They will be plugged into that system by the Incident Commander. Therefore, there is an urgent need for every federal agency that responds to any type of emergency to adopt the Incident Command System - the one taught by the National Fire Academy. These have been identified by Congress as the two key roles for the federal government in assisting first responders to deal with acts of terrorism. And, these are indeed the two crucial elements for which the fire and emergency services look to the federal government for assistance. On training issues, you will hear from fire chiefs who have received federal training from both programs.
Congressional oversight is required.
A national domestic preparedness consortium has been formed to provide operational training, exercise, test, and evaluation for first responders as well as municipal leaders. These training and exercise areas and supporting organizations are important in preparing first responders to deal with acts of terrorism. The IAFC endorses the consortium and recommends continuing support from Congress as a matter of policy. Finally, training needs to be expanded beyond the 120 most populous jurisdictions that DOJ and DOD have targeted. These areas are protected by combination career and volunteer departments and by all-volunteer departments.