In Case Of Emergency, Read Blog

Via the U.S. Citizen Corps comes an intriguing invitation for those interested in the future of national emergency preparedness and response as well as homeland security in general:

U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano invites you to participate in the National Dialogue on the Quadrennial Homeland Security Review (QHSR). This groundbreaking, web-based interactive dialogue is designed to allow a broader range of opinions and ideas to inform the QHSR process, and to strengthen the Department’s relationship with its vast array of partners and stakeholders, including other federal agencies, state, local, and tribal governments, law enforcement professionals, first responders, academic institutions, and the business community.

In order to capture this critical feedback, the Secretary is seeking your participation in three week-long, web-based dialogues. Each dialogue will build on the previous one, allowing participants to view and comment directly on proposed elements of the review before they are made final. Your invaluable participation will directly inform the work of the DHS study groups conducting the QHSR-and ultimately, our Homeland Security policies and priorities over the next four years. The final report is due to Congress on December 31, 2009.

The Quadrennial Homeland Security Review (QHSR) is a congressionally mandated, top-to-bottom review of the Department’s policies and priorities that will guide the Department and the nation for the next four years. The review is conducted by the Secretary of Homeland Security with key assistance from a set of study groups within DHS, each charged with reviewing a different aspect of the Department’s mission and operations. For more information, see http://www.dhs.gov/qhsr.

Secretary Napolitano recorded an ‘invitation’ video (below).

The National Dialogue is a conversation between you, other Homeland Security stakeholders, and DHS on an innovative web-based platform. The National Dialogue is an iterative process, building on your input over the course of three dialogues. Each of the three dialogues will involve discussions on six topics being reviewed by DHS:

Counterterrorism and Domestic Security Management
Securing Our Borders
Smart and Tough Enforcement of Immigration Laws
Preparing for, Responding to, and Recovering from Disasters
Homeland Security National Risk Assessment
Homeland Security Planning and Capabilities

This unique experiment in 21st-century stakeholder consultation is being hosted by the National Academy of Public Administration, an independent, non-profit, congressionally-chartered institution, on behalf of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.

The National Dialogue on the QHSR will take place over three week-long sessions between August and October 2009:

First Dialogue: August 3rd through August 9th
The first dialogue session will seek your opinion on general priorities of different Homeland Security mission areas. During this session, you will be able to evaluate the missions and goals proposed by DHS study groups, and rate, tag, and suggest your own alternative proposals.

Second Dialogue: August 31st through September 6th
The second dialogue will enable you to prioritize and engage in open and interactive discussions on critical mission areas of the Department.

Third Dialogue: September 28th through October 4th
The third dialogue will seek your final review of the mission, goals and priorities articulated by the Department and the work of the internal and cross-functional  DHS study groups.

If you want more information or want to sign up for email updates, you can go to http://www.dhs.gov/qhsr. The blog will be closely following Quadrennial Review through the year.