Who Is The AHC

The All Hazards Consortium (AHC) is a 501c3 non-profit focused on homeland security and emergency management issues, and guided by the regional states of North Carolina, District of Columbia, Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia, Delaware, Pennsylvania, New Jersey and New York along with the urban areas (UASIs) of New York City-NY, Newark-NJ, Philadelphia-PA and the National Capital Region (Washington D.C.).

The AHC was founded originally in 2005 to help states collaborate across a wide regional footprint on multi-state issues. Over the past 6 years, the AHC states have determined that today effective disaster preparation, response, and recovery requires a coordinated, pre-planned effort that combines private and public resources. In the past, public sector agencies have planned and led these efforts. Private entities have focused on their own security, response and business continuity needs. The states and major urban areas of the All Hazards Consortium believe that effective regional community resilience requires these activities to be coordinated in partnership. Integration of the private sector into the state/local government systems and planning initiatives on key regional projects is the next step in the homeland security and emergency management process at the mutli-state level.

Today, the AHC has evolved into a network of thousands of stakeholders and resources to facilitate regional integration of systems and planning efforts between government and the private sector infrastructure owner/operators.

3 Year Strategic Plan
In 2010 the AHC states adopted a 3 year strategic plan to focus on integrating planning efforts and investments between government (e.g. local, state, and federal) and the private sector owner/operators of key infrastructure.

Key Regional Strategic Planning Areas

  • Catastrophic Event Preparedness Planning
  • Critical Infrastructure Protection & Resiliency
  • Information Sharing

Key Private Sectors

  • Power
  • Telecommunications
  • Transportation
  • Food
  • Water
  • Finance
  • Information Technology
  • Medical
  • Housing/commercial
  • Chemical
 AHC Facts Sheet

Accomplishment & Results
Since its official beginning in 2005, working with public and private sector members and stakeholders, the AHC states and urban areas have directed the AHC to focus on a variety of regional homeland security and emergency management issues. Using a proven collaboration and requirements development process, the AHC and its states and urban areas have produced the following results:

  • Created a sustained governance structure of Regional Working Groups, Board of Directors, and various advisory groups
  • Produced 9 regional workshops resulting in regional reports outlining issues, gaps and recommendations for projects and initiatives in Catastrophic Planning, Fusion Centers, Communications Interoperability, Critical Infrastructure Protection/Resiliency, Geospatial Information Systems, Evacuation Planning, Transportation, and Integrated Planning.
  • Over $10 million in partner resources coordinated or donated to multi-state regional efforts
  • Conducted first regional multi-state interoperability project in Appalachian region (PA-MD-VA-WV)
  • Influenced National DHS Grants guidelines for multi-state projects
  • Developed a Regional Procurement Policy to assist states with guaranteeing 25% match to meet UASI and state grant requirements
  • Created regional policies for Donations, Conflict of Interest, Communications/Media, etc.
  • Created a three-year Regional Strategic Plan to include integrated planning with private sector to help  coordinate investments of federal, state, local and private sector organizations on key topic areas
  • Conducted Integrated Planning meetings with federal government partners
  • Coordinated and managed dozens of multi-state projects in Catastrophic Planning, Interoperability,  Fusion/Information Sharing, Transportation Planning, Private Sector Integration
  • Helped facilitate career transitions of both government and private sector executives
  • Created next generation initiatives to identify, motivate and educate young adults in the fields of homeland security, emergency management, and business continuity
  • Fostered new partnerships and agreements between states and private sector
  • Conducted public/private sector training sessions and exercises
  • Commissioned and funded a Regional Integrated Systems and Planning Initiative focused on integrating private sector infrastructure owners and operators into the governments planning and systems integration process.

 

What Makes the AHC Work?
The All Hazards Consortium’s geographic footprint of states and urban areas in this region represents:

  • 60+ million citizens
  • A significant percentage of the nation’s critical infrastructure
  • A large portion of congressional leadership
  • Over 50% of all federal DHS/FEMA grant dollars that are issued to states, urban areas and maritime ports in the U.S.

 

Recognized nationally by DHS, FEMA, and the National Governor’s Association, the AHC is a leading advocate for homeland security, emergency management, and  business continuity professionals. As a member of our community, you will meet others, engage with experts, learn new strategies, shape or transition your career, and have opportunities to participate in networking and leadership at the local and national levels with some of the largest companies and government agencies in the U.S.

Nowhere else in the nation do so many states and UASIs work with the private sector in this collaborative way as in the All Hazards Consortium.  As the AHC becomes more involved in ports and urban area projects, private sector projects, and regional procurements, this is a great opportunity for your organization’s leaders to become involved in the process with both state/local government and private sector owners & operators in the life-line sectors from power, telecommunications, transportation, food/water, medical, finance, etc.