1. Homeland-Hometown Security:
A Coherent National Strategy to Protect the Homeland
Dr. John Comiskey
Monmouth University

2. Avon’s Emergency Service Sector
police department
fire service
first aid and rescue squad
public works
office of emergency management
lifeguards
U.S. Coast Guard Station Shark River
study timeline
Avon’s history & major events ( )
2015 off-season > beach season > off-season
validity & reliability
multiple sources of info (interviews, direct observations, reports)
standardized interview protocol
member checks

3. homeland security
broad and complex network of related issues
including counterterrorism, disaster
preparedness wherein single failures can
lead to significant human and financial costs
HLS enterprise must coordinate its activities
HLS is about all-hazards threats
HLS is triggered by focusing events
essentially, HLS is about risk management and contingent coordination
homeland security is about hometown security
hometown security officials are on the frontline
hometown security officials are protecting the
Nation’s critical infrastructure

4. seasonal beach community
size: .426 miles land
population: 1,900
summer population 8,000
racial makeup: 97% white
median income: $83 K
38th wealthiest county
local govt. = 3 member commission
critical infrastructure/key resources
National in scope

6. 230 cables world wide/60+ in United States
95% + of all U.S. international data transmissions

7. significant/focusing events Great Hurricane (1938)
World War II ( )
Brinley Inn Fire (1980)
Belmar MTV Concert (1992)
Nor’Easter (1992)
Hurricane Felix (1995)
9/11 (2001)
Hurricane Katrina (2005)
Superstorm Sandy (2012)
Sandy Hook Elementary School (2012)
Paramus Mall Shooting (2013)
nationwide swatting attacks (2015)
nationwide heroin epidemic (2015)
beach crowd crisis (2015)

8. Police Department
11 full time & 20 part-time (summer), K9, SWAT, Narcotics
4,800 calls for police
community policing: officers know most residents by first name
small town problems: rare theft & juvenile delinquency
biggest concerns: summer crowds
other concerns: active shooters, swatting attacks, heroin crisis in County
grant-subsidized
Fire Service
25 active members (all volunteer)
135 calls for service (40% out of town mutual aid)
preventive role/referrals to code enforcement officer
large civic role: education, parades, cookouts, open house
First Aid and Rescue Squad
30 active members (all volunteer)
350 service calls (60% out of town mutual aid requests)
State emergency medical strike team
responded to WTC for 9/11 relief
large civic role with FD also run 5K race

9. Office of Emergency Management
1 full-time and 1 part-time (FT hired post-Superstorm Sandy)
coordinates all public safety agencies
FEMA’s Community Rating System
HUD’s Reconstruction, Rehabilitation, Elevation, & Mitigation
NOAA’s Coastal Management Program
grant-subsidized
Department of Public Works
8 full-time & 20 part-time workers (summer)
coordinate private sector utilities
all water & sewers (64 fire hydrants)
Lifeguards
27 part-time lifeguards (seasonal)
470 rescues & 6,000 preventive actions
marine threat advisories (shark scare 2015)
public health advisories

10. U.S. Coast Guard Station Shark River
Substation Station Manasquan
34 active duty members
21 reserve members
17 auxiliary members
100 Sea Air Rescues (SARs) annually
100+ vessel inspections annually
America’s Waterways Watch
Area Network of Shore Water Emergency Responders (ANSWER)
24/7 year round water rescue capability
5 local towns and U.S. Coast Guard
emergency management
police
fire services
emergency medical services

11. Whole Community Approach to Hometown SecurityF
E D E R
A L P R
I V A T E

12. Avon’s Emergency Service Sector = whole community
Avon is a close-knit community
HLS = all-hazards
shares resources and information
“always talking about concerns”
mutual-aid (informal & formal)
know who to call:
government
private sector
community
resilient
concerns
beach crowd surges
hurricanes & Nor’easters
active shooters & swatting-attacks
heroin-opioid epidemic

13. conclusions
homeland and hometown security are interdependent
focusing events impacts may vary
hometowns security officials
are an integral and vital part of the whole community
help protect Nation’s CI/KR
dependent on State and Federal funding (grant) and resources
resilience is key element of homeland security
National preparedness assessment not fully understood by local governments
recommendations
White House-DHS should define HLS with whole community
White House should develop new National Strategy for Homeland Security
More transparent National Preparedness System
HLS-education & training > match to HLS-core capabilities
future-research
multiple/comparative hometown case studies
financial implications for homeland-hometown security
GIS-template for Monmouth County and especially coastal
communities for stakeholder decision tools

14. Thank you!
Questions?
Dr. John Comiskey