This DAP highlights – Ongoing Situation on U.S. Campuses. DAP also has More Faith-Based Stories and Select All-Hazard Stories. These updates are shared to help raise the situational awareness of Faith-Based organizations to best defend against and mitigate the impacts from all-hazards threats including physical security, cybersecurity, and natural disasters.
Government Information Sharing
The community of faith deserves some love!
The U.S. Government has strongly encouraged active partnership and information sharing with the private sector for nearly twenty-five years, and the recently proposed Pray Safe Act looks to build on that partnership.
Information sharing, as a concept, has proven to work with communities across critical Infrastructure. Information Sharing & Analysis Centers (ISACs) originated under President Clinton’s 1998 Presidential Decision Directive 63 to foster public and private information sharing for critical infrastructure (CI) sectors. Recognizing the success of ISACs and the increasing importance of information sharing, in January 2015, President Obama made a push for more Information Sharing & Analysis Organizations (ISAOs) beyond the Critical Infrastructure model. The Executive Order states “Organizations engaged in the sharing of information related to cybersecurity risks and incidents play an invaluable role in the collective cybersecurity of the United States. The purpose of this order is to encourage the voluntary formation of such organizations, to establish mechanisms to continually improve the capabilities and functions of these organizations, and to better allow these organizations to partner with the Federal Government on a voluntary basis.” You can see more here.
The Faith-Based Information Sharing and Analysis Organization (FB-ISAO) was stood up in June 2018 in order to meet the need for information sharing across the community of faith. FB-ISAO provides members, which include Houses of Worship, Charities, Faith-Based Schools and their affiliated organizations, with information, analysis, and capabilities to help reduce risk while enhancing preparedness, security, and resilience. We are an all-faiths and all-hazards information sharing organization.
We have shown the community of faith some love by providing analytical reports and numerous capabilities that contribute to a ‘culture of preparedness’. Our uniqueness is our collaborative platform that allows for two-way communication where the community can be their own force multipliers. Further, we have equipped and provided the community with numerous resources to drive and foster a ‘culture of preparedness’ – which includes debunking the myth that ‘it won’t happen here’. Some of these resources are:
On 17 June 2021, U.S. Senators Rob Portman (R-OH), Ranking Member of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, and Maggie Hassan (D-NH) introduced the bipartisan Pray Safe Act to establish a federal clearinghouse through which faith-based organizations and houses of worship could access information on safety and security best practices, available federal grant programs, and training opportunities. The Pray Safe Act is cosponsored by Senators Ron Johnson (R-WI) and Jacky Rosen (D-NV). See the full announcement here.
Specifically, the Safe Pray Act “directs the Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), in consultation with Department of Justice (DOJ), the Executive Director of the White House Office of Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships, and any other agencies that the Secretary determines appropriate, to establish and codify a Federal Clearinghouse on Safety and Security Best Practices for Faith-Based Organizations (FBOs) and Houses of Worship (HoW). The Federal Clearinghouse will inform FBOs and HoW on best practices and recommendations for safety and security. In addition, it will provide information on available federal resources and grant programs relevant to the safety and security of faith-based organizations and houses of worship”. That’s a good thing!
It takes time for an act or a bill to be implemented and even if the Pray Safe Act is passed, the implementation of the provisions of the Act will take some time to be realized. FB-ISAO supports the Pray Safe Act and believes that if implemented well, it will help facilitate more effective and clear best practices to help bolster the security, preparedness, and resilience of the community of faith, which aligns with the FB-ISAO mission.
The Faith-Based Information Sharing & Analysis Organization (FB-ISAO) provides members with information, analysis, and capabilities to help reduce risk while enhancing preparedness, security, and resilience. We are an all-faiths and all-hazards information sharing organization.
FB-ISAO appreciates this bi-partisan effort and stands ready to work with our Federal, State, Local, Tribal and Territorial partners to apply the provisions from the Pray Safe Act to benefit our members and the broader community of faith.
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