How appropriate for Halloween...

A new report card- yes, another one, this time from the Council on Foreign Relations- grades the nation's homeland security efforts and finds the nation frighteningly under-prepared.

In particular, the new report card gives the Department of Homeland Security a C- in its ability to respond to disasters.

The other areas in which the Council on Foreign Relations graded homeland security efforts are as follows:

Port Security: D+

Nuclear Plant Security: B/B+

Air Defense: B

Airport Security: C+

Border Control and Immigration: C

Chemical Plant Security: D-/F

Bridges, Tunnels, and Other Infrastructure: C

Public Relations: D

You can listen to an interview with the report card's author by clicking here.

Also, Homeland Security Watch provides additional commentary.

I have to amend my earlier posting in support of the fiscal 2007 DHS Appropriations Act.

Although the measure includes $3.4 billion for other first responder programs, the legislation dedicates no money for communications interoperability.

Originally, the Senate approved $3.1 billion for communications grants, but in "heated negotiations" over Labor Day the money was stripped from the bill.

For a detailed account of how first responders have been shortchanged once again click here.

Today, the President signed into law the Port Security Bill, which includes provisions from the Warning, Alert, and Response Network (WARN) Act. Check out my earlier posting to learn more about the WARN Agreement, and the Incident.com blog, too.

I thought you might also find the Democratic National Committee's response to the President's signing of the Port Security Bill into law of interest. Of course it's highly political and points the finger at (or gives the finger to?!) Republicans for not doing enough to secure the homeland. With respect to first responders, the DNC notes the following:

Bush's 2007 Budget Cuts Funding for First Responders by 25 Percent. Police departments nationwide do not have the protective gear to safely secure a site after the detonation of a weapon of mass destruction and fire departments have only enough radios for half the firefighters on a shift. And yet the budget includes a net cut in first responder funding within the Department of Homeland Security of $573 million, or 25 percent. Within this total, the budget slashes the Firefighter Grant program by $355 million and eliminates all funding for law enforcement terrorism prevention, a reduction of $385 million. These cuts are partially offset by an $87 million increase for first responder formula-based grants and an $80 million increase for specific high-threat urban areas.

For the record, the FRC is a non-partisan organization focused on first responder issues. I provide the information above for informational purposes only, and will leave it to the reader to draw his or her own conclusions.

That said, if you have an opinion about the work of either party to provide first responders with the resources they need don't hesitate to share your thoughts!

The Firemen's Fund upcoming documentary, "Into the Fire," aims to give us some insight into this question.

"Through intimate interviews with firefighters from big-city engine companies and small-town volunteer fire departments, the film addresses why firefighters risk their lives to save others - in a time when budget cuts and greater demands are making their jobs more challenging than ever."

"Into the Fire" airs nationally on The History Channel on October 13 at 8PM/7C and October 22 at 4PM/3C.

According to USA Today, city officials in Louisville, Cincinnati and Indianapolis "have agreed to offer one another emergency resources in case of natural disasters, terrorist attacks or other catastrophic events."

Mutual aid agreements like these- where jurisdictions agree to come to each other's aid when the need arises- are a critical component of providing public safety services. While most cities have worked out such agreements with their immediate neighbors, the Louisville-Cincinnati-Indianapolis agreement is notable because it aims to establish a regional cooperative agreement. (Each of the cities is separated from each other by a distance of approximately 100 miles.)

Louisville, Cincinnati and Indianapolis should all be commended for making a public commitment to work together in the public interest. A few questions do come to mind, though:

First, what is being done to ensure that when first responders arrive at emergencies in either of these cities they are able to communicate with each other?

Second, a public commitment to support each other is great, but what efforts are being undertaken, in terms of governance, to make sure this statement becomes a reality?

Third, what SOPs, if any, are being developed to ensure that first responders know their expected roles and responsibilities when they respond to either one of these cities?

The President has signed a $34.8 billion FY2007 homeland security appropriations bill into law, which includes $3.4 billion for first responders. The measure includes several provisions that enhance public safety communications, and establishes the Office of Emergency Communications within the Department of Homeland Security to focus specifically on emergency communications. (See 10/2 blog posting for more.)

What this means for the fire service (as reported by the Int'l. Assoc. of Fire Chiefs):

$46.8 million for the U.S. Fire Administration
$547 million for the FIRE grant program
$115 million for the SAFER grant program
$30.6 million for the Under Secretary of Preparedness
$770 million for the UASI grants
$900 million for state and local assistance grants and law enforcement terrorism prevention grants
$200 million for Emergency Management Performance Grants
$2.51 billion for the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)
$25 million for Urban Search and Rescue teams

Overall, fire departments fared very well, as noted by the Int'l Assoc. of Firefighters and the National Volunteer Fire Council.

Unfortunately, law enforcement didn't fare as well. According to the Int'l. Assoc. of Chiefs of Police:

Combined, the three primary assistance programs would receive $1.670 billion, a decrease of $45 million (2.6%) from FY 06. It continues a downward trend over the past five years in funding for these crucial programs. For example, the proposed funding levels represent a cut of almost 50% from just three years ago, when these programs received more than $3 billion in funding.

It is an outrage that our police departments continue to face such severe reductions in funding. In an age of enduring terrorist threats, America's law enforcement personnel are being asked to do more than ever to secure the homeland. But as the figures above illustrate, they're being asked to do more with less.

You can read the final bill here, including the final House-Senate conference report. Homeland Security Watch will be taking a closer look at the measure in the coming days.

Before leaving a week early to hit the campaign trail, Congress included a significant provision in the fiscal 2007 DHS Appropriations Act. House and Senate conferees included the language from the 21st century Emergency Communications Act of 2006, originally introduced by Rep. David Reichert (R-Wash.).

The provision makes a number of important advances towards achieving communications interoperability. For example, the legislation centralizes and coordinates emergency communications work at DHS by establishing an Office of Emergency Communications to address first responder communications issues. (Sure, it's another layer of bureaucracy, but if it consolidates important work being done in disparate departments then I think that's acceptable.)

The legislation then directs the newly-created Office of Emergency Communications to develop a national emergency communications plan, which would outline ways to ensure that first responders and government officials can communicate during disasters. To do that, it would include recommendations for voluntary standards to ensure interoperability among emergency communications systems. Significantly, the plan would also provide a time frame for deploying nationwide emergency communications systems.

These are all wonderful developments towards solving the communications crisis. Even so, the folks at Incident.com blog remind us of an important point - all the technology in the world won't fix the problem. People, processes and procedures are critical to achieving interoperability.

Be sure to check out FCW.com's overview of the legislation and what it means for first responders. Homeland Security Watch will be providing detailed analysis of the Appropriations Act in the near future.

The House and Senate have agreed on sweeping port security legislation that will strengthen port security across the nation. As part of the port security legislation, Congress included provisions from the Warning, Alert, and Response Network (WARN) Act. According to the Senate Commerce Committee:

WARN is a national system for the transmission of public safety alerts across a broad variety of communications technologies including wireless applications.

Essentially this action moves the Emergency Alert System out of the broadcast radio and television era and into the wireless age.

In addition to the threat posed by terrorist attacks, the system created by this amendment will give our emergency managers the ability to alert communities of other hazards such as natural disasters and manmade accidents.

The measure ensures that when disaster strikes, the wireless network will be used as a tool so that almost all Americans will be notified through radio, television and wireless communications devices, because there are over 200 million wireless subscribers in the United States.

Additionally, capabilities will allow other emergency managers to reach individuals away from their TVs or radios with specific life saving instructions.

The Incident.com blog offers additional commentary on the legislation.