an allocation based on its population--wherever they live.
strictly on an assessment of risks and vulnerabilities. Now, in 2004,
Washington, D.C., and New York City are certainly at the top of any
such list.We understand the contention that every state and city needs
to have some minimum infrastructure for emergency response. But
federal homeland security assistance should not remain a program
for general revenue sharing. It should supplement state and local
resources based on the risks or vulnerabilities that merit additional
support. Congress should not use this money as a pork barrel.
should be based on an assessment of threats and vulnerabilities.That assessment
should consider such factors as population, population density, vulnerability, and
the presence of critical infrastructure within each state. In addition, the federal
government should require each state receiving federal emergency prepared-
ness funds to provide an analysis based on the same criteria to justify the dis-
tribution of funds in that state.
too important for politics as usual to prevail. Resources must be allocated
according to vulnerabilities.We recommend that a panel of security experts be
convened to develop written benchmarks for evaluating community needs.We
further recommend that federal homeland security funds be allocated in accor-
dance with those benchmarks, and that states be required to abide by those
benchmarks in disbursing the federal funds.The benchmarks will be imperfect
and subjective; they will continually evolve. But hard choices must be made.
Those who would allocate money on a different basis should then defend their
view of the national interest.
The attacks on 9/11 demonstrated that even the most robust emergency
response capabilities can be overwhelmed if an attack is large enough.Team-
work, collaboration, and cooperation at an incident site are critical to a suc-
cessful response. Key decisionmakers who are represented at the incident
command level help to ensure an effective response, the efficient use of
resources, and responder safety. Regular joint training at all levels is, moreover,
essential to ensuring close coordination during an actual incident.