Homeland
Security Experts Tout Regionalization Plans
JEFFERSON CITY, Dec. 7, 2005-Gov. Matt Blunt has directed
state homeland security leaders to gather local input from Missouri’s
first responders and emergency planners on a Homeland Security initiative
that splits the state into coordination and response regions.
“Regionalization gives a voice to local communities
and citizens across Missouri to ensure they are involved in how homeland
security is coordinated, how security dollars are spent, and how their
locality fits into the larger picture,” Blunt said. “Missouri’s
homeland security is a shared responsibility among the state and federal
government and each county, community, local government, private industry
and citizen.”
State officials have already met with local public safety,
emergency planners, and private industry in some regions, and they
have many more planning meetings scheduled throughout December and
January.
Officials, including Paul Fennewald, Missouri Homeland
Security Coordinator and Duane Nichols, Deputy Director of the State
Emergency Management Agency, are attending regularly scheduled, quarterly
Emergency Management Area Coordinator Meetings, posted online at http://sema.dps.mo.gov/areamtg.htm.
Fennewald and Nichols present regionalization information at the meetings,
and answer questions and receive feedback from local attendees including
emergency management directors, law enforcement, fire, emergency medical,
and local officials on grant ideas, and programs.
Fennewald stressed that communication must be two-way
between local communities and the state if a comprehensive homeland
security strategy is to work.
“It is important for stakeholders at the grassroots
level of the state, not just the major metro areas, to have their
voice heard on the Homeland Security Advisory Council when it comes
time to see how we are going to spend our shrinking resources,”
Fennewald said.
The idea is to create regional committees using the
existing nine Highway Patrol Troop Regions (A-I), the Kansas City
metropolitan area (A-1), and the St. Louis metropolitan area (C-1).
Each committee will be called a Regional Homeland Security Coordinating
Committee (RHSCC). These committees will report directly to the Governor’s
Homeland Security Advisory Council (HSAC). A proposed makeup of the
RHSCCs include 11 voting members and an Emergency Management Director,
a Police Chief, a Fire Chief, Sheriff, and representatives from County
Health, Homeland Security Response Team (HSRT), Public Works (City
or County), Mayor’s Office, County Commissioner, private industry,
and SEMA’s Local Emergency Planning Committee (LEPC).
Furthermore, each region will have multiple smaller
planning committees, called Regional Planning Committees (RPC). RPCs
will consist of multiple counties and will report to the RHSCC. These
working groups will consist of at least one representative of Municipal
Government from each county involved in the RPC, and representatives
from SEMA’s LEPCs and the private sector.
Mark James, Homeland Security and Public Safety Director,
said the fine details of organizing RHSCCs will be refined after meeting
with local partners in each region throughout the state. He said regionalization
is a concept being tested in other states, and it is the most practical
idea so far to get local viewpoints represented on the governor’s
Homeland Security Advisory Council.
Upcoming meetings where regionalization will be discussed:
Area G: Dec. 7, 2005, 11:30 a.m. Hillbilly Junction,
Willow Springs
Highway 60/63
Area F: Dec. 28, 2005, 10 a.m. Cole County Courthouse Annex, Jeff
City
301 E High St
Area I: Dec. 29, 2005, 10 a.m. Rolla Police Department
1007 N Elm
For more information on regionalization or to schedule
an interview with Paul Fennewald in conjunction with these meetings,
please contact Terri Durdaller at (573) 751-4819.