Secretary Ridge Addresses American Red Cross in St. Louis

Release Date: 05/21/04 00:00:00

St. Louis, Mo.
American Red Cross 79th Annual Convention
May 21, 2004
(Remarks as Prepared)

Thank you for that introduction.  I’m honored to be here tonight as part of the Red Cross Annual Convention.  I bring with me the warm wishes and gratitude of President Bush for your tireless dedication to the protection of the American people and our homeland.

It’s a special privilege to address the many volunteers and employees of the American Red Cross.  Yours is an organization with a rich heritage of service to our fellow citizens and peoples around the world…found in the midst of battle when war rages – to care for the wounded.  Found in disease ravaged communities – to bring aid and comfort to the sick.   Found on the frontlines when disaster strikes  – to help save lives and put broken lives back together.  

For more than 120 years, from wars to natural disasters, you’ve been a rallying point for citizen service.  And your mission of citizen preparedness and emergency response has never been more important than it is today.  

As you most certainly know, the attacks of September 11th completely re-defined the homeland security mission.  In an instant, we came face to face with an enemy bent on the destruction of our way of life, capable of carrying out catastrophic attacks to achieve sadistic goals, and unscrupulous in their regard for the innocent.

And that new reality of terrorism on American soil required a swift and drastic change to our understanding of what it means to secure America.  

Homeland Security can not begin and end at the doors of our federal department building in Washington, D.C.  Washington can be expected to lead, but we cannot, nor should not, micro-manage the protection of our country.  Instead, it must be a priority in every city, every neighborhood, and every home across America.  

More than anything homeland security is about the integration of a nation, and nations – state and local governments, communities, businesses, organizations and citizens – all coming together around a shared goal of protecting our nation and safeguarding our people from those who would seek to do us harm.  

Nowhere is this more important than in the area of emergency preparedness and response.  In the end, first responders, emergency personnel, local officials, and citizens on the ground understand the needs of their individual communities better than anyone.  And they need to be actively engaged in the security decisions and plans for those communities.

I’ve often said that for the homeland to be secure, our hometowns must be secure.  So it follows that the Red Cross – dedicated to the protection of our communities for generations – is integral to this goal.  

Emergency preparedness is a hallmark of our homeland security effort.  And the Red Cross has been a steadfast ally as we have worked to raise the standard of preparedness for the entire nation.

The Red Cross is the only nongovernmental organization that sits side by side with other federal agencies on major preparedness and training exercises.  Homeland Security has pushed to include the Red Cross on our federal incident management team.  And we have made sure that you are incorporated fully within all federal planning, exercise, and response efforts.  

We look upon the Red Cross as a valued partner and greatly appreciate your support on many of our domestic planning and response operations, including Hurricane Isabel.

As we further pursue emergency preparedness – we do so along two tracks -- building our operational capacity and nurturing a culture of citizen preparedness.  In both areas, we look to the expertise, training and experience of the Red Cross to strengthen and further our efforts.      

Building our operational capacity refers to our work to provide improve communication and seamless coordination among all our partners who contribute to the preparedness mission.

One of the great tragedies of our response at the World Trade Center was that equipment didn’t work across jurisdictions and disciplines.  Within New York City, police department radios couldn’t transmit to the fire department radios.

And when engine companies rushed in from nearby neighborhoods, they were often unable to help because the couplings that fit “hoses to hydrants” were incompatible.

But from these disappointments emerged a resolve not to let an incompatible radio frequency or a too-small/too-large piece of safety equipment impede the ability of brave men and women to save the lives of citizens, as well as their own.

So this Department is determined to forge operational capacity when it comes to emergency preparedness.  Our goal is to ensure that when and if disaster strikes – our governors, mayors, police, firefighters, hospital staff, Red Cross volunteers – all have the tools and resources they need to respond.  

I am pleased to say that we are already making great progress in this area.  At Homeland Security we have worked to provide a framework for emergency preparedness planning that will guide and coordinate the integration of our national response capabilities.  

This National Response Plan will pull together all of the current federal response capabilities under a single “all hazards” system for prevention, preparedness, response and recovery.  It’s a blueprint that will enhance current federal capabilities and unify the team that will be charged with responding to potential attacks or disasters.  And it’s being developed with guidance from all stakeholders – including the American Red Cross.  

As part of this plan, we also introduced the National Incident Management System – or NIMS – so that, in the event of a crisis, everyone understands what their role will be – and will have the tools they need to be effective. NIMS is the Nation’s first-ever standardized approach to incident management and response.  

It makes America safer – across our entire Nation and throughout every neighborhood – by establishing a uniform set of processes, protocols, and procedures that all emergency responders at every level of government will use to conduct response actions.

For the first time, all of the Nation’s emergency teams and authorities will use a common language, and a common set of procedures when working individually – and together – to keep America safe.

Of course, having a plan is only the beginning.  As we work to improve our ability to respond to a crisis, one of our primary responsibilities at Homeland Security is to ensure that our first responders have the right equipment, the right training and the right amount of support to continue to do their jobs well.  

This Department has been unwavering in its commitment to this charge.  Since March 1 of last year, we have allocated or awarded well more than $8 billion to assist and equip our Nation’s first responders.  And in this year’s budget, the President has requested an additional $3.6 billion to bolster our first responders’ ongoing efforts.

As I mentioned earlier, the ability of first responders to communicate and work together is paramount.  That’s why we’re working to develop standards that fit into the NIMS framework and improve their ability to operate effectively across county, city, and even state lines.  

Already, Homeland Security has identified technical specifications for a baseline interoperable communications system as the short-term solution to allow first responders to communicate by voice -- no matter what frequency they’re on or mode they use.

And recently, we also announced the first standards regarding personal protective equipment, in order to protect first responders against chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear hazards.  

These standards, which will assist state and local procurement officials and manufacturers, are intended to provide emergency personnel with the best available protective gear – allowing them to protect themselves, as they work to protect others.

When you stop and think about all of this, it’s striking how much emergency preparedness has changed through the years.  The Red Cross has seen first-hand the evolution of our nation’s resources and the dramatic increase in the tools available to us.  

We have equipment that can detect the presence of a bomb, sensors that can pick up trace amounts of a biological agent, storm-tracking systems that give us precious warning and preparation time.   We have made tremendous technological strides, yet our greatest resource – our greatest asset remains unchanged – our citizens.  

On September 11th, our nation and an entire world saw the tremendous spirit of compassion and heroic sacrifice that resides in the hearts of the American people.

Terrorists sought to burn images of horror, suffering, and destruction into our minds and hearts.  

But the images that remain and resonate most deeply are those of ordinary Americans and their extraordinary deeds.  Citizens running up burning flights of stairs.  Citizens risking their lives to aid those trapped.  Citizens rushing the cockpit of Flight 93.

On that day, when citizens who survived the horror looked for a way to serve – many looked to the Red Cross for direction and guidance.  

Lines to donate blood looped around city blocks, donations poured into local chapter offices, and more than 54,000 volunteers arrived on the scene to provide relief.  Our history as Americans has been marked by citizens ever ready to lend a hand and answer the call of those in need.  

That spirit displayed so prominently in the wake of 9/11 is a powerful force that we must harness and bring to our aid in the fight against terrorism.  

A force that the Red Cross has utilized for a century and built into a formidable army of volunteers one million strong.  

At this critical time in our nation’s history, Homeland Security depends on the Red Cross to do what you do best – engage and empower our citizens to play a direct role in securing their families, their freedoms, and their communities.

Homeland Security has stressed citizen preparedness and awareness through our Ready campaign -- a national public service campaign designed to educate citizens about the threats we face and the importance of family emergency planning.  Millions of Americans have responded and have put together emergency kits and family communications plans.

Our goal over the next year is that nearly half of all Americans, in some form or combination, will be better prepared by the end of 2004 -- whether that's by preparing family Ready kits and emergency plans; volunteering to aid in disaster planning; or engaging in CPR and training exercises to help someone in a life-threatening situation.

To help push this forward-leaning agenda, by the end of 2004, we will add to the strength of our existing Ready campaign by launching two new citizen preparedness endeavors -- Ready for Business and Ready for Schools.

Red Cross chapters and the Together We Prepare program compliment the efforts of Ready and help spread the Ready message at the community and local level where it’s needed most.  

With nearly 900 chapters across the nation, you can drive the message of citizen preparedness to further heights than Homeland Security could ever achieve on our own.  We look forward to continuing our work with the Red Cross in all aspects of emergency preparedness, so that our citizens and country will be better prepared to meet any and all emergencies – especially those that may come at the hands of our terrorist enemies.

For in this fight, it is not enough to mount an army.  It is not enough to build a Department.

While military might and the full resources of the federal government do indeed make us stronger and safer, overcoming terrorism requires something far greater.  

To defeat an enemy that lurks in the shadows and seeks relentlessly for some small crack through which to slip their evil designs – such a victory requires the vigilance of every American, the diligent preparation of every community, and the collective will of our entire nation.

I have every confidence that we will achieve this victory, that we will continue to rise to new heights of security and protection – all the while, united as a country, pledged to a common pursuit of liberty and peace and determined to preserve the ideals we have upheld for more than 228 years.

Thank you.

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This page was last modified on 05/21/04 00:00:00