Homeland Security - Assignment Example

 What are the primary impacts of the Post-Katrina Emergency Management Reform Act of 2006 in regards to the qualification of and the role of FEMAs director in the event of a national emergency or disaster? Prior to the occurrence of Hurricane Katrina, FEMA’s merger with DHS reduced its authority, with most of its power being transferred to the larger DHS (CRS, 2006a). FEMA’s response to Katrina was slow as a result of poor leadership capabilities and decisions, Organizational failures, overwhelmed communication and preparation systems, and inadequate authorities within the statute. It was upon this failure that calls for reorganizations were intensified, leading to the development of the establishment of the Post-Katrina Emergency Management Act of 2006 (CRS, 2006a). As a result of this Act, FEMA became a more independent entity. The Act also provided a framework for the qualifications, roles, responsibilities, and authority of the Director of FEMA. This included having experience of not less than five years of management and executive leadership, experience in management of crises or a different relevant field. In addition, the director ought to have demonstrated the ability to manage a budget and substantial staff. However, unlike initially, the director was expected to report directly to the Secretary of the Homeland security without going through DHS officials. The Director of FEMA was also empowered to be the principal advisor to the president, the Homeland Security Secretary, and the Homeland Security Council on matters of preparedness and response (CRS, 2006b). References CRS. (2006a). Federal Emergency Management Policy Changes Afetr Hurricane Katrina: A Summary of Statutory Provisions. Washington D.C. : Library of Congress. CRS. (2006b). FEMA Reorganization Legislation in the 109th Congress. Washington D.C.: Library of Congress. 1. What was the Skilled Trades Second Responders Act of 2007? Do you believe it was important and should have been enacted? Why or why not? The Skilled Trades Second Responders Act of 2007 was established to empower construction workers on disaster preparedness and responsiveness. It followed the findings of the congress concerning the importance of such workers in the healing process after occurrence of a disaster. According to McGuire, Lee, and Drummond, (2014), the Act was aimed at providing funds in the sum of $35 million for training, registering, certifying, and integrating construction workers into activities related to disaster preparedness and response. The process of enacting the Act was important as it allows for the management of disasters from ground zero. Construction workers have the expertise and tools necessary to assist the first responders to disaster situations in terms of carrying out demolitions, pipe and electrical maintenance, cleanup of hazardous waste and other functions that are important to the disaster recovery process (The Library of Congress, 2008). However, these construction workers lack the training and coordination required to efficiently respond to disasters. Therefore, the Act provided for a system through which the workforce would be mobilized in order to ensure their effective and safe integration into the response operations. References McGuire, T. M., Lee, C. W., & Drummond, P. D. (2014). The need for careful study design when investigating the benefits. Australasian Journal of Disaster and Trauma Studies of psychological interventions for trauma survivors: a commentary on Renner, Bänninger-Huber, Peltzer (2011), 18(1), 3-48. The Library of Congress. (2008). Bill Text 110th Congress (2007-2008) S.2515.IS. Retrieved from The Library of Congress Thomas: http://www.thomas.gov/cgi-bin/query/z?c110:S.2515.IS: 2. Describe two of the methods Fischhoff posits to reduce the psychological perception of risk. According to Fischhoff, psychological risk perception can be predicted and thus reduced using two methods. The first method is using the psychometric paradigm, which uses two main factors to predict the perception of risk, including the likelihood of controlling risk and whether the effects of the risk are known (Fischhoff, Slovic, Lichtenstein, Read, & Combs, 1978). In this case, risks that are both familiar and controllable are perceived as being less dangerous as compared to their actual risk. This method is important in identifying reasons why individuals discount well-understood risks. As such, this method provides for the reduction of risk perception through increasing the familiarity of individuals with the risk. Another method suggested by Fischhoff involves the affect heuristic and the concept of affect. This method is important in understanding the reaction of individuals to both risk and the message that communicates such risk (Fischhoff & Heinz, Risk Analysis and Human Behaviour, 2013). The affect is the negative of positive feeling that is associated with an object. This affect influences decision making that is non-deliberate. As such, when individuals use heuristic affect to come up with decisions, they remain susceptible to bias. As such, communicators are provided with guidance on whether to rely on the triggering of negative or positive affect in the communication of risk in order to reduce psychological risk perception. References Fischhoff, B., & Heinz, H. (2013). Risk Analysis and Human Behaviour. New York: Routledge. Fischhoff, B., Slovic, P., Lichtenstein, S., Read, S., & Combs, B. (1978). How Safe is Safe Enough? A Psychometric Study of Attitudes Towards Technological Risks and Benefits. Policy Sciences, 8, 127-152. 3. What are Fusion Centres and what role do they play in homeland security? Do you believe they are effective? Fusion centres are efficient and effective mechanisms used in the exchange of intelligence and information, streamlining operations, maximizing resources, and improving the ability of the Homeland Security to fight terrorism and crime by merging data from different sources. In addition, these centres provide an avenue for implementation of parts of the National Criminal Intelligence Sharing Plan (NCISP) (U.S. Department of Justice, 2014). The role of the fusion centre is create a mechanism through which public safety, law enforcement, and private partners merge their efforts with the common purpose of improving the ability of the homeland security in preventing criminal activity and safeguarding the nation. As such, through this centres, different members of the security network including fire-fighters, police officers, or building inspectors are provided with a single jurisdiction fusion centre from which they acquire information without going through the trouble of searching for such information at dispersed locations (Burton, 2012). References Burton, K. D. (2012). Managing Emerging Risk: The Capstone of Preparedness. New York: CRC Press. U.S. Department of Justice. (2014). Fusion Centers and Intelligence Sharing. Retrieved from Justice Information Sharing: https://it.ojp.gov/default.aspx?area=nationalInitiatives&page=1181 What three federal agencies (not all are within DHS) are primarily responsible for security at U.S. seaports and what are their assigned duties? The U.S. ports are protected by three different departments, which include the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the U.S. Customs and Boarder Protection (CBP), and the US Coast Guard. Each of these departments has its outlined roles and responsibilities. The Coast Guard is faced with the major responsibility of offering the seaports with physical protection (Office of the Inspector General, 2006 ). The Coast Guard is empowered with its law enforcement authority in the maritime domain, which offers it with the power needed to carry out its responsibility. On the other hand, the Customs and Boarder Protection (CBP) enforces exports and imports regulations and laws, and its major responsibility is to inspect the cargos at the seaports. Lastly, the FBI, which is the lead federal agency in the investigation and prevention of terrorism, has an important role to play in securing the seaports. The FBI’s responsibilities include both law enforcement and intelligence. These responsibilities include assessing of maritime-based terrorism threats; gathering, conducting analysis, and sharing of maritime threats information; and maintaining technical capabilities that ensure proper preparation for the prevention or responding to terrorism within the maritime context (Johnstone, 2006). References Johnstone, R. W. (2006). 9/11 and the Future of Transportation Security. Santa Barbara, California: Greenwood Publishing Group. Office of the Inspector General. (2006 , March). The Federal Bureau of Investigation's Efforts to Protect the Nation's Seaports. Retrieved from The United States Department of Justice: http://www.justice.gov/oig/reports/FBI/a0626/exec.htm Read More