GENERAL TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE OVERVIEW

Since 1998 CRA and its staff have been the leading provider of technical assistance (TA) initiatives for the Department of Homeland Security/Office of Grants and Training. CRA has assisted USDHS/G&T with the specialized expertise required to fully address unique challenges presented by terrorism. Consequently, as USDHS/G&T has grown and adapted, so has CRA.

Through technically proficient staff, pertinent experience, and a cadre of peerless subject-matter experts (SMEs), CRA has worked to identify and triage problems faced by agencies at the Federal, State, regional, and local levels and worked to implement effective solutions throughout all 56 States and territories.

Support requirements have been diverse because often CRA’s charge is to fix the problems with no defined answer or programmatic complement. This has led to facilitating issue and policy-related staff meetings, mapping out information flow and resources use plans, creating issue-specific training, and creating sustainable operational solutions to unique homeland security challenges.

CRA’s support has encompassed the full spectrum of TA programs, including General, Rapid Assistance Team (RAT), Prevention, Urban Area Security Initiative (UASI) mass transit and port security, Chemical Protective Clothing (CPC), and Citizen Corps. As a result, CRA has worked with tens of thousands of USDHS/G&T's stakeholders across the country.

CRA has conducted hundreds of TA projects across the United States, including grant management work, assessment training and conduct, regional planning, continuity of operations, and crisis communication planning.

CRA uses experienced personnel and methodologies that have effectively addressed and provided validated solutions for USDHS/G&T homeland security efforts. Examples include the 2004 Regional Roll-Out Conferences, the Training and Exercise Workshop and Exhibition, the stakeholder meetings, and statewide strategy workshops.

The following are highlights of CRA’s unique experience supporting USDHS/G&T:

• CRA supported USDHS/G&T in the development of comprehensive State capabilities and needs assessments and 3-year statewide strategic planning. It delivered training to dozens of States in the analytic and planning process that is the basis for USDHS/G&T equipment grants, training, TA, and exercise support. This firsthand experience greatly enhances CRA’s ability to provide general TA support as it builds on and works through existing relationships in the State agencies.
   

• CRA staff developed and facilitated the USDHS/G&T national assessment process used for the 1999 Statewide Domestic Preparedness Equipment grants.
   

• CRA developed a significant cadre of SMEs to cover all relevant areas within the preparedness, prevention, response, and recovery areas. CRA SMEs have expertise in planning, grants, equipment, response guidelines, prevention, Citizen Corps, training, and within all related response disciplines.
   

• CRA supported the planning, facilitation, and management of multiple conferences, workshops, exhibitions, focus groups, stakeholder meetings, policy sessions, and other events for USDHS/G&T.
   

• CRA provided USDHS/G&T with TA support to agencies across the Nation. It has developed State strategies and jurisdiction-specific response plans, integrated multiagency operations, and tailored expert assistance to the unique preparedness requirements of individual jurisdictions.
   

• CRA developed the Senior Officials Training Course in 2002 to address the shortfall of executive-level training on WMD terrorism prevention, response, and recovery. This training package was subsequently delivered by the National Emergency Response and Rescue Training Center and piloted at the George W. Bush Library in College Station, TX.
   

• CRA has been USDHS/G&T’s provider of choice for establishing responder duties and protocols. CRA’s exercise support to USDHS/G&T has helped define the agency’s image among first responders throughout the country. CRA has supported USDHS/G&T with more than 100 successful seminars and workshops.
   

• CRA developed a cadre of trained staff and provided assistance to approximately 20 States to train State personnel, enter data, and submit the Initial Strategy Implementation Plan (ISIP) templates.
   

• CRA has provided low-risk, high-reward capability for USDHS/G&T through experienced personnel and methodologies that have effectively addressed and provided validated solutions for USDHS/G&T Homeland Security efforts
   

In support of USDHS/G&T, CRA designed, developed, and assisted with the dissemination of an array of publications, including after-action reports, exercise documents, and training materials. CRA assisted USDHS/G&T with producing the G&T Weapons of Mass Destruction Training Program Course Catalog, which was designed to provide emergency response personnel with comprehensive information regarding training courses offered by USDHS/G&T. CRA also developed the Homeland Security Technical Assistance Program (HSTAP) Technical Assistance Program Catalog.

• CRA developed the Developing Multi-Agency Interoperable Communications Systems: User’s Handbook, which provides a lessons-learned tool for ACU/TRP-1000 users throughout the United States.
   

• CRA coordinated and supported the two sessions of the Northern Borders Security Conference in Albany, NY, and Minneapolis, MN, designed to bring together border Federal, State, local, and Canadian officials to discuss border security issues.
   

• CRA is currently assisting four jurisdictions (two States, one major county, and one large city, in supporting their public information plan development, including the review and/or development of a public information/joint information center plan, the development of pre-scripted messages, and a training workshop to address the needs and requirements of coordinated crisis and risk communication.
   

• Emergency/terrorism response plan development and review.
   

• Specialized terrorism exercise development, execution, and evaluation.
   

• Support for the development of the Universal Task List project (Pelfry Report).
   

• Expert facilitation of WMD preparedness conferences, stakeholder workshops, and jurisdictional working groups.
   

• Planning, facilitating, and conducting conferences, workshops, and planning meetings, including logistics for speakers and participants.
   

• Preparation of AARs; development and implementation of evaluations of programs and projects.
   

• Preparation, review, and publication of studies, analyses and reports.
   

• Physical security site surveys.
   

• Catastrophic logistics support.
   

• Assistance and consultation to State and local response agencies regarding WMD response.
   

• Evacuation planning assistance.
   

• Urban Search and Rescue Team planning support.
   

• G8 Summit planning support.
   

• Agricultural terrorism planning support.
   

• Program and related presentation material development, including written, electronic, and multimedia products.
   

• Development of training standards and training plans for State and local jurisdiction.

For more information, please contact Keith DeVincentis