KATRINA WORKSHOP CITES NATIONAL STAN-DARDS AS 'CRITICAL' FOR EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS

摘要

New York, July 14, 2006. Standards are "absolutely critical" to the success of emergency preparedness efforts in the U.S., according to George W. Foresman, U.S. Department of Homeland Security Under Secretary for preparedness. Foresman spoke at a recent workshop of the American National Standards Institute's Homeland Security Standards Panel (ANSI-HSSP) that analyzed the lessons learned from Hurricane Katrina. The event brought together experts from the homeland security and emergency preparedness community in Washington, DC, to further national discussion of how standards, accreditation, and certification programs can help support the implementation of the key recommendations from the major federal reports on the Katrina aftermath. "The American National Standard on emergency management and business continuity programs is core to our preparedness efforts for measuring preparedness in both the public and private sectors," said Foresman during his keynote remarks. "[NFPA 1600] is used not only in our nation-wide plan review, but also our day-to-day assessments." Workshop participants examined the crucial role for NFPA 1600 as well as additional supporting standards and guidance. Breakout sessions focused on command, control, and communications; partnerships; and operations.