Homeland Security

NACo can help counties address the new challenges associated with preventing and preparing to respond to terrorism.  Made possible by a cooperative agreement with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, NACo's homeland security program provides access to county best practices on key homeland security topics; a homeland security "toolkit" for county officials; workshops at NACo's major conferences and at selected meetings of state associations of counties; and information about public-private partnerships in emergency preparedness. 

For more information on NACo's homeland security services, please contact Rocky Lopes at (202) 661-8841 rlopes@naco.org.

02/22/2008 - Interoperability Policy Academy Presentations
Presentations and information from Winter 2008 Interoperability Policy Academy.

10/29/2007 - Presentations at October, 2007, Communications Interoperability Policy Academy
Presentations given during the NACo/NLC Interoperability Policy Academy which was held in October, 2007.

07/15/2007 - Annual Conference Workshop: Innovative Technolgy for Disaster Management IBM STARRS Presentation
Presentation by Scott Padgett, Business Unit Executive with IBM, on the Saint Louis Area Regional Response System (STARRS)

08/06/2008 - National Incident Management System (NIMS) Guide for County Officials
This guide will help county officials understand what NIMS is and the role counties play in planning to prepare for and respond to emergencies of any type and of any scale.

12/03/2007 - Guide to Emergency Management and Related Terms, Definitions and Acronyms
This Guide has been developed by the FEMA Higher Education Project, Emergency Management Institute, Emmitsburg, Maryland, and is updated periodically. It is a collection of terms, definitions, legislation and acronyms pulled together into a single document, and is useful as a fundamental guide for emergency managers and others who are seeking a reference resource. This is not a NACo product, but has been found to be the most comprehensive and useful reference guide to the subject, acronyms, and relevant U.S. legislation available.

12/03/2007 - Turn Around, Don't Drown
Resources for Flood Incident and Hazard Warning Road Signs. Developed by the National Weather Service in cooperation with the Federal Highway Administration. This website gives information for Public Works and Transportation departments on how to create official road hazard warning signs in case roads are closed due to flooding. Hundreds of people die annually by driving into flood waters. These signs and terminology, "turn around, don't drown," are nationally-recognized life-saving items to have available and use when roadways are flooded. Specifications for making the signs are available on this website.

09/19/2008 - When They Can't Talk: Lives Are Lost (brochure)
Brochure for elected and public officials that describes current challenges with first responder interoperable communications and ways to support better interoperability.

08/25/2008 - Protecting Americans in the 21st Century: Imperatives for the Homeland (PDF)
A White Paper by The National Homeland Security Consortium, on which NACo participates. This document describes a number of actions in nine issue areas that can serve as the beginning of a renewed commitment to collaboration.

01/06/2008 - National Response Framework (NRF)
The National Response Framework presents the guiding principles that enable all response partners to prepare for and provide a unified national response to disasters and emergencies - from the smallest incident to the largest catastrophe. The link here goes to information on the Department of Homeland Security's website about the NRF.

10/31/2006 - National Incident Management System (NIMS) Guide for County Officials
This guide will help county officials understand what NIMS is and the role counties play in planning to prepare for and respond to emergencies of any type and of any scale.

12/20/2004 - Critical Incident Protocol: A Public and Private Partnership
This publication discusses the essential and beneficial process of the public and private sector working together to plan for emergencies.

04/21/2008 - Counties, state at odds over federal interoperability grant money
Nearly $1 billion recently began flowing through states to counties and cities to help bolster interoperable emergency radio and data communications. But in Wisconsin, several counties are crying foul, saying the state is holding on to money that should come their way.

01/28/2008 - DHS releases new disaster response plan
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) unveiled a significantly streamlined disaster response plan that reinstates FEMA’s authority to coordinate federal disaster operations — a power it lost when the agency was folded into the newly created Department of Homeland Security in 2003.