Lt. Gov. Sheehy Announces 2007 Homeland Security Grants

(Lincoln, NE) Lt. Governor Rick Sheehy announced the distribution of more than $7 million in federal funds as part of the 2007 Homeland Security grant program. The Lt. Governor serves as director for homeland security efforts for the state.

A significant portion of Nebraska’s allocation will be used to survey and support the expansion of regional communications networks which are used by first responders across Nebraska.

“We are moving forward with plans to provide first responders across the state with the communications capability they need,” Lt. Governor Sheehy said. “Many regions have been successful in their efforts to connect neighboring counties to a regional communications network during the last few years. We’re now in a position to bring these regional networks together to form a single statewide communications system.

“We identified interoperable communication early on as our top priority for Nebraska when it comes to emergency preparedness, and I am very pleased with the progress that’s been made. The funding we received this year should help us complete work on this very complex project.”

More than $2.4 million will be distributed among seven regions throughout the state in the form of block grants to assist with ongoing work to build a statewide communications system. When finished, the system will allow for interoperable communication among city and county law enforcement, medical personnel and state emergency personnel across all of Nebraska’s 93 counties.

In addition, the state will designate $1.1 million of the funding to license the interoperable communications system and provide operational support for the entire network.

This year’s block grants will help regional networks assess their current communications capability, identifying any areas within the region that might require additional work to ensure interoperable communication.

The Southeast Region will receive a communications block grant totaling nearly $523,000. This area includes Cass, Fillmore, Gage, Jefferson, Johnson, Lancaster, Nemaha, Otoe, Pawnee, Richardson, Saline, Seward, Thayer, and York Counties.

Counties in the South Central region will receive a $403,000 block grant. The region includes the counties of Adams, Buffalo, Clay, Dawson, Franklin, Frontier, Gosper, Hall, Hamilton, Harlan, Kearney, Lincoln, Nuckolls, Phelps, and Webster Counties.

The Southwest Region of Chase, Dundy, Furnas, Hayes, Hitchcock, Perkins, and Red Willow Counties will receive $256,000.

The Panhandle Region includes Banner, Box Butte, Cheyenne, Dawes, Garden, Kimball, Morrill, Scotts Bluff, Sheridan, and Sioux Counties and will receive nearly $295,000 for updates to its regional communications network.

The North Central Region will receive a $279,000 communications block grant. Counties in the region include: Arthur, Blaine, Boyd, Brown, Cherry, Custer, Deuel, Garfield, Grant, Greeley, Holt, Hooker, Keith, Keya Paha, Logan, Loup, McPherson, Rock, Sherman, Thomas, Wheeler, and Valley.

The Northeast Region will receive $328,000 in communications block grant funding. Counties in the region include Antelope, Burt, Cedar, Cuming, Dakota, Dixon, Knox, Madison, Pierce, Stanton, Thurston, and Wayne.

The East Central Region of Butler, Boone, Colfax, Dodge, Howard, Merrick, Nance, Platte, Polk, and Saunders Counties will receive nearly $330,000.

New this year is the requirement that states begin a cooperative intelligence and information sharing effort. Known as a Fusion Center, $1.6 million in federal homeland security funds will be used to help law enforcement agencies headquartered in the Urban Area Security Initiative (UASI), which includes Washington, Douglas and Sarpy Counties, and Southeast Region begin work on this cooperative effort.

Funding will also be used to support planning, exercising and training efforts across the state, with $392,000 allocated among the state’s seven regions and the UASI. A total of $250,000 will be distributed to six regions and the UASI to help with the purchase of hazardous materials equipment, which could be used in responding to a range of chemical, biological or radioactive incidents.

The Citizen Corps program will receive $160,000 in funding. Administered by the Nebraska Volunteer Service Commission, the state’s network of Citizen Corps programs help with community disaster preparedness. Finally, $516,000 in continued funding will be directed to the state’s Metropolitan Medical Response Systems, located in Lincoln and Omaha.

Federal homeland security funding is divided between the state and local jurisdictions, with 80 percent of funding directed to local projects. The remaining 20 percent is used for state projects.

The remaining funding will be shared among several state agencies, including the Nebraska Department of Agriculture’s Livestock Emergency Disease Response System, which is a network of veterinarians and technicians throughout the state available to assist in animal-related emergencies.