The first Strategic Plan in the history of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) was published in 1994. As part of FEMA's renewal, Partnership for a Safer Future laid out the agency's mission and vision. We recognized that FEMA's role in making a safer future would require us to lay a solid foundation on which to build an effective organization of emergency management. We recognized that the organization would need to lead and support the Nation in a comprehensive, risk-based emergency management program. We also recognized that our mission to reduce the loss of life and property included protecting the Nation's institutions from all natural and man-made hazards. FEMA consequently began to direct efforts towards creating an agency that would restore the confidence of the American people and fulfill President Clinton's promise to be there when America needed us. (FEMA (Director James L. Witt Foreword) Strategic Plan FY 1998-2002). Many challenges must be overcome before the vision of a Partnership for a Safer Future becomes a reality. The first challenge is the effectiveness of the emergency management partnership. How well the entire emergency management community functions will affect FEMA's ability to meet the goals and objectives stated in the Plan. Although FEMA provides leadership and coordination, State and local governments are ultimately responsible for protecting their citizens from harm. (FEMA, Strategic Plan FY 1998 - FY 2002, 1997, p. 37)