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FEMA continues to solicit comments on the Public Assistance
Deductible Supplemental Advance Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (SANPRM)
until April 12, 2017 at 11:59 p.m. ET. The Public
Assistance Deductible will create an incentivized system that encourages
additional investments in mitigation, risk-reduction, and
preparedness. As the concept is still in the early stages of
development, FEMA is seeking comment on all aspects of the deductible,
including whether
there are alternatives that will better achieve FEMA’s objectives of
lowering
future disaster costs through increased investments in risk-reduction.
The framework is
described in full detail in the Supplemental Advance Notice of Advance Rulemaking
(SANPRM) available for comment on www.Regulations.gov
Docket ID: FEMA_FRDOC_0001 and on the Federal
Register as Document Number 2017-00467.
If you have any questions about the deductible or experience
difficulty posting a comment, please contact Colt Hagmaier at william.hagmaier@fema.dhs.gov.
On April 7, FEMA published a Federal
Register notice to seek public comment on a draft Nationwide
Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement (NPEIS) about the
National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP). As required by the National
Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), FEMA developed this draft NPEIS to
examine the impacts of proposed improvements and modifications to the NFIP.
This draft NPEIS includes an evaluation of the potential impacts to the natural
and human environment associated with the NFIP at a programmatic level, as well
as an evaluation of impacts of alternative proposals to modify the NFIP.
The NFIP proposed
modifications are needed to implement the legislative requirements of the Biggert-Waters Flood Insurance Reform Act of 2012
(BW-12) and the Homeowner Flood Insurance Affordability Act of 2014
(HFIAA), and to demonstrate compliance with the Endangered
Species Act (ESA). Today, more than 22,000
communities participate in the NFIP, with more than 5.1 million NFIP policies
in effect, providing over $1.2 trillion in insurance coverage. The NFIP
serves as the foundation for national efforts to reduce the loss of life and
property from flood disaster.
The public comment
period is open for 60 days from April 7, 2017 to June 6, 2017. Download a
copy of the draft NPEIS and provide
comments directly to FEMA via www.regulations.gov. Search for Docket ID FEMA-2012-0012. In addition, public meetings
and webinars are scheduled by FEMA to allow the public an opportunity to learn
more about the project and to provide comments on the NFIP draft NPEIS. For a list of locations and webinar dates and times, visit www.fema.gov/programmatic-environmental-impact-statement.
FEMA
issued an update to the Public
Assistance Program and Policy Guide (PAPPG), effective for all
disasters declared on or after April 1, 2017. The Public Assistance Program and
Policy Guide (PAPPG) combines all Public Assistance (PA) policy into one
consolidated document. The PAPPG also includes an overview of the PA Program
implementation process, with links to other publications and documents that provide additional process details.
The update to PAPPG is
based on feedback received on the previous version and includes the Public
Assistance Required Minimum Standards Policy, which was released on
September 30, 2016. Other changes made include:
- reference to the
regulatory deadline for requesting additional areas be added to a declaration;
- adding specific
documentation necessary to support an emergency, non-congregate sheltering;
- moving, refining, and
adding language pertaining to facilities located in or impacting a floodplain;
- adjusting language
associated with relocating facilities;
- removing the statement
that roads on U.S. Government “trust lands” were not eligible; and
- re-organizing the Appendix on
Cost Effective Hazard Mitigation Measures to list
the mitigation measures by items being mitigated as opposed to specific types
of facilities and adding similar low cost mitigation measures.
Questions and comments on
the PAPPG can be sent to FEMA-PAPolicy@fema.dhs.gov.
Each year for Arson
Awareness Week, the U.S. Fire Administration (USFA)
gathers and
shares information to raise awareness of arson or youth fire-setting and
provide
individuals with strategies to combat these problems in their community.
Arson Awareness Week will be from May 7-13 this year and USFA is
providing shareable content about how to help community leaders increase awareness about how to prevent arson at houses of worship.
The burning of a house of worship not only devastates the affected congregation, but wounds the entire community.
Whether the motivation behind the arson is hate or reckless vandalism, a
congregation views it as an attack on their beliefs and values. Arson robs congregations of their valuable assets, lives
and property. Arson destroys more than the buildings used as houses of worship;
it can devastate a community, resulting in the decline of the neighborhood
through increased insurance premiums, loss of business revenue, and a decrease
in property values.
Houses of worship are particularly vulnerable to fire
damage because they’re often unoccupied for long periods of time, and in many
cases, in rural areas. Rural properties will generally sustain more severe
damage – even with an accidental fire – since discovery and response time may
be delayed.
USFA is also hosting a "Preventing Arson at Houses of Worship" webinar on Tuesday, April 25 at 1 p.m. ET. Participants can register for the webinar online.
FEMA’s annual
funding opportunity for the Fire Prevention and Safety (FP&S) Grants opens next
week. FP&S Grants are
part of the Assistance to Firefighters Grant and support projects that enhance
the safety of the public and firefighters from fire and related hazards.
The application period for the Fiscal Year (FY) 2016 FP&S Grants
will open on Monday, April 17, 2017, at 8 a.m. ET and will close on Friday, May 19, 2017, at 5 p.m. ET. A total of $34.5 million will be available.
The primary
goal of these grants is to reduce injury and prevent fire-related deaths among
high-risk populations. In 2005, Congress reauthorized funding for FP&S and
expanded the eligible uses of funds to include Firefighter Safety Research and
Development. For more information on fire prevention grants, visit www.fema.gov/fire-prevention-safety-grants.
FEMA congratulates the
20 students who graduated from the National Emergency Management Basic Academy
on March 23, 2017. These students completed the full Basic Academy curriculum
which provides the basic knowledge and skills to help meet the unpredictable
challenges in the field of emergency management. Graduates represented
emergency management professionals from federal, state, county governments,
local, and education establishments.
FEMA’s National
Emergency Management Basic Academy is the entry-point for individuals pursuing
a career in emergency management. The Basic Academy offers the tools to develop
comprehensive foundational skills needed in emergency management. For
those who are new to emergency management, the Basic Academy also provides a
unique opportunity to build camaraderie, to establish professional contacts,
and to understand the roles, responsibilities, and legal boundaries associated
with emergency management.
The
Basic Academy is the first of a three-level Academy series in the Emergency
Management Professional Program (EMPP). The EMPP curriculum is designed to
provide a lifetime of learning for emergency management professionals and
includes three separate, but closely threaded, training programs building from
the Basic Academy to the National Emergency Management Advanced Academy, a
program to develop the next generation of emergency management leaders who are
trained in advanced concepts and issues, advanced leadership and management,
and critical thinking and problem solving; and culminating in the National
Emergency Management Executive Academy, a program designed to challenge and
enhance the talents of the nation’s emergency management senior executives
through critical thinking, visionary strategic planning, challenging
conventional concepts, and negotiation and conflict resolution applied to
complex real-world problems.
Emergency management professionals should visit www.training.fema.gov/empp for more information
about which academy best suits their needs.
Increasing Engagement with Faith-based Organizations in Disaster Preparedness Webinar
FEMA's Emergency Management Institute (EMI) is hosting a webinar emphasizing the value of increasing engagement with faith-based organizations for disaster preparedness on April 12 at 2-3:30 p.m. ET. The webinar is a
joint effort between the DHS Center for Faith-based and Neighborhood
Partnerships and FEMA’s Higher Education Program that will provide a forum to help to ensure emergency
managers, faith-based and community organizations are aware of academic partner
resources and engagement opportunities. Participants can register for the webinar online and use the conference call-in (800) 320-4330; PIN: 376368#.
National Emergency Management Institute Offers Flood Virtual Tabletop Exercise
FEMA’s
EMI Virtual Tabletop Exercise (VTTX) program
will offer a flood scenario May 24-25, 2017. The VTTX is designed to help
emergency management professionals exercise their response to the impact of
major flooding on their community. The VTTX involves key personnel discussing
simulated scenarios in an informal setting, and can be used to assess plans,
policies, training, and procedures during a flood and inundation challenge.
The
VTTX occurs 12-4 p.m. ET. To participate, send an email to
douglas.kahn@fema.dhs.gov or call 301-447-7645. Also, send a courtesy copy
email to fema-emi-iemb@fema.dhs.gov or call 301-447-1381. The application deadline is May 1, 2017. Additional information is
available at https://training.fema.gov/programs/emivttx.aspx.
National
Emergency Management Advanced Academy Applications
EMI is accepting
applications for the National Emergency Management Advanced Academy.
This program addresses program management and oversight, effective
communication, integrated collaboration, and strategic thinking skills.
The target audience is mid-level managers who have a minimum of three years of
experience in an emergency management position to include government,
non-profit, voluntary organization, and private sector leaders who are
responsible for emergency management or homeland security.
The Advanced Academy Program consists of four resident
courses and is five days in length. Classes begin in October, November,
or December 2017 and are ideally taken sequentially through September 2018. Applications will be accepted until May 31, 2017, with selections in June and announcements in July.
For more information, contact fema-empp-advanced-academy@fema.dhs.gov.
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