November 5, 2004
ROMNEY ANNOUNCES REGIONAL HOMELAND SECURITY PLANS
Homeland security strategy directs $45 million for spending across Bay State
Governor Mitt Romney today announced that his Administration has approved comprehensive homeland security plans for each of the five regions of Massachusetts and awarded $45 million in federal homeland security funds to support these efforts.
“Each of these plans fit into our larger blueprint for a forward-looking security agenda that encourages regional collaboration and clear-eyed risk assessment,” Romney said. “Local residents should know that we’re doing everything possible to keep the Commonwealth safe in an era of global uncertainty.”
To ensure that federal dollars are spent in compliance with the state’s larger homeland security strategy, Romney created five Homeland Security Regional Planning Councils earlier this year. Each council was tasked with developing spending plans for the region’s funding allocation. The newly approved plans will be implemented by local and regional police, fire and emergency response departments.
“Successful homeland security efforts are founded on the same proactive, information driven and multi-disciplinary methods used to fight crime, disorder, and to promote the public health and well-being,” said Public Safety Secretary Edward A. Flynn. “Not only do these plans help us in the fight against terror, they help us in the fight against crime.”
The five regional plans complement the state’s overall homeland security strategy, approved by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security in February 2004.
The state strategy focuses on the following goals:
* Enhancing our ability to assess risk and prevent future terrorist attacks or critical incidents;
* Enriching our ability to collect, analyze, disseminate and manage key information;
* Improving preparedness by enhancing regional coordination;
* Expanding the ability of first responders to communicate at the scene of a terrorist attack or other critical incident;
* Furthering our ability to recover from a terrorist attack or other critical incident.
The $45 million in federal homeland security funds were allocated based on analysis of the threat and vulnerability assessments conducted by local police, fire and emergency response officials within the regions. The five regions will receive homeland security funds as follows: Metro Boston, $9.5 million; Southeast Region, $7.7 million; Northeast Region, $6.5 million; Central Region, $4.4 million; and Western Region, $3.8 million.
Each region identified specific protection priorities and is required to spend at least $2 million on interoperability – the ability for police, fire and emergency personnel to communicate with each other in response to a major incident.
“The Regional Homeland Security Planning Councils have formalized what most of us in police, fire and emergency services have long believed,” said Southeast Council member and Mattapoisett Police Chief Mary Lyons. “Spending security money strategically and collaboratively is smarter, more efficient and it will make all of our communities safer.”
The Homeland Security Regional Planning Councils consists of three police chiefs, three fire chiefs and one representative from each of the following: emergency management, public health, hospitals, emergency medical services, public safety communications, government administrative, public works, regional transportation authority and correctional services.
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