Iowa Department of Public Health

The partnership between Safeguard Iowa and the Iowa Department of Public Health was strengthened during the severe weather events of 2008. The resources available through Safeguard Iowa were critical to the success of the statewide public health response.

- Thomas Newton, REHS, MPP, Director

Principal Financial Group

Instead of government being concerned about the preparedness of the business community and business being concerned about the preparedness of government, the Safeguard Iowa Partnership has provided a means to come together for a holistic approach to preparedness by strengthening the resiliency of the state of Iowa. From joint strategic planning through partnering in response and recovery efforts, Safeguard Iowa leverages business and government talents and resources as well as building and strengthening relationships between private and public sectors. It's a great story and a model that other states seek to emulate.

- Sandy Cowie, Director, Corporate Security and Business Continuity

MidAmerican Energy Company

With the information and assistance of Safeguard Iowa and government partners, MidAmerican was able to assist in evacuating thousands of homes in Iowa communities, safely shutting down utilities before floodwaters arrives, to distribute repair supplies to where they were needed even with roads closing every hour, and to assess the outages and develop new solutions to keep delivering energy when telephone communications went down in some areas.

- Bill Fehrman, President

I commend the Safeguard Iowa Partnership for its commitment to the critical, pivotal challenge of assisting all levels of emergency response to be prepared and ready to mobilize in moments of need.

- Thomas L. Aller, President

Qwest Iowa

In times of crisis, the citizens of Iowa require efficient communication, cooperation, and collaboration betwen business and government on all levels - elements of emergency management on which Safeguard Iowa is focused and strives to facilitate.

- Max A. Phillips, President

One of the things I found to be of great benefit were the situation reports. I found it beneficial to see how a representative at the local Emergency Operations Center will go a long way to streamline and deploy resources on an as-needed basis.

- Fred Earley, Environmental Engineering Manager

Excellent updates on local conditions without any hype. Very valuable to a company like ours to have up to date information that we could rely on.

- Jim Mulvenna, Vice President of Administration

I just want to thank you for all of the information you put out during the flood. I know there are many, many more people behind the scenes, and hopefully they'll receive their thanks, but I just wanted to say for us at PDI, we received a very valuable benefit from you, the many other workers and volunteers and SIP.

- Greg McQuistan, Vice President, Operations

The Safeguard Iowa Partnership provides the vital integration of private businesses' and public agencies' roles for emergency preparedness and response across Iowa.

- John Forsyth, Chairman and CEO

Iowa Department of Public Safety

When disaster strikes, one of the keys to a quick response is the open and collaborative sharing of resources and information and that starts with strong working relationships.

- Commissioner Eugene T. Meyer

The Safeguard Iowa Partnership is a valuable public-private partnership for the Iowa health care industry, as state and local officials work closely with business to most effectively bolster Iowa's emergency response capacity.

- David H. Vellinga, CEO

Iowa Homeland Security and Emergency Management Division

During this past summer's severe weather and historical flooding, the Safeguard Iowa Partnership epitomized the good that can happen when the public and private sectors work together to prepare for, respond to, and recover from disasters.

- David Miller, Administrator

The broadly-based partnership between the public and private sectors elevates the confidence of Iowans in protecting the future of their state, its economy, and the quality of life they enjoy.

- Clayton M. Jones, Chairman, President, CEO