Plant Services - September 2007 - (Page 15) KEN SChNEPf THE PS FILES Infrastructure protection Council aims to coordinate state, local security efforts P lant managers and engineers are at the front line in involved with your local community infrastructure protecthe war on terrorism, according to the Department tion efforts; conduct risk assessments as part of business of Homeland Security. That’s why it recently estabcontinuity planning; and implement relevant protective and lished the State, Local, Tribal and Territorial Government resiliency measures. Coordinating Council (SLTTGCC), which, in part, seeks The SLTTGCC is a key element in a series of nationalparticipation from people like you. level government, sector, and cross sector coordinating Plant managers and engineers can participate in the seccouncils that provide the framework for partnership betor-specific councils at the national or local levels as repretween the critical infrastructure owners and operators and sentatives of their companies or as subject matter experts, government. It ensures that the local government perspecexplains DHS. Participation provides an opportunity to tive is fully represented for national planning, program contribute to a national priority and provide an owner and development and promulgation on critical infrastructure operator perspective to shape local or national programs for protection and resiliency practices and implementation, effectiveness and efficiency. says McDaniel. Sector owners and operators or their repIncidents and events occur locally. ConIt’s your resentatives participate in this public-private sequently, protection, preparedness and reopportunity partnership through sector-specific councils sponse must occur locally. “State, local, tribal organized independent of government. Fifteen or territorial governments provide private secto shape local such councils have already been organized nator owners and operators, such as plant manor national tionally. These councils develop plans and proagers and engineers, the “on the ground” enviprograms. grams and promulgate them in coordination ronment “to establish the context, framework, with counterpart inter-agency federal governand support the efforts needed to implement ment coordinating councils and the SLTTGCC, according to and sustain the national critical infrastructure and key reDHS. A number of states are beginning to develop partnership sources CI/KR protection effort,” he says. models equivalent to these national councils to implement the The SLTTGCC is comprised of as many as 30 members National Infrastructure Protection Plan (NIPP) tailored to lowho bring geographical diversity and broad disciplinary cal requirements and conditions. representation of recognized leaders in homeland security “The formation of the SLTTGCC underscores the imand critical infrastructure protection. portance of bringing all the relevant public and private partThe council is divided into three working groups: The ners to the critical infrastructure protection table at once,” Policy and Planning Working Group which reviews DHS explains Col. (P) Michael McDaniel, SLTTGCC chairCI/KR protection plans. The Communication and Coman and homeland security advisor for the state of Michiordination Working Group, which facilitates release of gan. “This group provides a needed and educated voice to coordinated SLTTGCC-related information and helps the Sector Partnership Framework that is a vital element of develop clearer and more direct channels of communithe NIPP, and it highlights DHS’ dedication to broadening cation. And the Information Sharing Working Group, the critical infrastructure protection landscape.” which helps the SLTTGCC better understand CI/KR The success of collective efforts to protect the nation’s information sharing at the SLTT levels of government critical infrastructure and key resources starts at the local and determines what practices are effective and identifies plant level. McDaniel encourages plant managers and enopportunities for integration. gineers to become familiar with the NIPP and their relevant For more information, contact the National InfrastrucSector Specific Plan and to take action (www.dhs.gov/nipp); ture Coordinating Center at NICC@dhs.gov. become part of the information-sharing network by joining a sector-identified information sharing mechanism; become E-mail Managing Editor Ken Schnepf at kschnepf@putman.net September 2007 www.PLANTSERVICES.com 15 http://www.plantservices.com/voices/ps_files.html http://www.dhs.gov/nipp http://www.plantservices.com
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