Business, gov't leaders meet to talk emergency preparedness

Leaders from businesses, government and other sectors of the community are coming together in Minneapolis Friday to discuss how they can work together in times of crisis.

The daylong event is part of the Meta-Leadership Summit for Preparedness. It's a national initiative designed to hone leadership skills during public emergencies.

Minneapolis Emergency Preparedness Director Rocco Forte says the collapse of the Interstate 35W bridge in 2007 shows a well-organized emergency response can save lives. He says the summit will help ensure effective response to future emergencies.

The presenters include Leonard Marcus, co-director of the National Preparedness Leadership Initiative at Harvard. Marcus has researched responses to terrorist attacks in Madrid, London, and Israel. He'll present a minute-by-minute replication of a Madrid-type bombing, and give local leaders a strategy to respond if something similar happened here.