NEWS RELEASE
Date: September 10, 2006
Contact: Elizabeth Kellar (ekellar@icma.org)
ICMA Proposes Networked Approach to Emergency Management
Teams of trained and certified local government professionals working in partnership could provide fast and effective assistance to disaster-stricken communities, according to an analysis by the ICMA, the premier local government leadership and management organization.
"Despite the country's experience with Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, we are still operating with an outmoded approach to emergencies-a command and control system that lacks speed and flexibility," according to ICMA Executive Director Robert J. O'Neill Jr. "Federal, state, and local governments must bring a greater sense of urgency to the critical objective of improving our emergency preparedness and response system."
ICMA's Governmental Affairs and Policy Committee has released a new white paper, "A Networked Approach to Improvements in Emergency Management," that urges changes at the national level and fleshes out a new model.
Among the paper's recommendations are strengthening ability of the Federal Emergency Management Agency to act quickly, realigning federal processes to clearly define roles and responsibilities, and amending the Stafford Act to allow cost-effective local approaches to disaster recovery.
Under the networked approach, personnel and other resources from multiple jurisdictions could be identified, trained, and certified to be deployed as a team when disaster strikes. Following the first response, individuals and teams would rotate in order to provide the skills needed for longer-term recovery and restoration of local government services.
The model would be supported by a sophisticated database of human and physical resources that could be available from the public, private, and nonprofit sectors to facilitate the response and recovery efforts.
The paper cites examples of the networked approach during Hurricane Katrina, when many local governments found ways to get help into the Gulf Region directly through their personal relationships with individuals in affected communities. Similarly, with USAID funding, ICMA deployed teams from U.S. local governments to provide assistance in India and Sri Lanka following the tsunami two years ago.
In 2005 ICMA conducted a homeland security survey to learn what local governments were doing after the events of September 11, 2001. The survey found that local governments had already established practices that lay the groundwork for the proposed networked approach: 91% of respondents report collaborating with other local governments, 75% with the state government, and 60% with a regional organization. Not surprisingly, they also took steps to improve the communication and coordination among jurisdictions. At least 61% adopted the National Incident Management System (NIMS), a protocol developed by the Federal Emergency Management Agency to help ensure consistency of training and approach for first responders at all governmental levels. Nearly a third of survey respondents hired or appointed a manager to help coordinate intergovernmental security functions.
The survey questionnaire and aggregate results are available at http://icma.org. Select "Information Resources," "Survey Research," "Survey Results," and click on the Homeland Security survey.
About ICMA
ICMA is the premier local government leadership and management organization. Its mission is to create excellence in local governance by developing and advocating professional management of local government worldwide. ICMA provides member support; publications, data, and information; peer and results-oriented assistance; and training and professional development to more than 8,200 city, town, and county experts and other individuals throughout the world.
