GAO – First Responders’ All Hazards Capabilities

The U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) issued a Report stating that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has largely succeeded in its initiatives to create a national, all-hazards coordinated and comprehensive response program for large-scale incidents. DHS has developed plans to implement related programs to enhance first responder capabilities. DHS will face continuing challenges with regard to integrating internal and external assessment approaches, assessing state and local risks in a national context to effectively prioritize investments, and establishing common training requirements across responder disciplines. Note: this report (and most other analyses) fail to recognize that various federal agencies (such as the U.S. Coast Guard) are also first responders. GAO-05-652 (HK Law)