RALEIGH – Strengthening North Carolina's ability to respond to terrorist attacks and other emergencies is the goal of this year's allocation of 2006 U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) funds. The State Emergency Response Commission (SERC) has completed the task of allocating this year's funds to projects that enhance the state's already existing regional first responder teams, making North Carolina a leader in the emergency management field.

“North Carolina has built strong regional capabilities in hazardous material response, medical assistance, public health preparedness, urban search and rescue, and swift water rescue.  These teams can be deployed statewide wherever they are needed,” said Bryan Beatty, SERC Chairman and Secretary of the Department of Crime Control & Public Safety (CCPS).  “Enhancing these teams – and building additional capabilities and training to support them – make all of the first responder agencies in North Carolina stronger, and make people who live here safer.”

North Carolina received $30,483,786 from DHS for Fiscal Year 2006. Of that amount, the following allocations were imposed by DHS: $8,950,000 for the Urban Area Security Initiative in Mecklenburg and surrounding counties; $696,990 for the Metropolitan Medical Response System; and $476,796 for the Citizen Corps program. 

The state received $10,780,000 in State Homeland Security Program (SHSP) funds and $9,560,000 in Law Enforcement Terrorism Prevention Program (LETPP) funds.  The SERC distributes the SHSP and LETPP funds based on national priorities and state strategy to meet national preparedness goals.  The top national priorities include expanding regional collaboration, enhancing interoperable communications, and implementing the National Incident Management System (NIMS) and National Response Plan (NRP).  As required by DHS, more than 80% of the funds are invested at the local level.

“The SERC's distribution of the 2006 DHS funds directly addresses the top priorities of the federal government and the state strategy,” said Doug Hoell, SERC Vice-Chair and Director of the Division of Emergency Management.  “These funds will improve our ability to respond to all kinds of emergencies and will help provide our first responders with the equipment and training they need to be the best.”

Listed below are the specific initiatives – identified by DHS as “investment justifications” – which support the state's plan to meet national preparedness goals.

Investment Justification                                     Grant Amount

NIMS First Responder Training                         $  2,600,000

Interoperable Communications/VIPER               $  8,683,000

Intelligence/Information Sharing                          $     560,000

Special Medical Needs                                      $  1,600,000

Drug Stockpile/Mobile Pharmacy                       $     920,000

Mass Care Shelter Equipment/Training               $     400,000

Food and Drug Testing Lab                               $     455,000

Chemical/Biological Detection/Response            $  1,505,000

Urban Search & Rescue Equip/Training              $  2,500,000

Citizen Corps/Community Preparedness             $     100,000

Total SHSP/LETPP Grant Award                     $19,323,000

The largest grant for Interoperable Communications ($8.6 million) will support the Voice Interoperability Plan for Emergency Responders (VIPER), a five-year plan to build a statewide 800 Megahertz system so that all first responders can talk to each other on the same radio system.  The N.C. General Assembly has also appropriated $18.5 million for VIPER over the last three years.  The five-year plan is currently in its third year and will cost another $115 million to complete.

“VIPER allows our police officers to talk with our fire department, the Highway Patrol, local and state emergency management, EMS and anyone else we need to in an emergency,” said Russell Allen, Raleigh City Manager.  “The first anniversary of Hurricane Katrina and the fifth anniversary of 9-11 remind us that communications is essential to a good emergency response system.”

Investigations of both tragedies have pointed to the fact that first responders could not talk to each other after the hurricane and terrorist attack. 

Other investments using 2006 DHS funds will help build the state's ability to respond to mass care situations and medical emergencies, a higher priority for the state aimed at preventing the kind of situations that occurred in hospitals and nursing homes following Katrina.  Regional urban search and rescue teams and hazardous materials response teams - which are located in local departments across the state - and the state's Radiation Protection Division will also receive additional equipment, training and exercise funding.

This was the first year that DHS used a competitive process to allocate funds to the states.  In February, the SERC brought together first responders from all across the state to help develop the justification for North Carolina's grant request.  State applications had to justify the state's strategy to meet the National Preparedness Goal, which is, “To achieve and sustain risk-based target levels of capability to prevent, protect against, respond to, and recover from major events, and to minimize their impact on lives, property, and the economy, through systematic and priorities efforts federal, state, local and tribal entities, their private and non-governmental partners, and the general public.”

The State Emergency Response Commission is appointed by the Governor. It has 18 members from local emergency response disciplines including law enforcement, fire, emergency management, EMS, and representatives from various state agencies including CCPS, Emergency Management, the Highway Patrol, the SBI, Transportation, Public Health, Insurance, Agriculture, Environment and Natural Resources, and the Community Colleges. The Commission reviews plans for preventing, preparing, responding and recovering from acts of terrorism. Commission members also appoint, supervise and coordinate emergency planning committees, establish procedures for reviewing and processing requests from the public, and designate emergency planning districts to implement emergency plans.