Regional Grant Projects

1. Critical Infrastructure Protection

   The NCR should have a comprehensive all-hazards threat and vulnerability assessment and inventory of critical infrastructure in the region including a complete inventory of critical infrastructure, assets controlled by the private sector, and other potential targets, such as communities and populations of interest.  This inventory should include a regularly updated assessment of specific vulnerabilities that identifies any major gaps where funds should be invested to harden the most vulnerable and at-risk critical infrastructures. Projects should take in account results of NCR Shield Risk Assessment (results available Oct. 30th) and risk management study (results complete November 30).

   Possible Investments:

   Backup Power Needs Assessment - The NCR should have a shared inventory of pre-identified critical facilities, including privately owned facilities such as gas stations, and an up-to-date assessment of their backup power capabilities.  The most critical facilities should receive permanent backup generators or be prewired for power from mobile units and a stockpile of publicly owned or inventory of privately-owned generators should be maintained. 

   Transportation Security - Conduct updated vulnerability assessment specifically of the NCR’s airports, train stations, subways, and passenger/cargo rail lines.  Results should be used to harden the infrastructure against attack through permanent physical countermeasures such as CCTV, and lighting and fencing.  An scenario based exercise(s) should be conducted to ensure all relevant response partners have all needed MOUs to establish jurisdiction and a mutually agreed upon and executed concept of operations. Regular exercises should be developed and implemented around these assets.  Following up on the FY07 tunnel radio project, a gap analysis should be conducted to ensure that all appropriate local and mutual aid first responders have any specialized equipment needed to operate in these unique environments, such as radios capable of operating underground, extended life breathing apparatus, etc.

2. REGIONAL Information/Messaging to Public

   The NCR should have a sustained regional communication base that allows for a coordinated message to the public for the entire region.  The NCR needs regional information sharing and coordination of local, state, and federal communication to the public by the establishment of protocols and procedures for notifying the public.

   Possible Investments:

   1. Communications Needs Assessment - Conduct a communications needs assessment to look beyond traditional radio communications among first responders to include critical infrastructure sites such as hospitals, new technologies such as VTC, emergency systems such as satellite phones, etc.  Relevant ESF groups could initially be tasked with identifying candidate for core groups/institutions and communications systems.
   2. Develop and exercise communication protocols for conference calls
   3. Technology such as WebEX to display graphical information for decision support
   4. Virtual JIC

   Situational Awareness - Expand upon the region’s successes with WebEOC and other common platforms to develop a more advanced information system, including new technology in GIS, video imagery, etc to provide a common operating picture to stakeholders in the NCR.

3. Regional Defense Network/Information Sharing
   
   The NCR must create and coordinate a system of technologies that work together to enhance individual capabilities for prevention, detection, notification, investigation, and situational awareness of actual and potential security events.  In FY08, NCR leaders are pursuing technological projects under a common framework and concept of operations that ensures an integration of technological projects that creates a coordinated system of technologies.  Ultimately, a coordinated system should allow law enforcement officers in the NCR to transmit and receive law enforcement database information from the field and share that information on a real-time basis.  The NCR’s fusion centers should be able to share useful and actionable information from the field and from regional and federal counterparts with every jurisdiction on a real time basis. (A report on the status of this effort including possible additional funding needs in 09 and 10 are to be included.)

   Possible Investments :

   CCTV - Pair CCTV with the current license plate recognition, radiation detection and traffic monitoring sensors project by conducting a regional CCTV assessment and integration study.  The goal would be to develop a prioritized set of target sites for CCTV at highway and street-level for evacuation control and incident management.  However, as with the radiation and license plate projects’ potential inclusion of mobile equipment as an extension of the “network” the assessment could potentially include public and private critical infrastructure site, and/or patrol cars, helicopters, and marine units in the NCR and their ability to send and receive downlinks for incident response.  In all cases, the network should be secure and images should transmit to IP and be portable to and from key local and state facilities, including the NCR’s state and local emergency operations centers and mobile command posts.

   Biosurveillance - Conduct a best practices survey of biosurveillance systems nationwide to identify any data elements not included in the NCR’s current biosurveillance system or any gaps in connectivity or applications of/use of the system and expand and link current NCR systems accordingly. 

4. Mass Casualty/Hospital Surge
   
   The NCR should have the capability including operationalized planning and equipment, supplies, and training to respond to a mass casualty event.  In the FY08 UASI funding cycle, the NCR leadership allocated up to  $1,250,000 to conduct health and medical capabilities gap analyses whose results would address the gaps in capability to respond to a mass casualty event.  In 09 the NCR has allocated an additional $8 million to be invested in accordance with results of the needs assessment. The end goal is for the NCR to have the capability to have a regional information sharing system between hospitals, emergency medical services, and regional leaders; in addition to stockpiled supplies and emergency plans for alternate treatments to address a mass casualty event .

   Possible investments

   1. Additional investments in the health and medical area related to medical surge gap analysis
   2. Pediatric Surge (supplies and planning)
   3. Alternatively, the CAOs HSEC may determine that funding needs should be revisited in the 2010 grant cycle.
5. Evacuation/Shelter/Decontamination

   The NCR needs to have the capability to handle the reentry of citizens into an area following evacuation.  Necessary for the NCR is to have coordinated planning and training among the region’s first responders, stakeholders, and policy makers of the issues needed to address the reentry of citizens following an evacuation.

   Possible Investments:

   Shelter/Evacuation - Following the MMRS model of identifying common planning elements and linking them, survey, assess, and coordinate the NCR’s existing plans to ensure that the region has comprehensive plans for: evacuating and sheltering special needs populations; evacuating persons without transportation and vulnerable facilities such as hospitals, nursing homes, and assisted living centers; plans for “large capacity shelters”; and plans addressing pets.  Gaps should be identified in the equipment, personnel and supplies needed to carry out the plans, and a strategy should exist for exercising the region’s plans and capabilities.

6. ETOP/Corrective Action Reports

   The NCR’s training and exercise program needs a method for the accountability of jurisdictions to take corrective actions coming out of exercises.  The NCR should have an established coordinator that inventories past suggested corrective actions and follows-up on progress of implementation of the corrective actions.