John Peterson, N4KEA, is a Telecommunications Specialist in the Technical Assistance Branch of the US Department of Homeland Security's Office of Emergency Communications (OEC) in Arlington, VA. Since joining OEC in 2009, John has worked closely with the Federal Emergency Management Agency's Emergency Management Institute (FEMA/EMI) to develop courses and materials for training public safety communications specialists. He also was instrumental in developing the DHS's auxiliary emergency communications (AUXCOMM) training course and materials, which are designed to prepare amateur-radio volunteers for integration into state and federal communications systems. AUXCOMM training materials include a field-operations guide (AUXFOG), available as a PDF file or as an app for iOS and Android devices. He also oversees efforts to train instructors involved in public safety communications programs.

John earned his amateur-radio license more than 30 years ago (N4KEA). He served 10 years in the US Army Signal Corps in combat units in Germany, South Korea, and in the United States. He also spent 10 years as a telecommunications specialist for NASA, and has served as Program Manager for the DHS's SHAred RESources (SHARES) network. You can contact John at 703-705-6382 or via email at john.peterson@hq.dhs.gov