The Caucus is of one mind, one voice, and one vision where security of our homeland is concerned. Our police, fire, and emergency services personnel must have all the resources they need to enable us to be prepared for anything.”
      — Richard P. Reinbold, President, Village of Richton Park, and Chair, Mayors Caucus Emergency Preparedness Task Force

Our municipalities have traditionally been front line defenders of homeland security and the first ones to respond to emergencies, including terrorist actions. In the time that has passed since the September 11, 2001 attacks, municipal preparations for disasters of all types and on all scales have been given the highest priority.Guarding against terrorist attacks, in particular, has been recognized as a critical need.

With the help and support of the Caucus, we’ve come a long way in emergency preparedness. We’ve succeeded at reworking and strengthening emergency management plans and have been a force behind major deployments of police, fire, communications and other safety-related resources.

To ensure that we can maintain and augment a heightened state of preparedness and security, the members of the Caucus call for the following:

    • Additional and flexible funding to increase the ability of local governments to plan for and respond to emergencies in a variety of ways. We seek revenue that will make many programs possible from full-time disaster coordination to additional disaster equipment and security measures that will help protect our airports, waterways, utilities, transit systems, and other public infrastructure.
    • Greater collaboration between federal, state, and local agencies, as well as with manufacturers and suppliers to ensure that local needs for specialized rescue and emergency equipment are given top priority.
    • Closer cooperation between local and federal public safety entities. Mayors, police, fire chiefs and public health directors must be kept informed throughout the planning, preparation, and execution of public safety responses to terrorist actions.
    • Enhanced security with regard to safekeeping and protection of emergency plans.