Holding the Line on Biodefense: Supporting First Response to Large-Scale Biological Events

Bipartisan Commission on Biodefense

On March 23, 2021, we premiered a virtual meeting of the Commission to further explore the of the first responder community and how the federal government can better support non-federal response to future biological incidents.

The Commission’s 2018 report, Holding the Line on Biodefense: State, Local, Tribal, and Territorial Reinforcements Needed, focused on federal assistance to state, local, tribal, and territorial (SLTT) governments in addressing large-scale biological events. Police, fire, emergency medical services, hazmat and other first responders are the backbone of SLTT efforts to react to the biological threat. First responders must also continue serving their communities while addressing the threat. However, the federal government has left the nation’s first responders ill-equipped and underinformed when addressing events like the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. First responders require resources and information so that they can effectively manage the biological threat, keep the citizenry informed, and make decisions about using medical countermeasures themselves.

More information about this meeting, including a full agenda, is available here.