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October/November 2007                                                                                            Volume 13 - Number 1/2

Presidential Candidates' Positions on Emergency Management...

Report on emergency management policy position of Presidential candidate Rudy Giuliani
By Kristen Mulligan

Republican Presidential Candidate Rudy Giuliani has several plans regarding the future of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and emergency response to disasters.  His insight stems mainly from his experience as Mayor of New York city during the response to 9/11.  Giuliani claims that he is committed to ensuring that every community in America is prepared for emergency situations resulting from various events, from terrorist attacks to natural disasters. Giuliani hopes to reduce bureaucracy and other impediments to disaster response by transforming FEMA in order to facilitate the work of the state, local leaders, and members of the private sector who become involved in the response (http://www.joinrudy2008.com/commitment/indepth/11 ).  
If elected President, Giuliani plans to decentralize the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) by establishing regional directors, similar to the expanded FEMA regional model, to help plan and respond to local disasters.  Giuliani explains, “We need less focus on centralized control and waiting for a response to be handed down from Washington, and more on regional response, training and coordination to better assist state and local governments in preparing for and responding to disasters” (http://www.joinrudy2008.com/article/pr/760 ).   This might increase accountability in disaster response while helping to support state and local authorities and empowering them to become what Giuliani calls “First Preventers.”  Giuliani would also like to make current preparedness agencies, or “First Responders”, more efficient and effective.  Giuliani plans to expand emergency management disaster training and use ReadyStat to measure the preparedness needs of American communities, depending on the types of threats they are most likely to face (http://www.joinrudy2008.com/commitment/indepth/11 ).  This would hopefully decrease disaster response time.  Emergency management disaster training would be expanded, by DHS, to local, state, and private sector leaders so that they are prepared before disasters occur.  The formation of regional response teams like Urban Search and Rescue teams as well as local civilian auxiliary networks of doctors, construction workers, and others trained to act during a regional emergency would also greatly increase emergency preparedness.  
In order to further empower state and local actors, Giuliani also supports real representation for Mayors and Governors with a State and Local Government Coordination Office that reports directly to the Secretary of DHS.  Local officials should be well-informed because they lead response and recovery efforts during a disaster (http://www.joinrudy2008.com/commitment/indepth/11 ).
Finally, if elected President, Giuliani wants to modernize FEMA through the use of technology to trace relied supplies and aid to ensure effective and efficient delivery to where they are needed, while simultaneously monitoring for fraud.  Giuliani states that while there’s no such thing as a perfect response [to a major disaster] we can get closer to that ideal with more effective planning” (http://www.joinrudy2008.com/article/pr/760 ).