In previous courses I touched a little on the concept of “whole community” and its relevance to homeland security. This weeks lesson and readings refreshed my memory as to the concept of “whole community” and how it related to homeland security. I briefly forgotten about the concept until I read through the material and understood the definition. “Whole community” can be best described by the material and individuals interpretation. I’ve defined the concept as a system that incorporates various levels of government whether its state, federal, or local community aimed at understanding the methods best employed to help strengthen emergency management while identifying threats and hazards. It becomes a broader understanding on how this concept relates to homeland security. The integration of various levels of government establish working relationships that will straighten agencies such as homeland security. However, we can relate the concept to homeland security according to this weeks reading is the five mission areas of homeland security. “These five mission areas serve as an aid in organizing our national preparedness activities and enabling integration and coordination across core capabilities” (U.S. Department of Homeland Security, p. 4). The statement provides relevance as a better understanding of the five missions and their intent, as well as the impact “whole community” has towards homeland security. National preparedness is fundamental, “whole community” concepts allows individuals at any level to help produce vital information that can help strengthen or mitigate future attacks.
