Cuomo to Improve State's Disaster and Response Capabilities

Overhaul Designed to Make New York's Emergency Management Operation the Best in the Country

The Cuomo Administration has introduced a series of major initiatives to transform New York State's disaster and emergency response capabilities. 

The initiatives include creating five Regional Disaster Logistics Centers to serve as staging areas and store emergency equipment; launching a state agency emergency network to coordinate disaster response equipment; establishing Regional Rapid Response and Incident Management Teams to expedite deployment and coordinate with local governments; creating a statewide network of emergency responders; hosting a statewide Emergency Preparedness conference; and selling unnecessary and outdated equipment. 

"We learned from Hurricane Irene and Tropical Storm Lee that we must be ready and have the capabilities to respond to all emergencies. Our state's first responders are second to none, but they need a highly coordinated network to support them," Governor Cuomo said.

"Today we are launching a series of new actions to ensure that our first responders are properly equipped to respond quickly and effectively in an emergency anywhere and anytime."

The initiatives come after a Governor-ordered review following Hurricane Irene and Tropical Storm Lee revealed both strengths and weaknesses in the state's emergency response capabilities.

While New York's first responders showed tremendous leadership and ability, the review found shortcomings in the state's coordination and preparation, including assets not being aligned with needs, a lack of resources pre-deployed to regions in the storms' paths, and response units with outdated equipment in place.

The Governor tasked Jerry Hauer, the State's Commissioner of the Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services (DHSES) and a nationally recognized emergency management expert, to lead an overhaul that is designed to make New York's emergency response system the best in the country.

"One of my first priorities was to assess the State's disaster asset inventory," stated Jerome Hauer, DHSES Commissioner.

"We found that much of the equipment was inadequate to support an effective disaster response. By establishing these Disaster Preparedness Centers, we are ensuring that State and local responders have the right tools to respond to emergencies more rapidly and effectively. Governor Cuomo tasked me to create the best emergency operations system in the country, and this major overhaul has the potential to make New York State a national leader in disaster response capabilities."

Create Five Regional Disaster Logistics Centers

DHSES will work with state agencies, the National Guard, and localities to put in place five Disaster Logistics Centers in key regional locations across the New York State.

When completed, the state will have a total of five regionally located stockpile and staging areas that can be used to store emergency equipment and rescue vehicles, and provide expedited assistance to local governments during emergencies.

The Disaster Logistics Centers will ensure that the state has resources and equipment pre-positioned in areas where they would be most needed during an emergency.

The Centers will be located in the North Country, Western New York, Hudson Valley, Southern Tier, and Long Island. 

Placing the Right Equipment and Supplies in the Right Place

The Regional Disaster Logistics Centers will ensure that the right vehicles and equipment are in the right place to respond rapidly to an emergency situation. Vehicles including ATVs, snowmobiles, high-clearance DOT trucks, and swift water rescue boats will be regionally positioned so they can be deployed immediately.

The centers will also have pre-positioned equipment and supplies, including generators, pumps, water filters, specialized rescue equipment, communications equipment, and personal care items such as food, water, cots and blankets.

Statewide Emergency Network

To coordinate the emergency response equipment distributed across numerous state agencies, DHSES will create a centralized inventory of all state agency assets that can be used to support local governments during crises. The centralized inventory will also include a new vehicle identification system.

Establish Regional Rapid Response and Incident Management Teams

Regional Rapid Response Teams

DHSES will organize ten new Rapid Response Support Teams (RRSTs) that will align with the new response areas to promptly deploy in emergency situations and coordinate state support with local governments.

The RRSTs will be co-led by State Commissioners that have been specially trained in emergency management and State Office of Emergency Management regional directors. The teams will also include representatives from the State Office of Emergency Management, State Police, National Guard, and other agencies. 

Incident Management Teams

DHSES will create five additional regionally-based Incident Management Teams (IMTs) comprised of local public safety and first response personnel who have received specialized training to support localities and provide expertise during emergency situations.

New York currently has one state-level and two locally-based IMTs, each of which was instrumental in supporting disaster operations in two heavily flooded counties during the late summer storms of 2011.

First Responder Network and Statewide Credentialing System

DHSES will create a new statewide network of first responders that will give localities access to emergency response personnel when needed. The network will enhance uniform training across regions and agencies, and include an inventory of skills to help match first responder expertise with emergency needs.

The process is designed to create the best trained core of first responders in the country, and will include one of the nation's first statewide credentialing systems to ensure that emergency personnel are given rapid access to disaster scenes.

Statewide Conference

Governor Cuomo will host a statewide Emergency Management Summit this summer that will involve emergency management professionals from across the state and feature nationally and globally recognized experts on terrorism, natural disasters, and emergency preparedness.

Sale of Unnecessary Equipment

The Governor-directed review found an excess of unnecessary and outdated emergency response equipment. Unused equipment will be recalled for assessment or sold, and useable equipment will be centralized at the 5 DHSES Regional Disaster Logistics Centers. 

Biden Releases Report on the Economic Value of Increasing Spectrum

Veep: "A Smarter System is Good for Our Economy, Good for Innovation, and Vital to Keeping Our Cops, Firefighters and EMTs Safe" 

Today, Vice President Biden met with first responders to thank them for their service and to discuss the new nationwide public safety broadband network included in the Payroll Tax Extension legislation. 

In addition, he announced the release of a new report from the Council of Economic Advisers (CEA), The Economic Benefits of New Spectrum for Wireless Broadband), describing the substantial economic value of aggressively pursuing President Obama’s goal of nearly doubling the amount of spectrum available for wireless broadband over ten years and deploying a nationwide interoperable wireless network for public safety. 

The report summarizes the compelling evidence that additional spectrum for wireless broadband is needed to accommodate the surging demand for wireless data traffic, projected to increase by a factor of twenty between 2010 and 2015. 

The report also describes the potential for wireless broadband to play a transformative role in public safety and as a platform for innovation in many areas of the economy, and documents the substantial impact on jobs, growth, and investment that the growth of wireless broadband will have.

“I’ve been working on changing the way we allocate spectrum for a long time, because a smarter system is good for our economy, good for innovation, and vital to keeping our cops, firefighters and EMTs safe,” said Vice President Biden.

“The measure that Congress just passed picks up on many aspects of the President’s Wireless Innovation Initiative and will enable new spectrum to be used for innovation, to speed wireless communication, and to fulfill a promise made to first responders after 9/11 that they would have the technology they need to stay safe and do their jobs.”

President Obama will soon sign into law a measure will implement important pieces of the Administration’s wireless initiative – including a nationwide interoperable public safety broadband network that will, for the first time, allow law enforcement, firefighters and EMTs to have a dedicated communications network so they can talk with one another. 

Our modern information economy depends on use of the radio airwaves for everything from smartphones and laptops connected to the Internet over wireless networks, to satellite and other wireless networks that bring Internet access to rural areas where running cables is too expensive. This report shows how important it is to continue supporting the growth of this vital sector of the economy.

In addition to describing the economic benefits of making additional spectrum available for wireless broadband, the new report addresses a number of key issues related to spectrum policy. 

Specifically, the report concludes that the use of voluntary incentive auctions will ensure that spectrum is reassigned from the lowest value uses to the highest, and that the economic benefits are widely shared among stakeholders, including broadcasters, wireless carriers, consumers, and taxpayers. The recently passed spectrum bill gives the FCC authority to conduct these auctions.

The report goes on to note that unlicensed spectrum is a valuable complement to licensed spectrum, and allocating new spectrum for a mix of licensed and unlicensed uses will offer the most fertile environment for future innovation. 

The spectrum bill gives the FCC authority to allocate more spectrum for unlicensed uses, creating new opportunities for the development of innovative wireless technologies.

Finally, the report states that federal funding for research and development in emerging wireless technologies will have substantial public benefits, particularly to support the development of innovative technologies for use in public safety.

The bill sets aside $100-300 Million for public safety network R&D, funds that will be vital to helping the public safety community build a new robust, flexible and innovative network for first responders all around the country.

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Biden: 'Today We Made Good on That Overdue Promise'

Vice President Praises Spectrum Agreement to Safeguard First Responder Communications

The following statement was issued today by Vice President Joe Biden regarding the agreement:

"After 9/11, we pledged that our cops, firefighters and EMTs would have the technology they need to stay safe and do their jobs. Part of that promise included deploying a nationwide, interoperable broadband network for our first responders. Today we made good on that overdue promise. First responders put their lives on the line to protect us every day, and the least we can do is ensure that they have the dedicated bandwidth they need to communicate with each other.  It’s going to save lives and help keep our neighborhoods safe."

Click here for information on the agreement: Bloomberg Article on Spectrum Agreement

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Public Safety Broadband Meeting

Vice President Biden speaks about the importance of creating a national public safety broadband network at a meeting with first responders, public safety advocates and Administration officials.