Interview with Charles Laird, Technology Specialist, FirstTech Program, N.C. Department of Information Technology

1. Tell us something about your career journey or personal experiences that isn’t included in your official bio.

I had only been with North Carolina’s Emergency Management team for a few months when Hurricane Matthew hit in 2016. I was still figuring out my job duties when I was thrust into the fray of managing hundreds of first responders deployed throughout our state. I attribute my ability to think on my feet and learn on the fly from my time in the fire service. There, I was always working on different ideas and plans to accomplish the mission.

2. What are the most common sources of RF interference that impact public safety communications, and how can they be identified?

From what we have seen so far, cellular boosting equipment installed in buildings and equipment that may be operating outside of their designed frequencies are the most common sources of RF interference. Since public safety communications frequencies are in parts of the spectrum where no equipment is allowed to transmit, interference is most likely equipment that is configured to pass cellular or radio traffic from the outside into a building.

3. What tools or technologies have made interference detection accessible to non-technical personnel like firefighters?

One of the tools we use has a mobile application that provides turn-by-turn directions. We have found that this allows us to use non-technical personnel to assist in interference detection.

4. Can you share an example of a real-world scenario where interference was successfully identified and resolved?

In North Carolina, one of our county radio systems was experiencing interference at one of their radio sites. They have monitoring equipment and could see the interference on a spectrum analyzer. After consulting with the radio technicians, we deployed our RF direction finding equipment and were able to determine that a bi-directional amplifier at an apartment community was the culprit. The radio technicians worked with the fire marshal and the apartment management to turn off the equipment, and the interference went away.

5. How can public safety agencies train their personnel to effectively detect and mitigate RF interference?

The Department of Homeland Security’s Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency has several training courses related to jamming and interference awareness. RF interference can be tricky to identify, but it is important for first responders to report any anomalies to their radio technicians so investigations can start immediately. We have found it takes time and effort in most cases to narrow down what the problem is.

6. What role does collaboration between agencies and industry experts play in addressing interference issues?

From what our SANDi Team has seen so far, bi-directional amplifiers have a high probability of being the reason for public safety radio system interference. I think it is important for agencies to communicate with industry experts on what they are seeing in the field to help mitigate future issues with interference. Industry experts are also the ones producing the equipment that we use so being able to provide feedback on their products will assist agencies in fulfilling their mission.

7. What can attendees expect to gain from your session at IWCE 2026?

Attendees for my session will hear how our team was created and how we are tackling hard-to-reach interference (handheld direction finding), receive a brief overview of the team’s use of the Team Awareness Kit for personnel safety, and learn how their agencies can create a team in their jurisdiction. Attendees will also hear about our current challenges and how we are preparing for statewide deployments.

8. What are you most excited about for IWCE 2026, and how do you think the event will impact the industry?

I am looking forward to having my teammates from North Carolina attend IWCE with me, as well as all the spontaneous conversations that happen throughout the week. I learn a lot from the sessions and interacting with vendors, and then that spurs further talks with my public safety colleagues in attendance.

Charles Laird's sessions: https://agenda.iwceexpo.com/speaker/laird-charles/62125