Homeland Security Handbook for Citizens and Public Officials

Although the phrase “homeland security” evokes images of cataclysmic terrorist attacks, and a massive web of government agencies, it also comprises the prevention, mitigation, response and recovery from any disaster, man-made or natural, from the grassroots level to the federal government. Since September 11, federal, state and local governments, national organizations, and citizens have undertaken many diverse initiatives to enhance American emergency preparation and response programs. This handbook collects essays documenting numerous best practices in homeland security from throughout the United States since the attacks of September 11, 2001. The essays, by many experts (including former Department of Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge), describe case studies from the municipal level to the federal government. Also covered are the history and future of homeland security. Appendices include lists of acronyms, internet resources, American Red Cross and Homeland Security Advisory System recommendations, FEMA regional offices, and state offices and agencies of emergency management.

Roger L. Kemp, Ph.D., ICMA-CM, has been a city manager on both the East and West coasts for more than 25 years. He is presently Distinguished Adjunct Professor of Public Administration at Golden Gate University and a Fellow of The Academy of Political Science.

Edited by Roger L. Kemp
Format: softcover (7 x 10)
Pages: 269
Bibliographic Info: appendices, index
Copyright Date: 2006
pISBN: 978-0-7864-2432-0
Imprint: McFarland

Preface      1

PART I: INTRODUCTION TO HOMELAND SECURITY
1 Civil Defense, Emergency Management, and Homeland Security      7

PART II: HOMELAND SECURITY FOR CITIZENS AND PUBLIC OFFICIALS
2 Access Control Systems Improve Building Security      13
3 Air Transportation, Improved Safeguards, and Homeland Security      16
4 American Red Cross Disaster Preparedness Guidelines      22
5 Automated Public Notification Systems Enhance Communications with Citizens      27
6 Building Design Improves Public Safety      32
7 Communications Among First Responders      35
8 Community Emergency Response Teams Provide Vital Emergency Services      39
9 Community Volunteers as Homeland Security Stakeholders      46
10 Coordination Between the Public and Private Sectors in the Field of Homeland Security      49
11 Critical Infrastructure Assessment and Homeland Security      52
12 Department of Homeland Security: Its Proposed Structure and Operations      56
13 Dispatch Center Services and Emergency Responses      63
14 Early Warning Group Results from Public-Private Cooperation      68
15 Emergency Response Plans and Homeland Security      73
16 Entrepreneurial Resources and Homeland Security      75
17 Evacuation Procedures for Buildings      80
18 Family Planning Recommendations by the Department of Homeland Security      89
19 Fatalities Management and Homeland Security      92
20 Federal Emergency Management Agency’s Role in Terrorism Preparedness and Response      97
21 GIS Improves Emergency Coordination and Response      100
22 Health-Care Systems and Homeland Security      103
23 High-Rise Structures, Disasters, and Public Safety      107
24 Homeland Security Advisory System and National Threat Conditions      110
25 Hospitals Must Prepare for Possible Bioterrorism Attack      115
26 Infrastructure Protection Is Enhanced Through Technology and Cooperation      118
27 Law Enforcement’s Response to the War on Terrorism      124
28 Multi-Agency Cooperation Enhances Homeland Security Practices      130
29 Municipal Electronic Operations and Disaster Planning      135
30 Mutual Aid Agreements Build Local Disaster-Response Capacity      137
31 National Incident Response Plan: A Comprehensive Interagency Approach to Emergency Management      140
32 Neighborhood Watch Programs and Homeland Security      143
33 Personal Identification Technologies, Practices, and Homeland Security      147
34 Police Services and Homeland Security Practices      153
35 Presidential Commission Advises on Ways to Protect the Infrastructure      160
36 Private Sector’s Response to the War on Terrorism      165
37 Professional Standards Recommended by the National Fire Protection Association      168
38 Public Information During a Crisis      173
39 Public Works Departments as Emergency Responders      176
40 Responsibilities for Homeland Security: Federal and Local Governments      181
41 Security and Emergency Response Improved Through Public-Private Cooperation      184
42 Statewide Guidelines by the President’s Homeland Security Advisory Council      187
43 Stress Management for Firefighters      194
44 Stress Management for Police Officers      199
45 Teledoctor: A New Concept in Emergency Preparedness and Response      205
46 Terrorism Fact Sheet by the Federal Emergency Management Agency      210
47 Threat Condition Orange: Common Sense Measures to Safeguard Your Community      214
48 Understanding Terrorists and Terrorism      218
49 U.S. Attorney’s Office and the Anti-Terrorism Advisory Council      222
50 Vehicular Safeguards and Homeland Security      224
51 Volunteerism and Emergency Preparedness      230

PART III: THE FUTURE OF HOMELAND SECURITY
52 Homeland Security, Civil Liberties, and the Future            235
Homeland Security Acronyms      239
Homeland Security Internet Resources      241
American Red Cross, Homeland Security Advisory System Recommendations      243
Federal Emergency Management Agency Regional Offices      247
State Offices and Agencies of Emergency Management      248

About the Editor and Contributors      253
Index      255

“useful”—ARBA.