How does ChicagoFIRST function as a regional public/private partnership?
ChicagoFIRST functions as a regional public/private partnership in two primary ways. First, ChicagoFIRST brings together competing and otherwise unallied financial institutions to share information and address jointly common business continuity issues, including the possibility of terrorism. In other words, competition is replaced with cooperation. Second, these firms, as a group, collaborate with government at all levels to: ensure that government understands the criticality of the financial sector and that both the private and public sectors understand what each expects and needs in the event of a crisis. These two prongs will not only bolster the financial community, but also improve the provision of government services generally and improve the relationship between the two sectors.
