Comments Due on Private Sector Preparedness Standards

The Department of Homeland Security is solic­it­ing comments — by January 15 — on their proposed standards for the new Voluntary Private Sector Preparedness Accreditation and Certification Program (PS-Prep). Recommended by the 9/11 commis­sion, PS-Prep was devel­oped for private entities to receive certi­fi­ca­tion for emergency prepared­ness from DHS.

“Preparedness is a shared respon­si­bil­ity and everyone—including businesses, univer­si­ties and non-profit organizations—has a role to play,” said Napolitano when announc­ing the proposed standards in October. “Ensuring our private sector partners have the infor­ma­tion and train­ing they need to respond to disas­ters will strengthen our efforts to build a culture of prepared­ness nationwide.”

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Preparedness as a Gift

The holiday season, for many, is a time of gather­ing with family and friends. It’s a time when we share gifts, and as a prelude to the new year, it is also a time of reflec­tion. However, many through­out the world are not at peace, are not gather­ing with friends and family, are not sharing gifts. It is time we awaken to the fact that we are indeed in a new age — an age in which we need to stop think­ing just about ourselves and begin to care more about other people and indeed all living things.

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