Capital cooperation

By George Nuñez and
John Petrie

In the years since Sept. 11, 2001, partnerships between the private and public sectors have become critical components of community and private-sector comprehensive incident planning efforts. One of the localities where such collaboration became most visible was the Foggy Bottom neighborhood of the downtown business/financial district in northwest Washington, D.C.

A high-value neighborhood
Because of the diversity of its institutions, the District of Columbia’s business district is a remarkable location. Foggy Bottom and its immediate surroundings are home to the White House, Department of State, International Monetary Fund, World Bank, Federal Reserve, U.S. Treasury, Pan-American Health Organization, American Red Cross national headquarters, George Washington University, the Organization of American States, Navy Bureau of Medicine, Kennedy Center, several embassies, and numerous national and international business, legal and financial tenants.

Metrorail stations in the area serve tens of thousands of employees and visitors each day. Weekends and holidays see crowds in the hundreds of thousands visiting the National Mall immediately south of the neighborhood. Inter­twined among the sea of office buildings are numerous residential properties ranging from historic single-family homes and apartment buildings to university residence halls.

In an area like this, incident planning and preparedness efforts must take into consideration the plans, procedures, expectations and requirements of the area as a whole. For better or worse, this area is inextricably linked, and planning must deal with this reality to be most effective.

The initial efforts
Although some collaboration efforts existed among neighbors prior to 2001, the terrorist attacks and subsequent threats pushed collaborative efforts to a higher level of urgency.

Security enhancements at the White House and other key federal government and international organizations, the security perimeters established during International Monetary Fund and World Bank meetings, and the Orange Alert and subsequent hardening of security measures at financial institutions during the summer of 2004 were all examples of how incidents weren’t confined to a particular facility, but had a visible impact on the greater community. Natural hazards, such as Hurricane Isabel in 2004, further showcased the need for greater partnership among private and public entities.

In fall 2004, a Neighborhood Planning Committee was formed to strengthen informal private-private and public-private partnerships among about 30 entities in the Foggy Bottom neighborhood, roughly centered on 16th, M, E and 24th streets, nw. The NPC seeks to foster relationships among private-sector members and their public-sector counterparts by:

• Improving communication and coordination among the private sector.
  
• Examining, and deconflicting when necessary, provisions in the area’s diverse emergency response plans.
  
• Exploring shared concerns and collaborating to address them.
  
• Coordinating with utilities and local and federal authorities, including first responders, the District of Columbia Emergency Management Agency and the
• Department of Homeland Security.
  
• Collaborating on and participating in incident planning education and training exercises.
  
• Initial collaborative efforts among the neighborhood’s private sector and the International Monetary Fund produced several positive actions, including:
  * Establishing a steering committee,
  * Creating an e-mail listserv of the NPC membership, and
  * Hosting quarterly collaborative tabletop exercises or informational sessions that engage both our private-sector members and members from local government and federal agencies.

Sharing and planning

• Response by building management to incidents, including sheltering in place or evacuating multiple-story buildings.
  
• Developing proactive strategies in working with the media during an incident.
  
• Identifying in advance (by the private sector) the potential needs of first responders, whether for information (such as building plans) or personnel (a facility supervisor or building engineer).
  
• Sharing best practices for facility security in a high-profile neighborhood and further strengthening partnerships with local law enforcement.
  
• Creating or reviewing contingency and continuity of operations plans and incorporating impacts on or from the neighborhood.
  
• Remaining on top of current events and developing strategies in addressing them at the local level. The most recent NPC gathering included briefings by DHS representatives on recent terror threats, updates on avian flu reports and planning, and suggested proactive measures for the private sector.

Outward expansion
The NPC is now seeking to formalize the process by developing desired objectives and outcomes as part of a strategic plan. With the encouragement of DHS, the steering committee of the NPC is helping expand their model to other Washington neighborhoods.
According to Dave Crafton of the DHS Directorate of Information Analysis and Infrastructure Protection, “with the [Foggy Bottom NPC] having established trust relationships and exercise experience, we are at a point where they can develop objectives and outcomes. These could be the template for all other [National Capital Region] groups.”

The success of this unique private-private and public-private model isn’t confined to a limited area in Washington. Members of the NPC have been invited to share our work with colleagues and counterparts in other metropolitan areas across the country.

Although we’re acutely aware of our limitations and how much can really be accomplished, definite progress has been made. The emergency and security managers of this neighborhood now know each other; have a forum for discussion and sharing information before, during and after an incident; and know their public sector counterparts and their capabilities and limitations. Collaboration with the neighbors has contributed to developing and further strengthening comprehensive, all-hazards emergency preparedness plans.

Success here is not the result of broad-based, top-down direction. It’s the product of local practitioners taking cooperative efforts to coordinate with their private and public neighbors.

About the authors

John N. Petrie is assistant vice president for public safety and emergency management at George Washington University, Washington, D.C. A graduate of the Naval War College, he holds a ph.d. in international law from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy. Petrie served on the faculty at the U.S. Naval Academy and as professor of national security policy and director of research at the National War College.

George Nuñez is the principal emergency management associate with the Office of Public Safety and Emergency Management at George Washington University. He has a master’s degree in international relations and is working on a doctorate at gwu’s Institute for Crisis, Disaster, and Risk Management.

Charlie Gleichenhaus, International Monetary Fund, and Jim Remik, Admiral Security, also contributed to this article.

The views expressed in this article are those of the authors and should not be attributed to The George Washington University, International Monetary Fund or Admiral Security,  or their executive boards or management.