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FEMA is urging its
partners and all Americans to participate in the 2016 Great ShakeOut, the largest annual preparedness
exercise drill, as a way of learning how to be prepared in the event of an
earthquake. The Great ShakeOut is the annual earthquake preparedness drill held
on the third Thursday of October. It is coordinated across all states with support from the National
Earthquake Hazards Reduction Program, the Southern California Earthquake
Center, America’s PrepareAthon!, the U.S. Geological Survey, the National
Science Foundation, ShakeOut.org, and others.
This year, the
International ShakeOut Day of Action will be on October 20 at 10:20 a.m
local time. At that time in all local time zones, participants will
"Drop, Cover, and Hold On" as practice for what to do in the
event of an earthquake, which could happen in many states
nationwide. Knowing what to do before an earthquake, could determine
how well you survive and recover. Learn more about how to register and
participate at www.ShakeOut.org.
FEMA
announced the annual funding opportunity for the Assistance to
Firefighters Grant Program (AFG). The
Fiscal Year 2016 AFG program will award $310.5 million to enhance the safety of
the public and firefighters against fire-related deaths and hazards. FEMA
awards AFG funding to fire departments, nonaffiliated emergency medical service
organizations, and state fire-training academies. In addition, FEMA
awards funding to other nonprofit organizations recognized for their experience
and expertise with respect to fire prevention, fire safety programs and
activities, and firefighter research and development programs.
Since 2002, FEMA has awarded $6.8 billion in fire grants
to more than 62,300 recipients. Historically, 84 percent of awards go towards
purchasing personal protective equipment, vehicles, and other operational
equipment.
The application
period is open through November 18, 2016. The grant guidance is posted at www.grants.gov and here. Applicants who need additional
information may contact firegrants@fema.gov or call 866-274-0960.
FEMA’s Emergency Management Institute (EMI) Virtual Tabletop
Exercise (VTTX) program will offer a winter storm scenario November 8, 9,
and 10. The VTTX was designed to help communities specifically look at a
winter storm event in their community. Session content is the same each day and
participants would attend only one session. The VTTX involves key personnel discussing simulated scenarios
in an informal setting and can be used to assess plans, policies, training, and
procedures.
EMI conducts a monthly series of VTTXs using a Video
Teleconference (VTC) 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, tribal, and territorial emergency communities of practice and
is intended to provide an opportunity for responders across the
Nation to simultaneously participate in a hazard-specific facilitated
discussion. Participants will need to connect via a site equipped with the
appropriate VTC capability (not Adobe Connect or Face Time-based),
but alternate ways to participate are also available upon request.
The goals of the VTTX are to test participant knowledge, skills,
and abilities to conduct all-hazards emergency response and recovery
effectively. The VTTXs also enable coordination of response operations
with counterparts from Federal agencies, state, local, tribal and territorial
governments, private sector organizations, non-governmental agencies, and other
whole community partners. The delivery method will
allow participating communities to share real-time incident related
preparation, response and recovery concerns, and solutions with all
participants providing a unique environment for learning lessons and sharing
information.
The VTTX occurs 12 p.m. – 4 p.m. ET. To
participate, send an email to Doug Kahn at douglas.kahn@fema.dhs.gov or call 301-447-7645.
Send a courtesy copy email to the Integrated
Emergency Management Branch at fema-emi-iemb@fema.dhs.gov or call 301-447-1381. The application deadline is October
25. Additional information is available at https://training.fema.gov/programs/emivttx.aspx.
Seeking Public Comments for Federal Flood Risk Management Guide
Published
in the Federal Register, FEMA continues to encourage comments to the Notice of
Proposed Rulemaking and Supplementary Policy 078-3, “Guidance for
Implementing the Federal Flood Risk Management Standard (FFRMS).” This proposed rule would amend the
definition of a floodplain, incorporate various approaches to establish a
higher vertical elevation, and expand corresponding horizontal floodplain for
FEMA federally funded projects. Where possible, it would direct natural systems,
ecosystem processes, and nature-based approaches to be used when developing
alternatives to locating federal actions in
the floodplain.
When FEMA federally funded projects involve more than one federal agency, FEMA
would use the Unified
Federal Review (UFR) to coordinate application of the FFRMS to those
projects. The UFR Process also recognizes the important role of federal
agencies, localities, states, tribes, and the general public in environmental
and historic preservation reviews.
The major provisions of this rule would affect FEMA funded new construction and
substantial repair projects for individuals and communities, including some
projects done in the aftermath of a disaster for state, local, tribal
governments, private non-profits, and stakeholders. However, this rule does not
directly affect the availability or price of flood insurance.
Comments may be submitted through October 21, 2016, using
one of the following methods:
• Federal eRulemaking Portal: www.regulations.gov.
Search for the notice in Docket ID
FEMA-2015-0006. When submitting comments, indicate the section and
reasoning for each comment.
• Mail/Hand Delivery/Courier: Regulatory Affairs Division, Office of Chief
Counsel, Federal Emergency Management Agency, 8NE-1604, 500 C Street SW,
Washington, DC 20472-3100.
• Viewing
comments and documents: For access to the docket to read background
documents or comments received, go to the Federal e-Rulemaking Portal at http://www.regulations.gov.
• Background documents and submitted comments may also be inspected at the
Office of Chief Counsel, Federal Emergency Management Agency, 500 C Street,
SW., 8NE, Washington, DC 20472-3100.
All submissions will be posted to the Federal e-Rulemaking Portal at www.regulations.gov and will include any
personal information provided. Individuals who submit comments should read the Privacy Act.
DHS Seeks Public Feedback for Draft Interim National Cyber Incident Response Plan Update
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is soliciting public feedback for the
National Cyber Incident Response Plan (NCIRP). The current draft
NCIRP formalizes cyber incident response practices developed over the past few
years and further clarifies organizational roles, responsibilities, and actions
to prepare for, respond to, and coordinate the recovery from a cyber incident.
The plan also creates a stronger alignment between National Preparedness
System, specifically the core capabilities within the National Preparedness
Goal, the National Response Framework, and the National Incident Management
System.
National engagement provides an opportunity for interested parties to comment and
provide feedback on the NCIRP to ensure it
continues to reflect the collective expertise and experience of the whole
community in response to cyber incidents. The draft plan is available for review and feedback at https://www.us-cert.gov/ncirp. Webinars are also available. Please use the submission form to provide any comments and
recommendations and email them to FEMA-NCIRP-engagement@fema.dhs.gov by 5 p.m. EDT October 31, 2016. More information is available on the DHS blog.
Tribal Consultation to Update the FEMA Tribal Policy
FEMA is updating its Tribal Policy that guides how the agency implements a framework for nation-to-nation relations with federally recognized tribal governments, recognizing tribal sovereignty, self-governance, and our trust responsibility consistent with applicable authorities. This updated policy will supersede the current FEMA Tribal Policy, issued in 2013, which expires on December 30. The goal is to update the policy to reflect current authorities, address key policy questions, and improve the Agency’s nation-to-nation relationship with tribal governments to ensure we work together to build, sustain, and improve every tribal governments’ capacity to prepare for, protect against, respond to, recover from, and mitigate against all hazards.
This consultation period will facilitate tribal leaders’ or their designee’s feedback during the policy update process. FEMA will engage officials through face-to-face meetings, national and regional association conferences, conference calls, and webinars to seek input on questions highlighted in the FEMA Tribal Policy: Key Concepts document. Tribal officials’ suggestions and comments will inform further development and refinement of FEMA’s Tribal Policy.
Tribal officials can submit comments on the FEMA Tribal Policy until October 28, 2016, through:
• E-mail to tribalconsultation@fema.dhs.gov, or
• Mail to ATTN: Margeau Valteau, Office of External Affairs (OEA), DHS/FEMA, 500 C Street SW, Washington, DC 20472-3605.
Visit FEMA’s Tribal Affairs web page for more information on the tribal consultation period for this policy and to view the Key Concepts document.
EMI Offers Advanced Public Information Officer Training
FEMA’s Emergency
Management Institute is offering the Advanced
Public Information Officer (PIO) course on November 28 – December 2,
2016. The course, held at the National Emergency Training Center in Emmitsburg,
Maryland, provides participants with the skills to establish, manage, and work
in a Joint Information Center (JIC).
Students will practice developing strategic messaging in support of incident action plans and manage a JIC. Individuals who took the course prior to 2011 are eligible to retake the training course since it was updated during the past two years.
The application deadline is November 4, 2016. If interested, contact Phil Politano, Training Specialist - Course Manager, at Philip.Politano@fema.dhs.gov or (301) 447-1343. For information on prerequisites and course schedules, go to http://training.fema.gov/programs/pio/.
Draft Disaster Resilience Indicators Concept Deadline Extended
The deadline has been
extended until December 15, 2016, to submit inputs and feedback to the
Mitigation Federal Leadership Group (MitFLG) Disaster Resilience Indicators
Subcommittee’s “Draft
Interagency Concept for Community Resilience Indicators and National-Level
Progress Measures." Stakeholders can submit comments and feedback to FEMA-CommunityResilience@fema.dhs.gov.
The document 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 initiative through FEMA and NOAA partnership here.
Integrating Emergency Management into Institutions of Higher Education
EMI will conduct the "Integrating Emergency Management Education into Your Institution" course to assist Historically Black Colleges
and Universities, Hispanic Serving Institutions, and Tribal Colleges and
Universities with either establishing or enhancing their emergency management
curricula.
The course addresses issues unique to these institutions and
begins the process of identifying and overcoming institutional roadblocks of
emergency management-related offerings. The target audience includes
department chairs in disciplines such as sociology, geography, public
administration, and psychology from minority and minority serving institutions
of higher education. The course goal is to achieve a more diverse
population of emergency management professionals who reflect the communities in
which they live and work.
The course will be taught on the following dates:
- February 27-28, 2017, for Hispanic Serving
Institutions
- March 27-28, 2017, for
Tribal Colleges and Universities
- April 19-20, 2017, for
Historically Black Colleges and Universities
All
sessions of the course will be taught at the Emergency Management
Institute, National Emergency Training Center (NETC) at Emmisburg,
Maryland. The application deadline is no later than eight weeks prior to
the start of the course. Enrollment is limited to the first 20
applicants. To apply, complete
a FEMA Form 119-25-1, General Admissions Application, with student
signature
and signature of supervisor or sponsoring agency official. Mail, scan,
or
fax the application to: NETC, Admissions Office Room I-216, 16825 South
Seton
Avenue, Emmitsburg, MD 21727-8998; Phone: (301) 447-1035 Fax: (301)
447-1658; Email: netcadmissions@fema.dhs.gov.
For more information, contact Lillian Virgil at
Lillian.virgil@fema.dhs.gov.
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