|
On
January 4, 2016, the FEMA Grant Programs Directorate (GPD) announced the Fiscal Year (FY) 2016 state, territory, and Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) risk validation
process will begin. Risk profiles for each jurisdiction were issued, along with
instructions about the process.
In order to provide additional
information about the process, FEMA GPD will host an informational
webinar on Thursday, January 7 at 3 p.m. ET. The webinar will walk participants through
the Risk Validation Process, review the data and makeup of the risk profiles,
and inform participants on how to comment on the risk data and process.
Participants can join the webinar via Adobe Connect. The conference number is 800-320-4330 and the PIN is 269179. Due to the expected volume of
participants, the conference line will be in “listen only” mode for all
attendees. Please submit any questions or comments you may have to FEMA-MSA-Process@fema.dhs.gov.
Tribal emergency managers, response personnel, employees, department
heads, and leaders will have the opportunity to participate in Emergency Management Framework for Tribal
Governments on February 29 – March 3, 2016, at the Emergency Management Institute (EMI) in Emmitsburg, Maryland.
The course provides participants with a basic
understanding of emergency management principles and their role in leading and
directing their tribes in implementing comprehensive emergency management
systems. It also covers the legal and financial basis for emergency management, hazard
identification and analysis, planning, components of an emergency management
system, readiness through training, forming public and private sector
partnerships, and upgrading and sustaining emergency management capabilities.
No
prerequisites are required; however, completion of online courses ICS 100 (Introduction to Incident Command
System [ICS]), ICS 200 (ICS for Single Resources and
Initial Action Incidents), IS 700 (National Incident Management
System, An Introduction), and IS 800 (National Response Framework, An
Introduction) are recommended prior to taking the course.
Tribal applicants may
apply by completing a FEMA
Form 119-25-1, General Admissions Application, no later than February 5,
2016. Mail applications to NETC
Admissions Office (Room I-216), National Emergency Training Center, 16825 South
Seton Avenue, Emmitsburg, MD 21727-8998, fax to (301) 447-1658, or email to
netcadmissions@fema.dhs.gov. State, territory, and local applicants must
send their applications through their State Training Officer. FEMA regional staff must send their applications
through their regional training manager. Please send questions to Katie Hirt at katie.hirt@fema.dhs.gov. Space is limited.
The Ready Campaign released the 2016 National Seasonal Preparedness Messaging Calendar, available in both a graphic or text format. To learn more about each topic month or week and to get content to promote preparedness information all year, visit www.ready.gov/calendar.
EMI
conducts a monthly series of Virtual Tabletop Exercises (VTTXs) using a teleconference platform to reach community based training audiences around the
country providing a virtual forum for disaster training. The design of the VTTX is for a group of ten or more
representatives from state, local, and tribal Emergency Management Community of Practice.
Participants must have an appropriate site equipped with video teleconference
capability.
The goals of the VTTX
are to test the participants’ knowledge, skills, and abilities to conduct
all-hazards emergency response and recovery effectively. The VTTXs also enable
coordination response operations with counterparts from Federal agencies, state,
local, and tribal governments, private sector organizations, non-governmental
agencies, and other emergency management partners. The VTTX occurs 12 p.m. – 4
p.m. ET.
EMI will conduct the following VTTX programs in February and
March:
-
February 9, 10, 11, 2016: Cyber scenario (course number V0015B)
-
February 23, 24, 25, 2016: Tornado scenario (course number V0005A)
- March
8, 9, 10, 2016: Tornado scenario (course
number V0005B)
- March
22, 23, 24, 2016: Flood scenario (course
number V0007)
To participate in a
VTTX, submit an email request to Doug Kahn at douglas.kahn@fema.dhs.gov or
call 301-447-7645. Please send a courtesy copy email to the Integrated
Emergency Management Branch at FEMA-EMI-IEMB@fema.dhs.gov or
call 301-447-1381. The deadline
for applying to a VTTX is four weeks prior to the start date. Additional
information is available at https://training.fema.gov/programs/emivttx.aspx.
FEMA
is seeking public comment on proposed changes to regulation describing FEMA’s
Individual Assistance (IA) declarations criteria. FEMA published the proposed
rule in the Federal
Register, and is seeking comments by January 11, 2016.
The Sandy Recovery Improvement Act (SRIA) requires FEMA to review, update and revise,
through rulemaking, the factors it uses to measure the severity, magnitude, and
impact of a disaster. The proposed rule, which has a 60 day public
comment period, is intended to provide more objective and clear IA declaration factors and speed the declaration process,
including FEMA’s recommendation to the President on whether a major disaster
declaration authorizing IA is warranted.
The proposed rule largely expands and clarifies
current factors and aligns them with the data presently collected to support
the evaluation process and adds additional data sets easily accessible by states.
FEMA reviewed the current factors and the proposed rule intends to revise the
current factors by including: State Fiscal Capacity and Resource Availability,
Uninsured Home and Personal Property Losses, Disaster Impacted Population
Profile, Impact to Community Infrastructure, Casualties, and Disaster Related Unemployment.
Comments are due on January 11, 2016, and can be submitted
online.
The Fiscal Year (FY) 2015 Assistance to Firefighters Grant Program (AFG) opened for applications on Monday, December 7, and will close on Friday, January 15,
2016, at 5 p.m. ET. Grant guidance for this program is available at www.grants.gov and www.fema.gov/welcome-assistance-firefighters-grant-program.
The “Get Ready Guide” may also be useful for potential applicants and is provided to answer
questions and to help prepare grant applications.
The Department of
Homeland Security Appropriations Act, (Pub. L. 113-76) provides
$306,000,000 in AFG Program funding to assist fire departments and
nonaffiliated ambulance and emergency medical service organizations meet their
firefighting and emergency response needs. The AFG Program enables these
organizations to obtain the tools and resources necessary to more effectively
protect the health and safety of the public and emergency response personnel.
|
