Case Studies

Homeland Security and Emergency Management

Since the mid 1990’s, Homeland Security and Emergency Management has been an emerging and evolving field that requires the horizontal re-engineering of national security roles and traditional state and local public safety, public health and healthcare disciplines. Since 9-11 and Katrina there has been a national mandate to address this challenge.

DRS International brings Thought Leadership and Significant Practical Experience to the process of Public Policy and Business Development. This complex transformation has practical, political, and fiduciary business implications from the first responders to board rooms across the country.

Public Safety

Reforming and Rebuilding the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)

In 2006, after Katrina, Congress in coordination with the White House passed legislation to reform Emergency Management in the United States. We led the merger of National Preparedness into FEMA that improved Agency capacity and state and local capabilities to respond to major disasters.

Challenge, Strategy, and Results: The Post Katrina Emergency Reform Act (PKEMRA) directed that the National Preparedness Program be placed at FEMA. The integration also required the merger of several organizational elements from different parts of DHS and FEMA. This required 2 years of focused transformation effort to achieve the merger and create the outcomes required by the law.

The Post Katrina lessons learned required an update of the National Response Plan of 2004, the National Incident Management System (NIMS), and other key policies and strategies. The work demanded a significant consensus process to include the National Advisory Council, State and Local Emergency Managers, State Homeland Security Advisors, various Associations, Law Enforcement, the Federal inter-agency and many others.

The new team published a breakthrough National Response Framework doctrine, designed and implemented major national exercises and established regional programs. Restructured organization to align $300M budget with mission priorities, recruited key executives for continuity and succession and cut vacancy rate in half.

State Government

Designed and Directed First Maryland Homeland Security Strategy and Organization for Governor Ehrlich

The State of Maryland Homeland Security Office was established as a new start in June 2003. The Office directed investment of $400M Federal Grants to improve information sharing, public safety communications, protection of critical infrastructure, and emergency management.

Challenge, Strategy, and Results: Soon after 9/11, every State and Governor was faced with following the lead of the Federal government to build a Homeland Security program with limited resources and little historical precedence to follow. Innovation, cost effectiveness and careful investment of grants were imperative.

The Homeland Security Office strategically established a Program Management model and used a matrix leadership approach to integrate statewide governance of anti-terror and emergency preparedness programs to reduce cost and sustain effort. The leadership team developed one of the first state information sharing Fusion Centers that was built on partnership with the Department of Justice US Attorney and the FBI.

Health Care / Public Safety

Innovative Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD) Hospital Preparedness

The Nunn-Lugar-Domenici Act of 1997 prompted activity across the country to prepare urban areas for a WMD incident. We developed a WMD preparedness section to the Medical Center’s emergency plan that established a baseline to address the Anthrax response post 9/11 in October 2001.

Challenge, Strategy, and Results: Health facilities in Maryland, including the University of Maryland Medical System Corp., were asked to get involved in these preparedness activities. Each health facility has an accreditation requirement to have a community emergency plan. It was difficult getting support for these activities prior to 9/11. Post 9/11 these activities grew exponentially.

The Medical Center partnered with the city of Baltimore, the State Emergency Management Agency, and the Air Force to design and execute a Full Scale WMD Exercise called Free State Response 2002. The Medical Center continued to participate with Baltimore in Biological exercises called Harbor Base in 2003 and 2004.

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