Great strides have been made in communications and information-sharing in the decade since 9/11, but national readiness still is falling short — with current economic conditions stifling improvements in this area. Marko Bourne joined FIRE CHIEF Associate Editor Mary Rose Roberts to recount first-responder readiness on 9/11 and compare that to where agencies are today.

Bourne served as FEMA's deputy director of preparedness from 2001 to 2004 and director policy and program analysis in from 2006 to 2009. From 2003 to 2004, he also served as acting director of the Department of Homeland Security's National Incident Management System Integration Center and deputy director of FEMA's Preparedness Division. He also worked as executive officer at the U.S. Fire Administration. He currently is a principal at Booz Allen Hamilton, a management consultancy.

Bourne shares steps that still need to be taken for effective preparedness. He also offers a forward-looking perspective on where DHS and the nation must go next to address the events of the next decade.