The Federal Emergency Management Agency has released the 2016 National Preparedness Report which highlights the Department of Homeland Security‘s efforts to prepare emergency first responders through interagency cooperation.
DHS said Monday that FEMA’s report tracked progress from the last five years in prevention, protection, mitigation, response and recovery initiatives.
DHS and interagency partners continue to build on the capacity of National Network of Fusion Centers to facilitate intelligence collection and sharing between fusion center customers, the department noted.
The National Counterterrorism Center, DHS and FBI jointly sponsored counterterrorism awareness workshops to educate first responders across the U.S. on prevention and response strategies against terrorist attacks, DHS added.
DHS’ counterterrorism efforts include the launch of web-based messaging materials for public awareness as well as the “If You See Something, Say Something” campaign which aims to provide information on indicators of potential terrorism and crime.
The department has also established the Regional Resiliency Assessment Program to help assess critical infrastructure systems and DHS seeks ways to apply the assessment process to issues such as climate change, cybersecurity and electromagnetic-pulse preparedness.
DHS worked to engage public and private sector partners in the 12th annual National Cyber Security Awareness Month in October 2015 which aimed to increase cyber threat resilience.
