Virginia launches statewide emergency readiness framework
Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger has ordered a sweeping overhaul of the state’s emergency preparedness systems, creating a Unified Readiness Framework intended to coordinate emergency management, homeland security and resilience functions across the state and its local governments.
An executive order signed Tuesday establishes five areas of focus: operational readiness, workforce readiness, infrastructure and technology, community readiness, and risk and security. The new framework is designed to improve emergency communications and interoperability while strengthening critical infrastructure and digital security.
Virginia’s effort builds on Regional Readiness Summits that were held across the state this spring. The events brought together hundreds of emergency preparedness officials and first responders to help identify gaps in coordination, situational awareness and information sharing, according to the governor’s office. In 2018, the state applied the same tactic to help shore up its cybersecurity protocols.
“Keeping all Virginians safe requires a modern, seamless, and proactive preparedness system,” Spanberger said in a press release. “The Unified Readiness Framework breaks down operational silos and builds a stronger, more resilient Commonwealth.”
Virginia’s initiative reflects the growing importance of technology in disaster response, especially as more state and local emergency management agencies face increasingly frequent and costly disasters while operating with limited staff and budgets.
Governance frameworks can help pave the way for responsible technology adoption and reduce administrative workloads, according to reports produced by the AI for Disasters and Emergencies Initiative of the Markle Foundation, a nonprofit focused on national security, in partnership with Aspen Digital, part of the Aspen Institute, a nonprofit that strives to improve public policy.
The move also follows federal recommendations which aim to shift more responsibility to state and local emergency management agencies. In May, a review council for the Federal Emergency Management Agency published a report calling for expanded interoperable communications systems, improved data-sharing networks and new resource-cataloging systems designed to track emergency assets across federal, state, local, tribal and territorial governments.
“By bringing together our first responders, state agencies, businesses, and community partners, we are ensuring Virginia is fully equipped to anticipate, respond to, and recover from any threat,” Spanberger said.
