MAYOR BILL WHITE, CONGRESSWOMAN SHEILA JACKSON LEE, U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY ASSISTANT SECRETARY BOB STEPHAN AND OTHER PARTNERS INTRODUCE EXPLOSIVES THREAT MANAGEMENT PLAN FOR HOUSTON REGION
August 13, 2008 -- Houston Mayor Bill White, Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee, Bob Stephan, Assistant Secretary for Infrastructure Protection in the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, and others joined today in introducing the Houston Multi-Jurisdiction Improvised Explosive Device Security Plan.
The plan, developed in partnership with DHS and federal, state and local first responders, outlines specific bombing prevention actions within the Houston area that reduce vulnerability and mitigate risk against Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs), the primary terrorist attack method. Houston was selected as the pilot city for the program, which outlines specific bombing prevention actions to reduce vulnerability and mitigate risk to critical infrastructure. The Houston region, with its high concentration of critical infrastructure, is considered one of the nation's highest risk urban areas.
The Plan is also a repeatable process that can be used to help determine what actions are necessary to enhance IED prevention and protection capabilities of multi-jurisdictional areas and can be used by operational decision-makers to determine what steps to take during an IED incident. The Houston Multi-Jurisdiction IED Security Plan process met the primary goal of designing and developing effective prevention and response actions involving IED devices and making efficient use of available resources, while continuing to build on the area's capabilities to prevent or respond to an IED threat.
"Preparing and protecting our region against possible threats is everyone's priority," said Mayor White. "The fact that we're all working on the same playbook is vital and we thank everyone up and down the line for that collaboration and coordination."
Participants in developing the plan included the Mayor's Office of Public Safety and Homeland Security, the Houston Police Department Bomb Squad, the Houston Fire Department Haz-Mat Unit, Houston Metro Police Bomb Squad, Harris County Sheriff's Office Bomb Squad, Harris County Fire Marshal, Houston FBI Field Office, Department of Homeland Security Protective Security Advisor, the U.S. Coast Guard, the FBI, the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, as well as other state and federal agencies.
