Safeguard Iowa Partnership Initiatives
Safeguard Iowa Partnership is a coalition of the state’s business and government leaders that are combining their efforts to strengthen the state’s collective capacity to prevent, protect, respond to and recover from natural and human-caused disasters through effective public-private collaboration. Safeguard Iowa Partnership is a statewide organization intended to help business of all sizes connect with their local first responders.
The statewide partnership serves to integrate business resources, expertise and response plans with those of government during all stages of disaster preparedness and recovery to ensure safe, resilient communities for the residents and businesses of Iowa. The government cannot and should not be the only responders in a disaster situation. The private sector has a wealth of knowledge and assets that may be needed during an emergency.
Initiatives
Safeguard Iowa Partnership identified four key initiatives initially: 1) Establishment of a business resource registry; 2) Business participation in the state emergency operations center; 3) Partnership with state and local public health; and 4) Safeguard Iowa Partnership development and public outreach.
Business resource registry
A primary program element of the partnership is the development of a web-based resource registry of private-sector assets and capabilities that could be used during a crisis. In an emergency, responding state and local agencies must identify surge assets quickly. In almost all cases, the resources needed are in short supply. Since it has been estimated that up to 85 percent of these needed resources are available only from the private sector, a registry of business assets is essential in reducing response time, saving lives and speeding economic recovery.
Business participation in State Emergency Operations Center
To ensure the continuation of community activities and restoration of critical infrastructure services, the State Emergency Operations Center (SEOC) will include participation from the private sector. The private sector participation at the SEOC supports the State’s ability to respond to disasters by facilitating voluntary collaboration and information sharing among the public and private sectors. The goal is to mitigate the impact of a disaster upon the State, its population and its critical infrastructure.
Partnership with state and local public health
Best practices have shown that communication is vital to the success of any response. The State of Iowa currently uses the Iowa Health Alert Network (HAN) as their alert notification system to contact all local public health, county emergency management coordinators, hospitals, laboratories and state government officials in the event of an emergency. Safeguard Iowa Partnership has adopted this technology to include the private sector for notifications.
In addition to the HAN, the Homeland Security Information Network (HSIN) is a secure Web-based communications system owned and operated by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and has been designated as the nation’s primary homeland security information sharing system. The State of Iowa has sponsored a Safeguard Iowa Partnership portal on the HSIN to provide centralized access to information and resources concerning emergency preparedness and homeland security in Iowa.
Safeguard Iowa Partnership development and public outreach
Safeguard Iowa Partnership’s organizational structure includes: 1) Advisory council comprised of the Iowa Business Council leadership; 2) Executive committee comprised of the Safeguard Iowa Partnership operating council co-chairs, public-sector leadership; team leaders for the four initiatives, Iowa Business Council executive director and the Safeguard Iowa Partnership executive director; 3) Operating council comprised of public-sector representatives, Iowa Business Council members, regional public- and private-sector representatives, and representatives from statewide security and safety associations; 4) Initiative teams comprised of partners of Safeguard Iowa Partnership; and 5) Regional committees comprised of regional representatives from public health, health care, public safety, emergency management and private sector.
To date, the partnership includes over 27 private-sector organizations and eight public-sector entities. Look for more information in the coming months on how you can participate in Safeguard Iowa Partnership. Contact sip@safeguardiowa.org or visit the website at www.safeguardiowa.org.
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