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Institute for Crisis, Disaster, and Risk Management Crisis and Emergency Management Newsletter Website |
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February
2004
Volume 6
- Number 1 |
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Related Sites:
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Review of "The Fifth Annual Report to the President and the Congress of the Advisory Panel to Assess Domestic Response Capabilities for Terrorism Involving Weapons of Mass Destruction" By Dan McGough The
Advisory Panel to Assess Domestic Response Capabilities for Terrorism
Involving
Weapons of Mass Destruction, also known as the Gilmore Commission, was
created
by the Congress in 1999 to assess Federal efforts to assist State and
local
responders in combating terrorism. On
December 15, 2003 the panel submitted its fifth and final annual report
to the
President and the Congress. The subject
report is a strategic vision for national level capabilities in the
areas of
awareness, prevention, preparedness, response and recovery that deals
with the
threat of terrorism as part of an all hazards approach.
The panel refers to its proposed vision as,
"America's New Normalcy." New
normalcy describes a steady state, post September 11, 2001, environment
that
will evolve in the United States by the year 2009.
An environment evolved from the recognition that the
threat of
terrorism can never be completely eliminated and that no level of
resources can
prevent the United States from being attacked in the future. In the report, the panel argues that a
national approach incorporating the destructive risk associated with
terrorism
into an all-hazards approach will ensure that America will be better
prepared
for all emergencies and disasters, including terrorism.
A national approach is one that involves
local, State, and Federal governments vice a federal approach involving
the
Federal government only. Panel
recommendations of particular interest to emergency managers include: ·
Develop
a homeland security roadmap that sets goals and guides the national
effort to
achieve those goals. ·
Develop
a standardized and effective two-way process for sharing information
and
intelligence among all levels of government. State
and local officials are both not receiving the
information they
need to make strategic decisions and are not consistently providing
Federal
authorities with critical intelligence and information developed at the
local
and State level that may have measurable implications for national
security. ·
That
the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) combines all departmental
grant
making programs into a single entity in DHS. Currently,
grant programs are scattered through several
departmental
units. A possible alternative is to rename
and expand the Office of Domestic Preparedness (ODP) with that office
reporting
directly to the Secretary. Also
recommended that the President establish an interagency mechanism for
homeland
security grants, led by the Secretary of DHS, to streamline and
consolidate the
grant application and decision process throughout the Federal
government. In order to reduce confusion
among grant
applicants, and relieve them of some of the burden of multiple and
different
application processes. ·
DHS
develop a comprehensive process for establishing training and exercise
standards for first responders. That
process must be involved in the developments of training and exercise
curriculum. It must include State and
local response organization representation on full time basis. ·
Recommend
that DHS revise the Homeland Security Advisory System. ·
Recommend
the DHS develop a "Matrix of Mutual Aid." In
coordination with local, State and other Federal agencies, DHS
must develop a plan for a nationwide system of mutually supporting
capabilities
to respond to and recover from the full spectrum of hazards. In
conclusion, recommend that professionals in the emergency
management field familiarize themselves with this influential report
that
provides recommendations and the guidance to President of the United
States and
senior policy makers in the Federal government in the area of homeland
security, to include emergency management. At
the time of writing the subject fifth report, 125 of
the 144
substantive recommendations made by the panel in its first four reports
have
been adopted in whole or in major part. Advisory Panel to Assess Domestic Response
Capabilities for Terrorism Involving Weapons of Mass
Destruction. (2003, December 15). The Fifth Annual Report to the President and
the Congress
of the Advisory Panel to Assess Domestic Response
Capabilities for Terrorism Involving
Weapons of Mass Destruction. Retrieved January 19, 2003 from http://www.rand.org/nsrd/terrpanel/
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