Homeland Security, Coursework Example

Internship DC Homeland Security and Emergency Management Agency

Since 9-11, emergency management and preparedness has been at the forefront of all federal,state, local and civilian agencies.  The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has mandated agencies  to train, prepare and anticipate  a potential catastrophic event.  The key phases of preparation are: prevention, preparedness, response, recovery and mitigation. Moreover, DHS requires that all plans be comprehensive, progressive, conduct risk analysis, are integrated with each other, and are cooperative, professional and flexible.  DHS and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) have been the leaders in teaching awareness and providing preparedness training.  However, over the past  nine years higher learning institutions have formed Emergency Management and Terrorism curricula to help foster the efforts to provide education and awareness.  Moreover, the Department of Homeland Security has set aside grants and additional funds for the higher educational institutions that have been proven to be the best qualified in the field. The job market is in high demand for individuals with the skill set in homeland security, emergency management and terrorism.  The defense industry, local government  and some federal agencies have all reached out to individuals seeking opportunities in the field by providing paid internships and job experience training each fiscal year.

I learned about the Washington DC Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Management Agency through an internship that I spent there; that time was extremely enlightening, fascinating, and eye-opening.  My learning objectives were:

• To develop an understanding of the operations of The Department of Homeland Security.
• To apply appropriate workplace behavior in a professional setting such as DHS.
• To demonstrate increased content knowledge gained from practical experience at that agency.
• To learn grant categories, procedures, and rules pertaining to grants.
• To learn about databases, operations, emergency warning systems, notifications, amber alerts as well as text alerts.
• To organize key community events.
• To assist with traning plans.
• To identify the roles and responsibilities of various staff members.
• To learn about threats and vulnerabilities of the agency and its jurisdiction.
• To conduct a physical security assessment.

During my internship, I was exposed to a wide range of services as well as situations.  For example, because of an extremely significant heat wave, I assisted with notifying citizens to take precautions regarding the heat; in addition, I participated in opening up four cooling centers designed to help the disadvantaged, the elderly and other needy populations to maintain body temperatures that remained within a normal range.  I headed the cooling center for 6 hours, distributing water and heat-related brochures.  I served approximately 25 senior citizens as well as 15 homeless people.  Later during that same day, Washington DC had a significant thunderstorm that required a response from Homeland Security.  I assisted in making sandbags that were available to residents in an effort to decrease the likelihood of flooding.  During this period, I assisted with emergency preparedness, helped to set up the cooling center while educating the participants about the importance of being prepared for emergencies.  I found the citizens were extremely appreciative of the assistance.  This experience helped me to meet my learning objective to both develop an understanding of the operational framework of DHS as well as to apply professional workplace behavior in that setting.

While participating in another event, The National Night Out, a community outreach event, I advised more than 150 citizens about emergency preparedness, safety, terrorism, and crime issues that were relevant to the community.  I also distributed literature and signed up more than 50 people to the emergency alert and messaging system.  In addition, I also gave out emergency band radios and helped to set up event equipment.

I both assisted with organizing as well as physically setting up the event; in addition, I made a proposal that lights be utilized to allow the event to be conducted outdoors next year.  Finally, I suggested that the singer of the national anthem practice the song prior to singing, because the person who was slated to sing it clearly needed practice.

I further assisted with operations when there was a bomb threat at the United States Tax Court in Washington, DC; I contacted the FBI and Secret Service as well as the DC Police Explosive Ordnance Unit.  In addition, I sent the text and email messages to local citizens and businesses to stay clear of the area, and I informed the citizens that if they saw anything suspicious they needed to call 911 or use the Text Tip Line or the FBI Tip Lines.  In addition, I notified the Dept of Transportation in order to help them assist with traffic routes.  Additionally,

I created database entries and issued warnings to the area as well as answering numerous citizen inquiries.

In order to educate myself about grants, I spent one day learning about various grants including buffer zone protection grants, emergency management performance grants, emergency operations center grants, citizen corp program grants, law enforcement terrorism prevention grants, emergency communication grants and catastrophic preparedness grants.  Moreover, I learned about the approval and authorization process involved in receiving grants, and I assisted with grant preparations.  My experience taught me that the grant process is both tedious and rewarding, and that one needs to be careful when record keeping regarding grants because the money is accountable to its sources.

I was given an eight-hour overview of Critical Infrastructure Protection Plans and the ACAMS database that the city will use to manage assets.  The database is a tool that The Department of Homeland Security initiated after September 11, 2001.  This is a system that allows law enforcement and the fire department to exchange critical information about building floor plans, who built the structures and other security information that is important prior to arriving on the scene.  The person who oriented me to this overview was Mr. Fred Goldsmith, who along with me performed a physical security/full durability assessment at one of the major structures in the city.  I prepared the inspections sheet under the guidance of Mr. Goldsmith.  In addition, I learned who was responsible for which buildings in the city and attended an 8 hour course taught by The Department of Homeland Security which helped to increase preparedness capabilities of jurisdictions.  To summarize, this part of my internship allowed me to perform an assessment, to gain knowledge through practical experience, to learn about protection barriers, security alarms in cameras as well as personnel security.

I assisted in the training of staff by preparing PowerPoint slides for ICS 300 Frontline Responder Training for Terrorism Awareness and Protecting Soft Targets.  My responsibility was to call the roll, keep time and grade the posttest exercise.  I learned about Incident Command, Terrorism and WMD.  A senior instructor trained me and allowed me to teach one portion of the terrorism course.  I selected the portion on recognizing the threat in situation awareness prior to arrival on the scene.  In addition, I learned how to fill out ICS forms 204 and 203, which were assignment list and organization assignment list, respectively.  I also learned about suspicious activity reporting and the Terrorist Screening Center.  This task allowed me to gain knowledge through practical experience, and to understand the setting and give positive feedback.

George Washington University Safety Exposition is a national preparedness event hosted by the university and sponsored in conjunction with district agencies including HSEMA as well as other community partners.  I distributed literature on terrorism, crime, and spoke with students about suspicious activity reporting, advising them to call the Tip Line as well as utilizing the Police Texting Message System.  Students also learned about the working of a Mobile Command Vehicle operation.  They were able to talk on portable radios, adjust CCTV cameras and send out text amber alerts.

As a 25-year veteran of the Washington, DC police force, I have worked with numerous other agencies including Federal and local settings.  I have also participated in hundreds of events throughout the city.  By far, the Washington Police Department is the most utilized agency in the city, followed by the Washington, DC Fire Department.  The third most utilized agency is the DC Dept of Homeland Security and Emergency Management Agency.  During my internship there, I received a warm welcome by the director and the other staff.  In addition, all of the areas in which I worked during my internship included people who showed me respect and continual assistance.  The only real challenges that I observed during my internship were financial issues: because of the economic problems facing the country today, the funding for many Homeland Security programs have decreased since shortly after September 11.

As a career law enforcement officer and military veteran, I thought that I knew quite a bit about emergency preparedness. My experience with the DC Dept of Homeland Security and Emergency Management Agency, however, has taught me a lot about grants, training, infrastructure protection, and community outreach.

My overall experience working my internship in Washington, DC was rewarding and very enlightening. I was able to learn about the different functions of the DC Homeland Security and Emergency Management Agency.  In addition, I learned about the networking in interacting with different agencies. During this internship, I was always treated with respect and professional courtesy. After I retire from police work, I plan to pursue a career in emergency management at FEMA.