Essay on "Homeland Security"

Essay 5 pages (1362 words) Sources: 2 Style: APA

[EXCERPT] . . . .

Criminal Justice -- Homeland Security

Understanding Emergency Management

Emergency management refers to the entire network of government agencies, public institutions, and their various resources, policies, and procedures for responding to circumstances that threaten the immediate health and safety of the population (DHS-FEMA, 2006). These threats come from different sources, including so-called "acts of god," natural disaster, industrial accident, and intentional acts of destruction perpetrated by humans such as in connection with modern terrorism (DHS-FEMA, 2006).

Generally, emergency management consists of systems, policies, and procedures for implementing first responders to emergency situations and for providing external support and resources to areas affected directly by the consequences of emergencies. Those efforts typically include first response, emergency rescue and evacuation, medical triage and treatment, maintenance of government and other essential public and municipal functions, temporary logistical support of local populations, and the restoration of damaged areas and facilities (DHS-FEMA, 2006).

The Role of the Emergency Management Coordinator

The most important roles of the emergency management coordinator is to establish efficient plans for dealing with emergencies well in advance of their occurrence. In that regard, outlining and delineating the respective responsibilities and authority of the many subcomponents within the emergency management system is crucial to maintaining the ability to make use of available personnel and other resources. The emergency management coordinator is respo

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nsible for establishing policies, procedures and communications channels among the various public emergency management entities.

Strategies for Coordinating Emergency Responders

As was painfully demonstrated in New York City after the 9/11 Terrorist Attacks in 2001, it is essential that communications (and other) equipment furnished to first responders be capable of ensuring uninterrupted communications. While better communications equipment available to the New York City Fire Department (NYFD) could not have made any difference in terms of protecting the public in that particular scenario, it would likely have saved the lives of many of the NYFD firefighters who never received orders to retreat from the scene of the remaining tower after the first World Trade Center tower collapsed (Larsen, 2007).

The other lesson of emergency response gleaned from the emergency response to the World Trade Center attacks was the need for specific protocols between respective emergency first responders, such as between the NYFD and the New York City Police Department (NYPD). In the aftermath of the initial first response, the police officers and firefighters clashed over respective departmental authority between the two departments (Larsen, 2007). In that particular situation, no lives were still at stake but that is not necessarily the case in most conceivable emergency management situations.

Generally, the absence of very specific guidelines established well in advance of the need to deploy large scale emergency management services can be a threat to human life and public safety.

More recently, Hurricane Katrina highlighted the importance of advance planning for the deployment of resources long before an actual emergency occurs (Larsen, 2007). Particularly in the case of contemporary health threats such as flu (and other) epidemics, those plans must incorporate hospitals and medical providers as well. In principle, effective emergency management requires liaisons between and among all involved agencies and both public and private medical institutions.

Issues of Structure and Responsibility in the Department of Homeland Security

Partly by necessity, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) consists of numerous component agencies with very different individual responsibilities, areas of authority, and specific missions (DHS-FEMA, 2006; Larsen, 2007). On the other hand, many well-informed observers have criticized the fact that the Intelligence & Analysis function is not sufficiently integrated into other components of homeland security, and in particular, into the National Protection & Programs.

Law enforcement fusion centers and more federal, state, and local joint task forces have been established since 2001 to better consolidate intelligence and other important information collected by the thousands of separate law enforcement (and other) agencies. However, the evidence (including the most recent thwarted terrorist attack on Christmas Day aboard Northwest Airlines Flight 253) strongly suggests that the intelligence that is available to authorities is simply (still) not processed and shared efficiently among the various components of DHS.

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Quoted Instructions for "Homeland Security" Assignment:

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1.You were recently selected as the Emergency Management Coordinator for a medium-sized city. Your position didn't exist in that city before you came along. You have been asked to submit a two-page write-up for the city's quarterly newsletter to explain just what emergency management is, and what the function of the coordinator is. Draft a two-page explanation of what it is that you will be doing for the fair citizens of your community.

2.As the Emergency Management Coordinator in the above city, you have quickly learned that the police chief and the fire chief do not get along. Both believe their respective departments are at the top of the public safety food chain. Further, the two local hospitals are both privately owned--one for profit and one non-profit, religiously owned. Heretofore, the city has had very little contact with the hospitals other than when the hospitals have had land-use requests. In short, you realize that none of the key players in an emergency are talking to each other. What strategies might you pursue to change this situation? Explain thoroughly.

3.Consider the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), its organization, and its strategic plans (which are available at www.dhs.gov). Critique the pros and cons of DHS as it is currently constituted. Is it organized properly for its missions? Are its missions appropriate and logically tied together? You may wish to use a SWOT analysis (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats), or you can craft your critique in some other way.

4.In your opinion, how has terrorism and the threat of weapons of mass destruction (WMD) impacted the field of emergency management and disaster planning? Why do you think so? Do you believe that the threat of terrorism on a small or large scale should be an emergency manager's primary concern over other types of disasters? Does the type of community the emergency manager operates from make a difference? How so?

5.In the course, you have been introduced to the various responsibilities of different levels of government in the homeland security effort. What level of government do you believe should be primarily responsible for securing the homeland? In what ways is homeland security confounded by our federalist system (i.e., shared power by states and federal government)? With 50 state governments, 3000+ county governments, 16000 township governments, 20000 municipal governments, and tens of thousands more special district governments (i.e., park districts, school districts, etc), is it even possible to have effective management and delivery of homeland security? How so?

This should be one of your sources. http://training.fema.gov/EMIWeb/edu/fem.asp

You can choose the other

How to Reference "Homeland Security" Essay in a Bibliography

“Homeland Security.” A1-TermPaper.com, 2009, https://www.a1-termpaper.com/topics/essay/criminal-justice-homeland-security/91729. Accessed 3 Jul 2024.

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A1-TermPaper.com. (2009). Homeland Security. [online] Available at: https://www.a1-termpaper.com/topics/essay/criminal-justice-homeland-security/91729 [Accessed 3 Jul, 2024].

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1. Homeland Security. A1-TermPaper.com. https://www.a1-termpaper.com/topics/essay/criminal-justice-homeland-security/91729. Published 2009. Accessed July 3, 2024.

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