Preparing for emergencies: is northern New Jersey ready?: hearing before the Subcommittee on Emergency Preparedness, Science, and Technology of the ... One Hundred Ninth Congress, second session,

Preparing for emergencies: is northern New Jersey ready?: hearing before the Subcommittee on Emergency Preparedness, Science, and Technology of the ... One Hundred Ninth Congress, second session, Review

LC Number: KF27 .H573 2006 OCLC Number: (OCoLC)135245393 Subject: Emergency management -- New Jersey -- Evaluation. Excerpt: ...hip and his guidance and support in working for America, and that's what he does. This is the second field hearing we've done together, with the first one being in my home district, which is in Washington State, which borders the City of Seattle. Although Bill and I hail from opposite coasts and belong to different political parties, we, nonetheless, share a common vision for a safer America. There are few members of Congress as passionate as Bill on issues to homeland security, and as one of the few former Mayors serving in the House of Representatives Bill brings leadership and expertise on the needs and concerns of those in the front lines of our first responders. Bill and I have been working on comprehensive legislation to fix the most serious deficiencies within our National Disaster Response System, as made evident by the government's poor response to Hurricane Katrina last year. Since taking over as Chairman of the Subcommittee, we've held five hearings on interoperability and emergency communication. As a first responder myself for over 30 years in law enforcement and the former Sheriff of King County in Washington, I know the importance of having situational awareness in the field when responding to an event. I was proud to work with Bill in drafting H.R. 5351, the National Emergency Management Enhancement Act of 2006. This legislation will, among other things, establish an Office of Emergency Communication and consolidate the SAFECOM program, the Integrated Wireless Network Project, and the Interoperable Communications Technical Assistance Program within this new office. It was clear from witness testimony during our hearings for the need to hold one person accountable for interoperable communications in the Department of Homeland Security. H.R. 5351 will also make much neede...