Law Enforcement Agencies Prepare Workforces for Extreme Weather
Agencies with a significant law enforcement presence were among those introducing updated Climate Adaptation Plans. The goal is to put agencies on a path to make their workforces, operations, and facilities climate resilient.
The plans outline agency climate priorities for the years 2024-2027 and include risk assessments, implementation plans, and ways to demonstrate progress.
Department of Homeland Security
It’s no secret that many DHS employees on the frontlines often work in extreme heat, particularly along the U.S.- Mexico border.
But heat is not the only threat: wildfires, extreme precipitation, and other flooding are also threats to the DHS workforce.
“As outdoor working conditions become more extreme, DHS personnel must have the resources and training to adapt to these new conditions,” wrote DHS in its climate adaptation plan.
To prepare employees, DHS is requiring advanced warning systems to protect personnel, additional safety training, and ensuring that employees are frequently reminder about adverse conditions.
DHS is also making buildings more climate resilient by upgrading heating, ventilation, and air conditions systems.
It notes that the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) will likely play a bigger role in the lives of the American people as disasters become more common.
Department of Justice
DOJ notes that almost its entire workforce will be subjected to rising heat and rising precipitation, but the issue is particularly pertinent to the Bureau of Prisons (BOP) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).
Both agencies committed to conducting regular heat stress training. BOP is also weighing climate impacts on its inmate population, including putting safety plans in place if a natural disaster compromises the safety of law enforcement personnel.
USDA
The U.S. Department of Agriculture notes that the rise in extreme heat and wildfires is likely to put more mental strain on U.S. Forest Service employees. The Forest Service plans to take “priority action to reduce risks and improve capacity in agency operations and infrastructure.”
That includes increasing collaboration with state, local, and Tribal partners.
The plans complement the Biden Administration’s National Climate Resilience Framework, a roadmap to create a climate resilient nation by aligning “climate resilience investments across the public and private sectors through common principles and opportunities.”