Interlocal Emergency Management Collaboration: Vertical and Horizontal Roadblocks

Abstract

This study, based on a statewide survey of local officials in Florida, examines the degree to which vertical and horizontal roadblocks to interlocal cooperation persist well after the 9/11 and Hurricane Katrina mega-disasters. Respondents evaluate the degree to which vertical constraints (state and federal mandates) and horizontal constraints (political tensions and competition for funding; incompatible communication equipment and inconsistent information-sharing; and local cost-sharing complexities and training and personnel qualification differences) still deter collaboration. Incompatible communication equipment is the most cited barrier, followed by the rules and legal complexities inherent in state and federal mandates and interlocal cost-sharing agreements. Today, local EM officials judge horizontally generated deterrents to collaboration to be nearly equal to vertically imposed roadblocks. Perceptions differ significantly by jurisdiction, population size, MSA location, and position.