rover 6, and multiple Dragoon video capture systems in providing real-time full motion video from multiple fixed and rotor wing surveillance aircraft enabling situational awareness on and around the Oroville Dam and ensuring the safety of over 180,000 civilians living in the projected flood areas below the dam.
In October 2017, CW2 Wilhelm responded to the Tubbs Fire. It was the most destructive wildfire in California history, burning parts of Napa, Sonoma, and Lake counties in Northern California. It was one of more than a dozen large fires that broke out in early October and were simultaneously burning in eight Northern California counties, in what was called the “Northern California firestorm”. By the time of its containment on October 31, the fire was estimated to have burned 36,807 acres and at least 22 people had been killed in Sonoma County by the fire. CW2 Wilhelm was once again crucial to the successful support of multiple federal and state agencies, deploying and operating IC4U mobile command units at fire base camps, the MEOC in the evacuated area, and multiple sets video uplink/downlink equipment enabling the incident commanders and state leadership access to Full Motion Video from airborne assets and nearly instantaneous information on fire lines and hot spots.
The Thomas Fire was a massive wildfire that affected Ventura and Santa Barbara Counties, and one of multiple wildfires that ignited in Southern California in December 2017. It burned approximately 281,893 acres, becoming the largest wildfire in modern California history. At its height, the Thomas Fire saw over 8,500 firefighters mobilized to fight it, which was the largest mobilization of firefighters for combating any wildfire in California history. The RF equipment developed, deployed, and operated by CW2 Wilhelm, enabling the situational awareness of incident commanders and providing a common operating picture for the multiple federal and state agencies involved, was essential to the emergency response. In one particular instance the quick identification of a hot spot outside the fire boundary by one of the MQ-9 Remotely Piloted Aircraft and the distribution of this critical information enabled the incident commander to reallocate assets and saved a community of 300 homes.
Outside of emergency response, CWO2 Wilhelm volunteers as a CSMR and develops and recommends solutions, maintains, operates, and performs training on a wide variety of telecommunications and RF equipment in support of CA Joint Forces Headquarters and multiple Army and Air Guard units. In addition, he has volunteered his time to the Long Beach, Los Angeles, Ventura, Burbank, San Bernardino, and Riverside Police Departments, LA and Long Beach Fire Departments, and the LA County Sheriff Department. He has also assisted the Harris County Sheriff in Texas, and the National Guard in Montana, Idaho, and Hawaii demonstrating and recommending equipment to meet their operational needs. He provides technical consultation and development, as well as customer service to users to solve a wide variety of problems on complex and interconnected RF, IT, voice, data and server equipment. Most of this work is done on a strictly volunteer basis with no monetary compensation for the vast number of hours he puts in. He focuses on interoperability of the communications and command centers of the various agencies involved with public safety and emergency response throughout the state of California and the nation. This ensures that interagency cooperation and communications will work seamlessly during an actual event and key decision makers have the information they need at their fingertips. CW2 Ric Wilhelm is an extremely knowledgeable, dedicated technician, that works tirelessly to ensure Public Safety through the use of advanced and emerging technologies as well as collaboration with a wide variety of vendors and Public Service agencies.