Ed Wall recently assumed the role of Wisconsin’s emergency management administrator. State directors come in many shapes, sizes and backgrounds. Wall comes with a law enforcement background. This might suit him well as he integrates emergency management and homeland security within his department.

Wall started his public service career in 1982 while in college in Connecticut working full time as an EMT. As a college senior he was hired at the Meriden, Conn., Police Department. He worked almost four years there as a patrolman, then five as a state trooper before making detective in the Narcotics Investigation Unit. He moved his family to Wisconsin, taking a job with the Wisconsin Division of Criminal Investigation, working in undercover narcotics, technical services and intelligence before being promoted to special agent in charge of the Investigative Services Bureau.

His responsibilities at the bureau included homeland security, the Joint Terrorism Task Forces, the Intelligence Unit and the development and operation of the state's first fusion center, the Wisconsin Statewide Information Center (WSIC).

Q: You have worked extensively with getting Wisconsin's fusion center up and operating. What were/are the challenges in doing that?

The challenges were many. When the fusion center idea came along nobody really had a good handle on what it should be. There were lofty goals and visionary ideas, but no manual on how to do it. We were given a CD-ROM on information sharing and told to make it happen. Fortunately I had very talented staff that was able to see the vision, seize the moment and run. We had some funding up front from the state’s Office of Justice Assistance, which really made the initial steps much easier. The other big issue in our success was the role the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) had as the centers matured. They’ve become mentors, trainers and excellent partners.

Although we had funding to get “things,” the real challenge was securing funds for personnel. DHS had originally put a two-year window on funding for intelligence analysts, which is the backbone of any fusion center. We, along with many other states, were facing a funding crisis when that two-year window approached. Fortunately there was a combined plea from the fusion center directors and influential political leaders that finally received attention from DHS and the window was lifted.

The fusion center directors realized that there was strength in unity. In 2009, we formed the National Fusion Center Association (NFCA), which represented the fusion center directors nationally. I was elected the first chairman of the NFCA, but had to step down a few weeks later when Gov. Jim Doyle appointed me as administrator of the Division of Emergency Management.

There are many challenges that still face the fusion center community as a whole. First and foremost is a dedicated funding stream that will ensure the fusion center's continued success. Also important are improving exchanges with the private sector and effective sharing of information and intelligence across state and federal boundaries. Although information sharing has gotten much better in some aspects, there is still room for improvement. The relationships vary from state to state and are often based more on the personal relationships made between people rather than institutional parameters. The DHS has made some incredible strides in the areas of training, program coordination, standards and information sharing. DHS Secretary [Janet] Napolitano has made it clear that fusion centers are a priority in her administration, and there is great hope in the fusion community going forward.

What do you see as opportunities as you begin your role as a state emergency management director?

This position gives me the chance to broaden my vision on emergency response and public service. For 25 years, there’s been a criminal aspect tied to most work activities I was involved in. With the advent of 9/11, homeland security and fusion centers, law enforcement took on a preparedness mindset that historically it hadn’t dealt with.

Having come from the law enforcement world and being a fusion center director, I’ve long appreciated the natural link between fusion centers and the emergency management world. Both of these disciplines are intimately related, but there are few examples of coordinated efforts between the two. I hope to bridge that gap and make Wisconsin a national example of fusion center and emergency management synergy.

Here in Wisconsin, we have extraordinary support from the governor, adjutant general and the attorney general for the fusion center. The WSIC’s parent agency is the Department of Justice, Division of Criminal Investigation and they’re a great partner with emergency management. We’re trying to pursue a combined state [Emergency Operations Center] and fusion center facility at the Department of Military Affairs’ Division of Emergency Management headquarters. We see great value in co-locating our intelligence and emergency management personnel to respond to any disaster.

The WSIC sponsors the threat liaison officer’s training, which teaches first responders, emergency managers, military and private-sector participants in terrorism and critical infrastructure protection. We’ve had several county emergency managers go through the course, and it's received great reviews.

What are your existing programs and staff resources, operating budget?

The division is divided into four operating sections: Planning, Preparedness, Response and Recovery/Mitigation. As with many states, those sections are multifaceted in the activities they’re involved in, like exercises, Homeland Security Exercise and Evaluation Program, training, etc.

We also host the state Emergency Operations Center and the Interagency Working Group. The primary programs that we oversee include: Radiological Emergency Planning, Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act (EPCRA), Regional Response Teams, Response Equipment Grants, HazMat Training Grants, State Disaster Recovery Aid, Emergency Management Planning Grants and Petroleum Environmental Cleanup Fund Award. The total of these programs is about $8.5 million. Added to that is our Emergency Management Performance Grant of $5.6 million, of which we pass two-thirds to the local county and tribes.