Governor Spanberger Hosts 1,000 Law Enforcement & Community Leaders for Statewide Summit on Strengthening Emergency Preparedness

RICHMOND, VA - Governor Abigail Spanberger today hosted 1,000 law enforcement, public safety, and community leaders from across Virginia in Richmond for a first-of-its-kind statewide summit on developing practical solutions to modernize emergency preparedness, build a more resilient Commonwealth, and make Virginia safer during crises.

The Unified Readiness Summit brought together stakeholders from 30 different sectors - including law enforcement, fire and EMS, healthcare, critical infrastructure, and higher education. The summit focused on integrating partners across disciplines that have not typically planned together to identify gaps and make sure Virginia is prepared for a wide range of critical incidents - from extreme weather and natural disasters to cyberattacks and acts of mass violence. Based on findings and feedback from leaders in attendance, Governor Spanberger will work with members of the General Assembly, state partners, and local leaders to strengthen preparedness through new laws and executive action.

"Every community in Virginia deserves to know that when a crisis comes, their local leaders have the tools and systems in place to work together - and the support they need from state partners," said Governor Abigail Spanberger. "That takes more than individual organizations doing their jobs well - it takes shared planning, strong partnerships, and a Commonwealth committed to solving challenges proactively. I look forward to working to implement the commonsense solutions identified today as we continue building a stronger and more resilient Commonwealth. Because Virginians should be able to trust that when we face our next challenge, our partners are ready."

The summit builds on seven Regional Readiness Summits held by Governor Spanberger and her Administration earlier this year, where more than 750 leaders identified challenges affecting communities and preparedness organizations across the Commonwealth. Today's discussions focused on developing solutions to those challenges, including improving emergency communications and information sharing, strengthening joint planning, increasing operational capacity, and building and supporting the workforce needed to respond when Virginians need help.

"Readiness means more than having a plan on paper - it requires having the relationships, people, capabilities, and systems in place to put that plan into action when it matters most," said Secretary of Public Safety and Homeland Security Stanley M. Meador. "The regional summits gave us a clear picture of the challenges our communities and response organizations are facing. Today, we brought the people who can help solve those challenges into the same room to address them collaboratively. That is how we move from simply coordinating our efforts to becoming truly aligned in how we prepare, respond, and recover."

In August, Governor Spanberger signed Executive Order 19, establishing the Virginia Unified Readiness Framework as the Commonwealth's statewide governance model for preparedness, homeland security, emergency management, and resilience. The framework is designed to integrate strategic planning, decision-making, and partnerships across state and local government, first responders, private-sector organizations, nonprofits, and critical infrastructure to strengthen Virginia against current and emerging threats.

"Today's conversations give us important momentum, and VDEM is committed to carrying that forward into sustained readiness and preparedness efforts that strengthen our Commonwealth," said Virginia Department of Emergency Management (VDEM) State Coordinator Lauren Opett. "Emergency management is fundamentally about bringing people together-uniting partners, communities, and stakeholders around shared goals so Virginia is ready for what lies ahead. We look forward to the continued work and collaboration that will move us forward."

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