Local officials bemoan process for 'first responder' aid

Doug Beizer — Fri, 13 Aug 2004 00:00:00 -0400

Now almost three years later, officials at the local level say they are frustrated by the level of aid and, in many cases, unprepared to respond to certain emergencies. Existing technology often could help firefighters and police, but officials do not have the funds to buy it, cannot get approval at the state level to buy it or simply do not know that it exists.

A report published by the House Homeland Security Committee showed that first responders have not yet received most of the $6.3 billion in federal aid designated for terrorism preparedness. About $5.2 billion in grant money remains in the administrative pipeline, according to the report.

That is no surprise to Gary, Ind., Deputy Police Chief Police Jeff Kumorek. "The obtaining of technology through the homeland security funding has been a very slow process," he said. "The money is awarded to the state, who then sends it to the county [emergency management agency]. Applications are submitted back up this same channel to obtain the equipment."

According to the report, that situation is not unique. The multi-layered system is slow and wrought with mistakes.

First responders in Gary, for example, have yet to receive suits for protection from hazardous materials. "The state purchased them on their own with the wrong masks," Kumorek said.

"Another problem is that we have tried to buy ... approved equipment off the equipment list that has been rejected by the state," he added.

In a survey of U.S. mayors about homeland security, the local leaders criticized the first-responder aid system. Officials in 52 percent of the cities surveyed have not received funding for first responders and to protect critical infrastructure through their states, nor have city leaders been told they will receive funds, the survey found.

"Cities remain on the frontline of homeland security but in the back of the line for funding," Baltimore Mayor Martin O'Malley said in the survey.

Nearly 90 percent of the cities receiving domestic preparedness funds are eligible to spend the money on a reimbursement basis. However, 57 percent said that process makes it difficult to use the funds, and 31 percent said fiscally burdens local jurisdictions.

In Chesapeake, Va., a suburban community in the shadow of the Norfolk Naval Base, federal grants have enabled the department to buy equipment it could not have afforded otherwise. The city now has a trailer to decontaminate large numbers of victims of a chemical or biological attack. And all first-responder units have radiation-detection equipment, said Mike Hoag, battalion chief of the Chesapeake Fire Department.

However, the need for additional money does not end when the equipment arrives, Hoag said. "The equipment received from the feds needs to be maintained and repaired," he said. "This becomes the responsibility of the department."

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Federal official outlines choices for emergency responders

Doug Beizer — Fri, 13 Aug 2004 00:00:00 -0400

One program through the department's Homeland Security Advanced Research Project Agency (HSARPA) provides funding for private-sector companies to develop new technologies just for first responders, said Christopher Doyle, the deputy director of emergency preparedness and response in the department's science and technology division.

Doyle envisions the program producing new equipment like firefighter gear that not only resists heat but also has biohazard protection. Companies interested in applying for funding can find the announcements at HSARPA's funding and procurement Web site.

The HSARPA program could provide funds to develop a three-dimensional system for tracking firefighters. "One of the biggest things is the inability for an on-scene commander to know in 3-D where the firefighters are," Doyle said.

Department officials also have launched another program that aims to better prepare cities for potential emergencies. The Regional Technology Integration (RTI) initiative will evaluate local preparedness and then assist with outfitting first responders.

"One of the things we've identified is [that] a lot of technology is being worked on and a lot of it is available commercially, over the counter," Doyle said. "But there's a shortage of places taking that technology and integrating it at the local level."

Working closely with local officials, Homeland Security experts will help determine what gaps exist and how to fill them. The program does not have funding to purchase new equipment for metro areas, but department officials will point local officials toward available grants and other funding opportunities.

"This will be a collaborative effort with no preconceived notions of what these localities need," Doyle said.

The first two metro areas participating in the program are Anaheim, Calif., and Cincinnati. Another city will be announced Friday, and the final pilot city will be announced in several weeks. The cities will work with sister cities to further spread the findings of the program.

Homeland Security officials expect RTI to grow by four new metro areas each year. "This is the maiden voyage for this," Doyle said. "We don't know what we're going to find out. We plan to take what we find and get that information out to any locality that can use it."

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Government Executive - Authors - Doug Beizer

Local officials bemoan process for 'first responder' aid

Federal official outlines choices for emergency responders