National Emergency Preparedness Group Outlines New Crisis Response Position for Corporate America

WASHINGTON, DC -- Former Homeland Security Under Secretary Asa Hutchinson announced today the formation of the National Advisory Board of the Corporate Crisis Response Officers Association (CCROA), a non-profit organization dedicated to establishing and training a national network of corporate Crisis Response Officers to coordinate local community recovery efforts in the private and community sectors during the initial hours of an emergency.

CCROA grew out of the final recommendations of the Gilmore Commission -- mandated by Congress to assess America's preparedness to respond to acts of terrorism, weapons of mass destruction and other national security threats. One of the recommendations called for greater private- and community-sector involvement in planning and response to national crises. CCROA's mission, finalized at a national summit of homeland security and emergency preparedness leaders hosted by Harvard's Kennedy School of Government, is to coordinate and train business and community leaders to prepare for and react to an emergency situation during the critical first 72 hours, until government resources are fully available.

"The first hours of any emergency are the most critical to recovery. As we've seen in the past, it is local business and community leaders who must be the first to respond during these decisive hours," Secretary Hutchinson said. "Our national security is only as strong as our least prepared community. Our goal is to build a national grassroots infrastructure of local leaders who will ensure that every community is capable of responding to an emergency until help arrives."

The primary vehicle for these efforts will be through a new corporate position: the Crisis Response Officer. CCROA will provide preparedness and response training to the Crisis Response Officers to help them leverage private- and community-sector local resources during the first hours of a crisis, and to serve as a liaison with government and first-responder organizations.

Joining Secretary Hutchinson, who serves as Chairman of CCROA's Advisory Board, is a nonpartisan team of national leaders in the private/non-profit sectors, including:

• George Foresman, former Under Secretary of Homeland Security for Preparedness
• Bonnie McElveen-Hunter, Chairman of the American Red Cross and CEO of Pace Communications
• Tom Ridge, former Secretary of Homeland Security and Chairman of the National Organization on Disability
• Todd Stottlemyer, President of the National Federation of Independent Businesses

"The corporate Crisis Response Officer is a critical new development in the evolution of our country's domestic preparedness efforts," said Secretary Ridge. "We must acknowledge the reality that the federal government cannot be at all places at all times, and every community must be prepared to respond independently to an emergency until additional resources can arrive."

As head of the nation's leading small-business association, Todd Stottlemyer noted that business involvement in emergency response planning is essential to facilitate recovery; help protect infrastructure and get the economy up and running. He called the creation of a corporate position for Crisis Response Officers an important step forward.

"Whether we're talking about a large corporation or a locally owned small business, the ability of leaders in the private sector to leverage resources and make well-informed critical decisions during the first hours of a crisis is invaluable," he said. "It could very well make the difference as to whether you're open for business again in the near term, or whether your company's doors are shut for good."

In conjunction with its partners -- the National Council on Readiness and Preparedness (NCORP); the Kennedy School of Government's Leadership for a Networked World program; and the Community Institute for Preparedness, Response and Recovery (CIPPR) -- CCROA is mining and developing best practices from communities and experts at regional, national and online forums hosted by CCROA throughout the year. The resulting best practices are being continuously organized into a National Blueprint for Secure Communities -- the primary training resource for Crisis Response Officers.