All Hands Homeland Security Program

Our Approach

All Hands provides homeland security and emergency management, project management, technical assistance, planning, training and exercises to local, state, federal, and foreign government agencies, business and industry, and emergency response organizations. All Hands principals have played a major role in the development and dissemination of new and innovative homeland security planning and training programs through out the USA and European communities on all phases of community and industrial emergency management, disaster response planning, and search and rescue.

We believe that a homeland defense or terrorism preparedness program should be inclusive to the jurisdiction’s All-Hazards Comprehensive Emergency Management Program rather than developed as a separate program. A Comprehensive Emergency Management Program (CEMP), the supporting plan, and the Emergency Operations Center (EOC) serve as the basis for homeland security, defense, and terrorism preparedness.

All Hands has assisted numerous state and local governments with designing and implementing emergency management programs, disaster plans, and exercises. All Hands has successfully completed numerous projects in the public and private sectors.

All Hands served as the project manager for the Miami Urban Area Security Initiative (UASI) project from June of 2003 until 2011, and provided project management, planning, training, exercises, and various other services to the UASI project. All Hands was instrumental in implementing the UASI program, attending the local and federal kick-off meetings, conducting the initial threat and vulnerability assessments, facilitating the needs and capability assessments, and preparing the FY 2003, 2004, and 2005 budgets. As a result of being involved since the projects inception, we developed first-hand knowledge of the UASI program. All Hands UASI project management efforts have been recognized by local, regional, state, and federal officials as exemplary.

What We Do

All Hands can assist your municipality in building your Homeland Security, Urban Area Security Initiative, Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD), or Metro Medical Response System (MMRS) programs as an integral part of your CEMP. Specific end products of this service will include the development of WMD response procedures and field guides.

Our services have been designed by the same innovators that helped create FEMA’s Capability Assessment for Readiness (CAR) and other community emergency management program “best practices.”

For example All Hands provided the following UASI project services to the Miami Urban Area:

  1. We provided project management and support services since the program’s inception.
  2. We helped establish the Urban Area Working Group (designation of UAWG points-of-contact, meeting coordination, drafted the Working Group Charter, etc.)
  3. We conducted a comprehensive threat, vulnerability, capability, and needs assessment, which was used to develop a Homeland Security Strategy for the Urban Area. The assessment addressed terrorism threats, vulnerabilities, and response capabilities for the entire Miami, Miami-Dade County, and Broward County geographical area. This assessment was one of the few in the nation that were completed by the deadline.As part of this process, we:
    • Conducted workshops for all process participants and facilitated data collection and data entry.
    • Developed a Threat and Vulnerability Analysis tool to perform the analyses and facilitated completion and data entry.
    • Completed the data entry and provided quality control on the needs and capabilities assessment.
    • Facilitated and staffed FY 2003, 2004, and 2005 UASI budget preparation, review and submittal.
    • Facilitated, through a participant workshop, completion of the initial Strategic Plan in 2003 and conducted a Strategic Planning Review Work Session in 2004 to revise the Strategy.
    • Developed various participant guidebooks, workshops, presentations, and other materials to help guide participants through the process
  4. We developed briefing books and presentations to explain the UASI program to stakeholders.
  5. We provided planning, training, exercise, and operational support in the following areas
    • Implementation of the Strategy’s goals, objectives, and steps
    • Equipment selection and implementation
    • Grant administration and reporting
    • Liaison to the Region, State, and ODP
    • Regional Domestic Security Task Force (RDSTF) support and support to its 11 workgroups
    • Development of the UASI: Miami logo and web site
    • Participation in local, regional, state, and federal meetings and conferences
    • Drafted the first Regional Terrorism Response Plan
    • Developed the first Regional Exercise Plan
    • Developed the first Regional Training Program
    • Helped develop the Terrorism Early Warning concept for the Region
    • Managed acquisition and delivery of various ODP Technical Assistance projects
    • Enhanced the Community Emergency Response Team concept
    • Implemented Crisis Management software (E Team)
    • Enhanced the Miami Emergency Operations Center operations (training and technical support)
    • Provided Continuity of Operations (COOP) planning
    • Supported adoption and implementation of the National Incident Management System (NIMS) throughout the Miami Urban Area
    • Conducted training on ICS throughout the Southeast Florida Region