Fo B5 Public Hearing 5-18-04 3 Of 3 Fdr- Tab 10-20- Suggested Questions For Ed Plaugher 769

SUGGESTED QUESTIONS FOR EDWARD P. PLAUGHER

1. What is the most important lesson of 9/11 for emergency responders? What success have we had in addressing lessons learned? What more needs to be done? 2. In terms of emergency responder access to priority communications, how critical is Cellular Priority Access Service (CPAS)? a. Access to such dedicated bandwidth is closely guarded by the telecommunications industry and the FCC. Is it your understanding that CPAS would require either Congressional legislation or a change in FCC regulations? b. Is similar access needed to landline telephones as well? 3. You've stated during an interview with Commission staff that "we need a national roundtable to tackle the issue and create momentum for a regional approach to preparedness.''1 a. How do you envision such a roundtable, and under whose auspices would it be held? b. What are the essential components of a regional approach to emergency preparedness? c. In attempting to pool resources regionally, what entity/ agency (regional, state, or federal) would make the hard decisions about what jurisdiction gets what resource or what jurisdiction is assigned a specific response capability? 4. How important is it for local fire departments and governments to have sustained multi-year funding as it relates to emergency responder assistance grants? Do you currently have this type of funding? 5. What value does a Joint Information Center (JIC) add during an incident? a. A JIC was not established at the Pentagon incident and you're on record as stating that, "Setting up a JIC would have been the best answer to what was really needed." Should the establishment of a JIC be mandatory for all future emergency responses involving local, state and federal agencies? 6. How important is the issue of indemnification for local governments as it relates to emergency response particularly within a more regional approach to emergency preparedness and response? a. Should Congress consider legislation to remedy this problem?