FEMA, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and their federal partners in the Mitigation Federal Leadership Group (MitFLG) Disaster Resilience
Indicators Subcommittee released a “Draft
Interagency Concept for Community Resilience Indicators and National-Level
Progress Measures."
This concept is the result of a
year-long effort to identify potential indicators of community resilience
capacity building that align with the Mitigation and Recovery Core Capabilities
under the National Preparedness Goal. Learn more details about this joint FEMA/NOAA
initiative here www.fema.gov/community-resilience-indicators.
The document, compiled
in response to broad public interest in identifying key factors of community
resilience nationwide in order to promote better-informed capacity building
strategies, is intended to start a broad conversation among public- and
private-sector stakeholders on how best to define and track improvements in
community resilience capacity across 28 key indicator categories.
Interested
stakeholders seeking to add their input can submit comments and feedback to the
Disaster Resilience Indicators Subcommittee of the MitFLG at FEMA-CommunityResilience@fema.dhs.gov
by
August 15, 2016.
The MitFLG
subcommittee was led by representatives of FEMA and the National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration and includes significant contributions from federal
partners such as the National Institute of Standards and Technology, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the U.S. Geological Survey and others.
The Federal Insurance
and Mitigation Administration updated the Guidance and
Standards used for flood mapping and risk analysis
efforts. There were five standards with significant updates, three new standards, six
standards with minor terminology updates and five rescinded standards in this
maintenance cycle.
The spring maintenance cycle included new standards implementing provisions of
the Biggert-Waters Flood Insurance Reform Act of 2012 (BW-12) and the Homeowner
Flood Insurance Affordability Act (HFIAA). These updates included requirements
for using the most accurate elevation data available and enhancing outreach and
communication to communities and property owners affected by map changes.
The standards also
added more flexibility in watershed size selected as the basis of flood risk
projects, removed the requirement to use the legacy Average Annualized Loss
dataset for the Flood Risk Assessment products, integrated digital products
into standards covering the traditional regulatory products and several other
minor changes.
FEMA
conducted a public review of the draft standards earlier this year and
regularly updates its guidance and technical reference documents to ensure
ongoing improvements to FEMA flood mapping and risk analysis efforts.
FEMA’s
Emergency Management Institute (EMI) is now offering a series of eight courses
for Public Information Officers (PIOs) to teach them to communicate effectively and provide
accessible information for all
affected audiences. The first three courses are delivered by state,
local, tribal, and territorial emergency management agencies and must be taken
in the prescribed sequence. To check the course schedule in your area, go to
the state emergency management web site or contact the State Training Officer.
1. Public
Information Officer Awareness is a one-day course to introduce the
public information function and role of the PIO in the public safety and
emergency management environment. The course is designed for new or less
experienced state or local PIOs, or those who perform this role as a secondary
function.
2. Public Information
Officer – Basic is a two-day course examining the value of communication
before, during, and after an incident; it will help PIOs identify critical
internal and external audiences.
3. Joint Information
System/Joint Information Center Planning for tribal, state and local PIOs is a
one-day course outlining the communication for different incidents, and it
defines the roles of the PIO within the Incident Command
System.
In addition, EMI
offers the following PIO training courses at the National Emergency Training
Center in Emmitsburg, Maryland:
• The Advanced Public
Information Officer course, through multimedia lectures and
individual and group activities, provides participants with the knowledge and
skills to establish, manage, and work within a joint information center.
Application deadlines are: October 14, 2016 for the November 28 –
December 2, 2016 class; March 31, 2017 for the May 15-19, 2017 class;
and June 9, 2017 for the July 24-28, 2017 class. For more information,
contact Phil Politano at philip.politano@fema.dhs.gov.
• Master Public
Information Officer Program is a three-course series comprised of
Master Public
Information
Officer 1, 2, and 3. The program prepares PIOs for an expanded role in
delivering public information and warnings, using a strategic whole community
approach. Applications for the Master Public Information Officer Program are
due no later than June 30, 2016.
For more information contact FEMA-Master_PIO_Program@fema.dhs.gov.
FEMA’s Emergency Management Institute is now accepting
application packages for the 2017 National Emergency Management Executive
Academy. This Academy provides a comprehensive and cutting-edge curriculum to
enhance strategic leadership and critical thinking for emergency management
senior executives from all levels of government, non-governmental
organizations, and the private sector. Ideally, candidates will have experience
as senior executives of major emergency management organizations, served on
major commissions and task forces, or be responsible for decisions that have a
significant effect on homeland security and emergency management policies.
The objective of the Executive Academy is to engage,
challenge and enhance the talents of emergency management executives through
critical thinking, visionary strategic planning, and negotiation and conflict
resolution when applied to complex real-world problems. The Executive Academy
consists of four resident sessions, webinars, distance learning, and literature
reviews. Executives will explore how they can leverage science, technology,
engineering, and data analysis to impact critical decisions and guide informed
policy development. Executives will have
the opportunity to work collaboratively on projects, share smart practices, and
participate in exercises on cascading and catastrophic events.
The four resident sessions, to be conducted by EMI at the
National Emergency Training Center, in Emmitsburg, Maryland, will include:
• Systems Thinking & Research Methods for
Executives: February 13 – 16, 2017
• Executive Emergency Management Leader Core Competencies
I: April 24 – 27, 2017
• Executive Emergency Management Leader Core Competencies
II: July 10 – 14, 2017
• Executive Emergency Management Leaders Core Competencies
III: September 18 – 22, 2017
Applications will be accepted through August 5, 2016. There
are a limited number of seats and enrollment is competitive. For more
information on the Executive Academy and the application and selection process,
visit www.training.fema.gov/EMPP/executive.asp.
The Executive Academy is the pinnacle of a three-level
Academy series in the Emergency Management Professional Program (EMPP) which
includes Basic, Advanced, and Executive Academies. Emergency management
professionals should visit the EMPP
page for more information about which academy best suits their needs.
EMI's Master Exercise
Practitioner Program
The Master Exercise Practitioner
Program application period is open until July 1, 2016. Participants
in the program are assigned to an exercise planning team where they are
challenged to: demonstrate their expertise at all levels of exercise design and
conduct; and apply best practices and lessons learned from their organizations
and experience. Contact fema-emi-iemb@fema.dhs.gov
for more information.
Updated National Planning Frameworks Released
FEMA and its partners
released the updated National
Planning Frameworks for each mission area: Prevention, Protection,
Mitigation, Response, and Recovery. The National Planning Frameworks, which are
part of the National
Preparedness System, set the strategy and doctrine for building,
sustaining, and delivering the core capabilities identified in the National
Preparedness Goal of building a secure and resilient nation.
On June 30 and
July 6, FEMA is hosting engagement webinars to
highlight key changes to the Frameworks and to answer questions participants
may have. All webinars are open to individuals and communities, the private and
nonprofit sectors, faith-based organizations and all levels of governments. For a copy of
the document, summary of changes and webinar registration information, visit http://www.fema.gov/national-planning-frameworks.
For more information on national preparedness efforts, visit: http://www.fema.gov/national-preparedness.
FEMA Extends Public
Comment Period for Draft Public Assistance Required Minimum Standards
FEMA extended the
comment period for an additional 30 days on the draft Public Assistance Program
Minimum Standards replacement language for the Public Assistance (PA) Program
and Policy Guide. The minimum standards will be used for all buildings in
tornado, wind, seismic, and flood-prone areas identified in the International Building Code, regardless
of the type of incident that caused the damage.
As FEMA works to
implement the new standard for its PA program, it is requesting input on the
draft language from the public and emergency management community. The draft
language is posted to the Federal Register,
and will be available for comment until July 8, 2016.
FEMA Tribal
Consultation Period on Hazard Mitigation Planning Continues Until July 8
FEMA is updating its
policy that guides how Agency officials interpret regulatory requirements in
their review and approval of tribal mitigation plans. FEMA is seeking feedback
from tribal governments regarding this updated policy, “Tribal
Mitigation Plan Review Guide.” Tribal officials’ suggestions and
comments will inform further development of the Tribal Mitigation Plan Review
Guide.
Tribal officials can
submit comments on the Tribal Mitigation Plan Review Guide: Key Concepts
document until July 8, 2016, either by e-mail to tribalconsultation@fema.dhs.gov
or by mail to ATTN: Tyler Corson-Rikert, Federal Insurance and Mitigation
Administration, DHS/FEMA, 400 C Street SW, Suite 313, Washington, DC
20472-3020. Visit FEMA’s Tribal Affairs
web page for more information on the tribal consultation period for this
policy.
FEMA Region III Hosts Public-Private Sector
Tabletop Exercise
On July 21, 2016,
FEMA Region III will host the third annual Public-Private Sector Tabletop
Exercise in Philadelphia, PA, which will focus on cyber as the threat scenario.
This full-day event will bring together members of the public and private
sectors to educate and inform participants on contemporary cyber threats.
Throughout the course of the day’s events, participants will be invited to
share best practices, information sharing methods, capabilities, resources, and
incident response plans for cyber attacks. For more information on this event
or to register, click here.
FEMA Posts Draft
Individuals and Households Program Unified Guidance for Public Comment
On June 15,
2016, FEMA posted the draft Individuals and Households Program Unified Guidance
(IHPUG) to the Federal Register
for public comment. FEMA strongly encourages the public and emergency management community to submit comments. The Individuals and Households
Program (IHP) is the most publicly recognizable FEMA program and this is an
excellent opportunity for the public to provide their input.The draft guidance
is posted to the Federal Register,
and will be available for comment until August 1, 2016.
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