New Preparedness Directorate at DHS up and running

In one of its first official acts, the Homeland Security Department's new Preparedness Directorate on Tuesday issued preliminary guidelines for emergency responders to follow in the event of a radiological or nuclear attack.

Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff announced the creation of the directorate last year as part of a broad restructuring of the department. The Senate last month confirmed George Foresman, who served as assistant to the governor of Virginia for emergency and disaster preparedness, as head of the directorate.

The directorate is officially up and running, DHS spokesman Marc Short said Wednesday. No further congressional action or legislation is needed, and Foresman will start full time next week, Short said.

According to an organizational chart, the directorate includes a chief medical officer, the U.S. Fire Administration, a National Capital Region director and assistant secretaries for grants and training; infrastructure protection; and cyber and telecommunications. The directorate replaces the former Emergency Preparedness and Response Directorate.

Short added, however, that the offices and programs under the new directorate will remain dispersed around the Washington , D.C. area, as opposed to being moved to one central location.

The draft guidelines published Tuesday represent the government's first comprehensive attempt to outline what responders should do during the early, intermediate and late stages of an attack from a radiological dispersal device, or an improvised nuclear devise. The Preparedness Directorate is seeking comment on the guidelines until March 6.

"The purpose of this guidance is to aid federal decision-makers in protecting the public and emergency responders from the effects of radiation during an emergency and to provide guidelines and a process for site cleanup and recovery following an RDD or IND incident," the notice stated.

"Based on intelligence information, the potential for terrorist attacks in the United States involving radiological materials or a nuclear device has grown," the notice added. "Prior to Sept. 11, radiological emergencies were considered bounded by potential nuclear power plant accidents."

The guidelines do not prescribe specific roles and responsibilities for federal, state and local agencies in the event of an incident. Rather, they are intended to help decision-makers determine appropriate courses of action, which may include using procedures already established by other agencies, said DHS spokesman Larry Orluskie.

He added that the guidelines complement the National Response Plan, which does define specific tasks and responsibilities for federal, state and local agencies.

The guidance was developed over the past two years by the departments of Homeland Security, Commerce, Defense, Energy, Labor, and Health and Human Services, the Environmental Protection Agency and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

In a separate Federal Register notice published on Dec. 30, DHS announced that the Preparedness Directorate has taken over the Radiological Emergency Preparedness Program, which was previously under the Federal Emergency Management Agency. As part of Chertoff's reorganization plan, all preparedness activities are being stripped from FEMA and placed in the new directorate.