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Dan Furtado
Campbell's Dan Furtado assists in homeland security
By Moryt Milo
Campbell Vice Mayor Dan Furtado was in Dallas, Texas, earlier this month participating in a meeting of the National League of Cities to review increased security responsibilities cities now face after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.
Furtado has become a member of a working group of local elected officials that now make up an NLC committee focusing on homeland security strategies and basic resources to support cities' security efforts. Committee members are paying particular attention to their responsibilities in emergency preparedness.
"I think Dan's appointment is a great honor for the city of Campbell," Campbell Mayor Jeanette Watson said. "Having Dan on the committee helps represent the interest of small towns."
Watson also said that it was a double honor for the city of Campbell because only two committee members were chosen from cities west of the Mississippi. The two cities are Campbell and San Jose.
President Bush has pledged $3.5 billion to cities and counties for homeland security, but local officials are asking Congress for federal funds that don't carry too many restrictions on how the money can be spent.
"All cities are now responsible for not just their local citizens but for all U.S. citizens," Campbell Police Chief Dave Gullo said.
With a refocusing of protective services, Furtado said local communities will need available funds for police training equipment, communications and citizen certified emergency training programs.
The predominant concern of the NLC is the way federal funds are distributed to support these programs. Furtado said the NLC wants to see the funds go directly from the federal government to the local cities and agencies without passing through the state first.
When funds pass through the state, they're cut about 25 percent for administrative fees, Furtado explained, adding that once the state receives federal funds, there is no guarantee how the funds will be distributed.
This makes city planning difficult, as local cities incur increasing costs in the wake of the September tragedy.
"Homeland security on a national level is such a nebulous term," Furtado said. "Residents don't know what it means and how it will affect them, but by being part of the NLC, I can help bring it to Campbell."
For Campbell, one of the areas in which costs have increased is in city protective services, Furtado said.
The SWAT team, which did a lot of training before the terror attacks, is now training for chemical and biological weapon preparedness, which requires special equipment and joint exercise training with the toxic hazardous materials division of the Santa Clara County Fire Department, Furtado said.
"Although there are increased needs for specialized training, it doesn't necessarily mean an increase in the city budget," Gullo said. "We will do everything possible not to burden the taxpayers in the community."
The city also wants to increase funding to train local citizens in certified emergency response programs, Furtado said. The city will also need additional funding to help develop a strong communications and data network between local, state and federal agencies, he added.
Grant funding for local and regional programs will be an important option as security costs increase.
A provision to improve nationwide communication, through additional local funding, is also a key NLC recommendation, which the organization plans to present to the federal government when it meets in Washington, D.C., in March.
The NLC also wants to develop a nationwide program so all services can work together on the same radio and dispatch frequencies. The NLC has termed this policy "interoperability," Furtado said.
Furtado, a member of the Emergency Preparedness Council for Santa Clara County--a group raising awareness procedures during disasters--said the NLC formed a working group on homeland security after President Bush's pledge to help fund local agencies responding to a crisis.
Furtado has been part of the Emergency Preparedness Council since 1996, and his military background in nuclear and chemical warfare preparedness issues made him a strong candidate for the NLC homeland security committee, Campbell City Manager Bernie Strojny said.
Furtado told NLC President Karen Anderson that he was interested in serving on the homeland security committee, and his background and work with the Emergency Preparedness Council earned him a spot on the 20-team committee.
"I knew it was going to be a small group," Furtado said. "I was very pleased and honored that the NLC chose me as one of the committee members."
For more information on the National League of Cities, visit www.ncl.org.
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Campbell, California
