Charles Laird is a public safety professional and an asymmetrical technologist who has 15 years of experience and knowledge in the public safety industry as well as with various types of technologies. Charles’s experiences with coordinating and deploying hundreds of search and rescue personnel during several hurricanes, as well as being deployed as a Communications Unit Leader (COML) on various disasters and special events, has given him a unique perspective on how agencies and governmental agencies respond to large scale disasters as well as planned events of all sizes. Charles is also a volunteer Captain at the Youngsville Fire Department and leads all “Operational Technology” efforts for the department. He is the Program Specialist of NC’s First Responder Emerging Technologies Program and is charged with exploring how technology is researched, developed, and implemented in the Public Safety space. Charles aims to be a staunch advocate for North Carolina's First Responder community in the technology field.

Presenting:

• Data Interoperability: The Final Frontier