About 25 individuals with local emergency agencies, utility companies, factories, healthcare agencies and city and county government met at Boyle County Public Library Wednesday with John Holiday, executive director of the Kentucky Office of Homeland Security, as part of the quarterly meetings of the Local Emergency Planning Committee.

His ultimate goal?

“I want to work myself out of a job,” Holiday said to the group gathered.

He introduced Jason Childers, the security coordinator for the region which includes Boyle County, and Mike Sunseri, deputy executive director. They shared about the various ways the Office of Homeland Security can help and what the agency does. Those include combatting cyberterrorism, such as ransomware, providing grants for first responders, monitoring for events around the world that could impact the state and more.

Holiday explained that they are able to review massive amount of information and turn that into intelligence that agencies can use.

“We take information, data and intelligence from different sources — just like you, internet, TV, radio, human intelligence reporting —  from all over the globe. Within minutes, we have to figure out how that effects Kentucky,” he said. “We have to advise the decision-makers on that.”

The intelligence his agency shares has to be accurate, timely and relevant, Holiday said.

They discussed how groups can work on ways to make themselves safer, such as active shooter drills. The Kentucky Office of Homeland Security has offered active aggressor/shooter trainings for state government employees, but hopes to expand those offerings into the public sector, explained Sunseri after the meeting.

During the meeting, Holiday also asked about a recent tabletop planning event the county agencies hosted, asking if his agency could be part of it in the future to help evaluate the exercise.

Overall, Holiday said he wanted to make sure to get the necessary resources in the hands of local agencies.

“I believe resources should be at the local level,” he said. “I don’t believe that resources should stay at the federal level or the state level.”

SO YOU KNOW

If you see suspicious activity, call 866-EYE-ON-KY.

To learn more about the Kentucky Office of Homeland Security, visit homelandsecurity.ky.gov; follow the office on Twitter @KyHomelandSec or on Facebook.