Comments on: Quick Pace, Ambitious Goals Set for National Emergency Communications Plan http://www.hlswatch.com/2008/08/16/quick-pace-ambitious-goals-set-for-national-emergency-communications-plan/ News and analysis of critical issues in homeland security today. Mon, 22 Mar 2010 05:12:33 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.7.1 hourly 1 By: Justin Kates http://www.hlswatch.com/2008/08/16/quick-pace-ambitious-goals-set-for-national-emergency-communications-plan/comment-page-1/#comment-116748 Justin Kates Sat, 16 Aug 2008 17:07:40 +0000 http://www.hlswatch.com/2008/08/16/quick-pace-ambitious-goals-set-for-national-emergency-communications-plan/#comment-116748 Specifically with the COML training, it should be interesting to see how it evolves as these deadlines near. I just took the COML training by DHS in Kansas City during the APCO conference and was very pleased with its structure and material. I think training like this is the other half to the interoperability issues that the NECP is really focusing on. Best Regards, Justin Kates Delaware Emergency Management Agency Specifically with the COML training, it should be interesting to see how it evolves as these deadlines near. I just took the COML training by DHS in Kansas City during the APCO conference and was very pleased with its structure and material. I think training like this is the other half to the interoperability issues that the NECP is really focusing on.

Best Regards,
Justin Kates
Delaware Emergency Management Agency

]]> By: William R. Cumming http://www.hlswatch.com/2008/08/16/quick-pace-ambitious-goals-set-for-national-emergency-communications-plan/comment-page-1/#comment-116741 William R. Cumming Sat, 16 Aug 2008 16:08:10 +0000 http://www.hlswatch.com/2008/08/16/quick-pace-ambitious-goals-set-for-national-emergency-communications-plan/#comment-116741 Obviously the major theme of this post is the NECP! Before discussing that item it is important that Mr. Brown comment on federal personnel participation in full-scale exercises not be overlooked. The last full-scale exercise involving federal personnel in the FRERP (despite its continued separate status from the NRF) was Zion Nuclear Power station in 1986. This is a travesty. The cancellation of FFE-3 by James Lee Witt in April 1993 was a critical failure. Nuclear power is a difficult technology that deserves the best efforts of the regulators. After the Seabrook Administrative and federal court litigation determined that FEMA did NOT determine the radiological risk but that remained the function of the NRC, the close integration of the radiological response and recovery must be upgraded. In fact, NRC should consider a rulemakeing limiting its off-site exercises and FEMA findings to the radiological preparedness, response and recovery. There is no need to test or Verify (as the NRC regulations state at 10 CFR Part 50 Appendix E) the offsite capability that is unrelated to radiological preparedness, response and recovery. Then also FEMA needs to have health physicists on staff and trained to assist Stat and local governments in issuance of PARs (Protective Action Recommendations) to the public. This of course leads us back to the NECP. The FCC is trying to upgrade its emergency communications effort post 9/11. Time for FEMA to do the same. It should be giving block grants to State and local governments for communications including resiliency, interoperability, and exercising 24/7 capability. There should be a senior civil servant in each FEMA region whose entire effort is devoted to communications issues. Once the ARMY support for FEMA communications was pulled out in the early 80's the entire system went through a catastrophic downgrade that has never been rebuilt. FEMA is relied upon by the White House for effective communications with the governors so that the President can perform his Chief Executive Civil functions. How about a no-notice test of how fast each of the governors can be reached by the President? Also the states need to grow up. They keep approving new kinds of subordinate governmental units, now over 90,000, there is no way this unwieldy mass of jurisdictions can be made into a coherent communications system, much less emergency management. The Japanese have recently started a program to end the status of small units of government that have NO professional staff, NO capability to do much of anything, and almost NO people. Perhaps all muncipal and county governments that are contiguous should be merged into one. Battle Creek, Michigan as an example did this under corporate pressure in the early 80's (Kellog). If you really want to reduce governmental costs, reduce the number of adminstrative units. And of course by the way, a Constitutional amendment allowing realignment of STATE boundries might also be useful. California might be three states and thus no longer be able to black mail the entire country with its stupidity. By the way California unlike NY has yet to mandate common fire fighting hookups statewide. Just an example. Here is to NECP finally being a driver on reform. Obviously the major theme of this post is the NECP! Before discussing that item it is important that Mr. Brown comment on federal personnel participation in full-scale exercises not be overlooked. The last full-scale exercise involving federal personnel in the FRERP (despite its continued separate status from the NRF) was Zion Nuclear Power station in 1986. This is a travesty. The cancellation of FFE-3 by James Lee Witt in April 1993 was a critical failure. Nuclear power is a difficult technology that deserves the best efforts of the regulators. After the Seabrook Administrative and federal court litigation determined that FEMA did NOT determine the radiological risk but that remained the function of the NRC, the close integration of the radiological response and recovery must be upgraded. In fact, NRC should consider a rulemakeing limiting its off-site exercises and FEMA findings to the radiological preparedness, response and recovery. There is no need to test or Verify (as the NRC regulations state at 10 CFR Part 50 Appendix E) the offsite capability that is unrelated to radiological preparedness, response and recovery. Then also FEMA needs to have health physicists on staff and trained to assist Stat and local governments in issuance of PARs (Protective Action Recommendations) to the public. This of course leads us back to the NECP.

The FCC is trying to upgrade its emergency communications effort post 9/11. Time for FEMA to do the same. It should be giving block grants to State and local governments for communications including resiliency, interoperability, and exercising 24/7 capability. There should be a senior civil servant in each FEMA region whose entire effort is devoted to communications issues. Once the ARMY support for FEMA communications was pulled out in the early 80’s the entire system went through a catastrophic downgrade that has never been rebuilt. FEMA is relied upon by the White House for effective communications with the governors so that the President can perform his Chief Executive Civil functions. How about a no-notice test of how fast each of the governors can be reached by the President? Also the states need to grow up. They keep approving new kinds of subordinate governmental units, now over 90,000, there is no way this unwieldy mass of jurisdictions can be made into a coherent communications system, much less emergency management. The Japanese have recently started a program to end the status of small units of government that have NO professional staff, NO capability to do much of anything, and almost NO people. Perhaps all muncipal and county governments that are contiguous should be merged into one. Battle Creek, Michigan as an example did this under corporate pressure in the early 80’s (Kellog). If you really want to reduce governmental costs, reduce the number of adminstrative units. And of course by the way, a Constitutional amendment allowing realignment of STATE boundries might also be useful. California might be three states and thus no longer be able to black mail the entire country with its stupidity. By the way California unlike NY has yet to mandate common fire fighting hookups statewide. Just an example.

Here is to NECP finally being a driver on reform.

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