Crisis Response Requires Better Communication

A report released Friday by the Executive Session on Domestic Preparedness at the Kennedy School of Governmnet (KSG) has called for increased focus on cooperation and improved emergency response in the wake of the September 11 terrorist attacks.

The Executive Session task force released two reports, one addressed to State and Local Officials and the other to the Director of the Office of Homeland Security Thomas J. Ridge ’67.

“For most governors and mayors terrorism and threat of terrorism are such a new phenomenon,” said Juliette N. Kayyem ’91, the task force’s executive director.

The reports enumerated three key components necessary for domestic preparedness: prevention, preparedness and sustainment.

Both reports emphasized the importance of state and local offices in the event of an emergency response, since they are the first to respond to an attack.

Emphasis was placed on a network of standardized communication among local, state and federal officials and agencies. Kayyem said such a network is necessary for a quick response to an attack.

The reports also said that crucial information must be shared among federal agencies and state and local respondents to ensure domestic security and effective response.

Task force director Dr. Arnold M. Howitt ’71 emphasized the importance of investigative techniques and the promotion of improved two-way information sharing among law enforcement agencies to ensure effective responses.

Professor Philip B. Heymann, a member of the task force, said he expects the recommendations to be especially pertinent and useful to agencies on the state and local level.

“Federal roles are still so confusing as to who is in charge of what that giving advice to Tom Ridge is harder at this point,” Heymann said.

The reports also addressed the potential for bioterrorism, saying that because of “inadequate surge capacity,” other alternatives must be explored.

“We have to find creative ways to increase medical surge capacity. This may mean tapping unconventional health care resources,” Howitt said.

Among the series of suggestions to ensure effective and quick medical response to disaster were the inclusion of the military in response planning, a registry of retired and former healthcare workers and the development of reciprocity agreements among states for licensed professional personnel.

Howitt also emphasized the importance of sustaining the effectiveness of equipment and personnel skills through maintenance and regular training exercises.

The report cautioned that the potential overload of communications systems in times of emergency could hinder a response.

The reports said communications equipment like radios, telephones and walkie-talkie systems should also meet universal standards to facilitate effective communication among emergency units.

Howitt said the recommendations were released in order to focus public attention on the need for effective emergency response on all levels.

“We feel that these issues are important to keep in the forefront of consideration,” he said.

The Executive Session on Domestic Preparedness is a task force of senior practitioners and academic specialists that have held bi-annual meetings on terrorism and emergency management over the past two years. Sponsors of the task force include the John F. Kennedy School of Government, Harvard and the U.S. Department of Justice. The task force serves as a resource for federal, state and local government officials, and congressional committees, and provides recommendations to reduce the threat of and vulnerability to terrorism.

“We are injecting these issues into the public debate and hope to give them more prominence,” Howitt said.