When H1N1 strikes a community, it’s pretty much out of the control of federal officials. 

So said, Stan Supinski, keynote speaker and panelist at “Are You Ready for H1N1?,” a symposium Dan Zimmerman emceed at Marian University last week,

Zimmerman, a Ripon resident, helped organize that day-long event, calling on his homeland security expert friend, Supinski, to kick-off the topic. 

Supinski, a faculty member in the Center for Homeland Defense and Security, emphasized that people “on the ground” are critical in dealing with homeland-security issues such as H1N1. 

“It’s the local level first that is most important,” he said. “The federal folks are not first responders.”

In fact, “every individual has to play a role in this” before the government becomes involved, Supinski said, describing officials as “the last to arrive and the first to leave.”

He emphasized that information must be provided from the bottom up. “Homeland security is about information sharing at the different levels to get the mission done.”

But how does a microscopic virus compare to a terrorist, the more typical target of homeland-security efforts?

Supinski explained an H1N1 epidemic risks damaging the U.S. economy, while a worldwide pandemic “can affect unstable countries and governments,” putting the United States at greater risk of those who wish it ill.

Panelists who spoke after Supinski’s talk were:  

 ‰ Diane Capazzo, Fond du Lac County public health officer; 

‰ Steve Binkley, vice president for Society Insurance; 

‰ Milwaukee Fire Chief Doug Holton; 

‰ David Anderson, sixth district director for Rep. Tom Petri, R-Fond du Lac.