First Responders Much Work Remains To Improve Communications Interoperability

As the first to respond to natural disaster, domestic terrorism, & other emergencies, public safety agencies rely on timely communications across multiple disciplines & jurisdictions. It is vital to the safety & effectiveness of first responders that their electronic communications systems enable them to communicate with whomever they need to, when they need to, & when they are authorized to do so. This report determines, among other things: (1) the extent to which Dept. of Homeland Security (DHS) funding & technical assistance has helped to improve interoperable communications in selected states; & (2) the progress that has been made in the development & implementation of interoperable communications standards. Charts & tables.

First Responders: Much Work Remains to Improve Communications Interoperability

Emergency communications breakdowns undermined response efforts during terrorist attacks in 2001 and Hurricane Katrina in 2005. In response, federal agencies like the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and Federal Communications Commission (FCC) have increased efforts to enhance emergency communications. This report identifies: (1) vulnerabilities, if any, to emergency communications systems; (2) federal assistance available or planned to first responders for addressing vulnerabilities or enhancing emergency communications; and (3) challenges, if any, with federal emergency communications efforts. Includes recommendations. Charts and tables.

The Homeland Security Act was enacted in Nov. 2002, creating the Dept. of Homeland Security (DHS) to improve homeland security following the 9/11 terrorist attacks. The act centralized the leadership of many homeland security activities under a single fed. dept. DHS has the dominant role in implementing this national strategy. This hearing discusses the status of DHS¿s actions in fulfilling its respon. to: (1) establish policies to define roles and respon. for national emergency preparedness efforts and prepare for the transition between presidential admin.; and (2) develop operational plans and performance metrics to implement these roles and respon. and coordinate fed. resources for disaster planning and response.

Since 2002, the Dept. of Homeland Security (DHS) has distributed over $19 billion in homeland security grants to enhance the nation¿s preparedness and response capabilities. FEMA is responsible for all preparedness efforts including allocating and managing these grants. This testimony examines: (1) the process and methods to allocate homeland security grants to state and local governments; (2) how DHS communicates with states and localities in making grant allocation decisions; (3) what challenges affect the expeditious spending of DHS grant funds by states and localities; and (4) the extent that DHS measured program outcomes as part of its efforts to monitor the expenditure of grant dollars. Includes recommendations. Charts and tables.

Although each main-set volume of Terrorism: 1st Series contains its own volume-specific index, this comprehensive Index places all the Index info from the last fifty main-set volumes into one index volume. Furthermore, the volume-specific indexes are only subject indexes, whereas five different indexes appear within this one comprehensive index: the subject index, an index organized according to the title of the document, an index based on the name of the document's author, an index correlated to the document's year, and a subject-by-year index. This one all-encompassing Index thus provides users with multiple ways to conduct research into four years' worth of Terrorism: 1st Series volumes.