Emergency Support Functions
The National Response Framework is a guide that is used by every Federal department and agency in the event of an incident response. Within this guide are 15 Emergency Support Functions, otherwise known as ESF’s. The 15 different ESF’s are the different types of resources that state and local response efforts can use during an incident response. Each ESF will have a coordinator assigned to them from a Federal department or agency. During an emergency response, these agencies will activate a team from each ESF. The teams are tasked with working with their prospective state and local officials to get needed resources and coordinating the flow of information with the Federal Government and to learn which resources are needed. ESF # 2 is Communications. (FEMA 2010)
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ESF # 2 will help to “provide communications support to Federal, State, tribal and local governments and first responders with Access to repair communications infrastructure, Security to protect responders and equipment and Fuel to support communications in absence of commercial power” (IS-802: Emergency Support Functions (ESF) #2 - Communications).
National Communications System
The Department of National Communications System (NCS) is the Coordinator and Primary Agency for ESF #2. Their main goal is to restore all telecommunications in an area following an incident. A few of their responsibilities includes training and certifying Federal Emergency Communications Coordinators (FECC), designating a lead from the FECC when activated, coordinating restoration to communication infrastructure, and coordinating with FEMA in order to train and activate personnel to support the ESF #2 operation. The NCS agency is vital in restoring telecommunications in an area following an incident. (IS-802: Emergency Support Functions (ESF) #2 - Communications)
FEMA
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is the Primary Agency who is responsible for providing support of
• Lead the coordination of far reaching arrangements identified with state, neighborhood, tribal, and regional law authorization's part in avoiding, get ready for, ensuring against, and reacting to normal catastrophes, demonstrations of terrorism, and other man-made fiasco inside of the United States; and • Serve as the essential contact in the middle of DHS and non-Federal law authorization offices the nation over • Obligations • Serve as the essential Department contact to state, neighborhood, tribal, and regional law requirement • Prompt the Secretary on the issues, concerns, and suggestions of state, nearby, tribal, and regional law requirement; • Keep the law authorization group up and coming on expansive exercises and activities, for example, "In the event that You See Something, Say Something™", the Blue Campaign, Nationwide Suspicious Activity Reporting (SAR) Initiative (NSI), and the Department's endeavors in Countering Violent Extremism; • Distinguish and react to law implementation challenges that affect homeland security; • Coordinate with the Office of Intelligence and Analysis to guarantee the auspicious coordination and conveyance of knowledge and key data to state, neighborhood, tribal, and regional law requirement;
Hurricane Katrina shift the position of the Department of Homeland Security from making natural disasters an equally as important as terrorism. This even showed that disaster planning requires a great deal of collaboration. The Department of Homeland Security who swallowed up FEMA where not quick to react to Hurricane Katrina because all their focus was spend on planning for a prevent terrorist attacks. The failure of the disaster response system resulted in over 1,200 lives lost in Louisiana and Mississippi. FEMA failed to work closely with its State and local counterparts and communications between these partners and the public were strained at best.
Whereas is fusion center system assist the homeland security, implementing fusion centers is best for emergency response given that fusion centers creates communication. Fusion Centers are a key part in the assistance of communication in a timely manner amongst many agencies. There is a definition within the USLegal.com defined: “A fusion center is a terrorism prevention and response center created as a joint project between the Department of Homeland Security and the U.S. Department of Justice's Office of Justice Programs between 2003 and 2007 ("Fusion Center Law & Legal Definition," n.d.).” After the 9/11, attack the Department of Justice knew that something needed to be done in regards to communication. The lack of communication was a contributing
They are also involved in emergency relief efforts providing security, medical supplies, and humanitarian
Emergency Management has definitely had many changes and challenges. Hurricane Katrina is a strong example of how some reprioritization when it came to FEMA can have bad outcomes. It 's important to consider all levels of preparation in the event of a disaster. It also important to take into consideration of both successful and failed protocols and tactics to help improve and create an efficient response system.
Reduce the vulnerability of critical infrastructure and key resources, essential leadership, and major events to terrorist attacks and other hazards. Provide grants, plans and training to our homeland security and law enforcement partners. We have taken significant steps to create a unified and integrated Department that will enhance our performance by focusing on accountability, efficiency, transparency and leadership development. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) was the final weak link in the then-existing confusing chain of command. FEMA 's head, Wallace E. Stickney, had no apparent experience in emergency management or disaster response (Franklin, D. 1995).
The NIMS provides assistance to each state, which allows them to be prepared for any possible emergency. The five components of NIMS provided a guideline that is used throughout an emergency whether it be Federal departments, State, tribal, and local organizations. Establish a system and being able to provide possible issues that may arise and analyzed the challenges. The national integration center (NIC) ensures that the NIMS is operating at optimal level, that all training, resources, and communicating system are being meet; the NIC provides an assessment NIMS and ensures that each component is filing it responsibility. NIMS is an ideal system that was developed to respond universally to emergencies and the check and balances installed into
In Katrina’s Wake: National Guidance Throughout the history of the United States Military, historians recorded the heroic actions of Soldiers, Airman, Sailors, and Marines that won countless battles in various conflicts around the world. In modern times, the role of the military changed drastically, especially in regards to the military’s role within natural disasters. Therefore, a National Guidance of Preparedness was developed, which reinforces response readiness and provides guidelines for the sharing of responsibility between all levels of government. After a review of the actions in the wake of Hurricane Katrina in 2006, federal, state, and local governments aided in the development of the guidelines, which shape and support preparedness
Since the federal government did not have a solid plan in place, that left thousands of city residents stranded on rooftops and inside their homes for days. Over 500 different organizations were involved in sending relief efforts (Moynihan, 2009). These organizations were a combination of federal, state and local agencies. Of all the agencies, four major contributors were assigned tasks in disaster relief. The four agencies are the White House, the Federal Emergency Management Association, Louisiana state officials and New Orleans officials.
EMAC was the primary vehicle utilized to provide mutual aid of state emergency management personnel and the National Guard between the years of 1996-2004. The hurricane season of 2004 provided the first major test of EMAC in Florida. Florida requested personnel and supplies from a broad range of civil response disciplines to include; police, fire, hazmat, engineers and National Guard. The support supplied to Florida consisted of more than 800 personnel with a price tag of $15 million. (National Emergency Management Association,
The Division includes the Office of Emergency Management, the Office of Preparedness, and the Office of Prevention and Security (State of Colorado, 2015). Its mission, vision, and values are to "prevent, protect, mitigate, respond and recover from all-hazards" through the development of a comprehensive Strategic Plan in synchronization with the DHS (State of Colorado, 2015, p.1). The State of Colorado has its own unique concerns it must address. Colorado Concerns and Threats Critical
First, it should start by empowering the local counties and federal states to deal with disaster preparedness. The federal states should be empowered because they are closer to the people and thus even their intelligence channels should be empowered. The homeland security must face the reality and realize that the amnesty first policy in its immigration sector has not restored any sanity to an already sane issue. The homeland security should try to have an honest, fair and reality-based approach to deal with influx of immigrants. This can be exemplified by the transnational crime that has been going on in Mexico and the effect these cartels have on the American citizens.
FEMA’s mission and priorities were changed so that, “terrorism prevention, preparedness, response, and recovery became central to the emergency management mission” (Haddow 325). As a result of the terrorist attacks on 9/11 the country’s focus shifted completely from natural disasters to an outright major assault on all things terrorism with no second glance at the potential emergency’s natural disasters presented. There might be a possibility that because of the nation’s extreme obsession with terrorists and terrorism that Hurricane Katrina was not given full priority nor given as much thought as it should have been because the whole focus of the government was on terrorism. When an agency and governmental structure, such as the defense agencies, undergoes an extreme shift within the course of a few years brought on so suddenly, there are bound to be weaknesses. Hurricane Katrina was the most challenging threat that tested the DHS as well as FEMA’s preparation and mitigation of natural disasters since the shift of focus.
Some of these roles may include advocacy, collaboration with other professionals regarding the creating of crisis response plans, providing education related to mental health and resilience, holding leadership roles on multi-disciplinary crisis response teams, serving as media liaisons, assessing the needs of those affected by disasters, providing crisis intervention and support, and assisting with death notifications. Furthermore, CMHCs may fulfill the following roles and responsibilities when assisting those in
Critical Infrastructure Protection [Name of Writer] [Name of Institution] Critical Infrastructure Protection 1. Interpret the Department of Homeland Security‘s mission, operations and responsibilities. The department of homeland security is responsible for ensuring a secure and safe homeland against acts of terrorism. The key elements of the department’s mission include: • Security • Resilience • Customs and Exchange