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October/November 2007                                                                                            Volume 13 - Number 1/2

National Response Framework...

Is the National Response Framework Doomed to Fail?
By Christa Jackson

On September 10, 2007, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) released its draft National Response Framework (NRF), the successor to the National Response Plan (NRP), for a 30-day public comment period.  Concurrently, about 30 annexes (roughly 600 pages) outlining specific emergency operations will be open for comment for 60 days. According to DHS, “the Framework, which focuses on response and short-term recovery, articulates the doctrine, principles and architecture by which our nation prepares for and responds to all-hazard disasters across all levels of government and all sectors of communities. The Framework is responsive to repeated federal, state and local requests for a stream-lined document that is shorter, less bureaucratic and more user-friendly.” Critics of the NRF, however, see things differently.

Despite the obvious need to overhaul disaster planning illustrated by the debacle of Hurricane Katrina response, many state and local officials charged with responding to disasters feel that their input to the NRF has been ignored. While state and local officials did collaborate with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and DHS early in the decision-making process, the initial draft (produced in May 2007) “did not meet expectations,” according to DHS spokeswoman, Laura Keehner. DHS claims that the newly released draft NRF incorporates key recommendations from more than 700 individuals at the federal, tribal, state, local and private levels.

This claim, however, may not be enough to satisfy state and local homeland security officials during a time when distrust of Washington bureaucrats seems to be on the rise. “Coordination between state and local governments and the feds…seems to be getting worse rather than better,” said Timothy Manning, Director of the New Mexico Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Management, who was a member of the DHS-appointed steering committee for the initial NRF draft. Similar feelings are echoed by Albert Ashwood, Oklahoma’s emergency management chief and National Emergency Management Association (NEMA) President. “In my 19 years in emergency management, I have never experienced a more polarized environment between state and federal government” said Ashwood in response to the draft Framework.

The harsh criticism continued during a House hearing held on September 11, 2007. Testifying before the Transportation and Infrastructure subcommittee, Robert C. Bohlmann, emergency manager for York County in Maine and spokesman for the International Association of Emergency Managers, warned that the Framework “lacks substance” and muddies the chain of command from the field-level workers to the Executive Office. “The draft NRF that we have reviewed appears to be more like a public relations document rather than a response plan or framework,” Bohlmann said.

Although the official public comment period is still open, one thing seems clear: the emerging unfavorable response of state and local emergency management officials. We can only hope that someone can breathe some life into this “living document” before the next Katrina.