Since 2012, the Department
of Homeland Security provided more than $47 million in Homeland
Security National Training Program Continuing Training Grants (CTG) awards. Yesterday, FEMA announced that $8
million in Fiscal Year 2017 CTG funding is available to develop and deliver
FEMA training to address specific focus areas: Cybersecurity, Economic Recovery,
Housing, and Rural and Tribal Preparedness.
Administered annually by
FEMA, this competitive program attracts applicants nationwide, including state, local, tribal, and territorial governments, non-profit local and national organizations, colleges
and universities, and faith-based organizations. Complete instructions to
apply are found in the Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO), posted on Grants.gov, listed under Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance number
97.005, Continuing Training Grants. FEMA will review, evaluate
and score proposals by applying a methodology that is detailed in the NOFO. The
CTG application period opened on June 26, 2017 and will close at 11:59 p.m. EDT
on July 26, 2017. Awards will be made by September 30, 2017.
For questions regarding
the CTG program, contact FEMA’s National Training and Education Division via
email at FEMA-NTES@fema.dhs.gov or contact Mr. Patrick Cowhey, patrick.cowhey@fema.dhs.gov and (202) 786-0905.
FEMA today released 48 Core Capability
Development Sheets to help state, local, tribal, and territorial jurisdictions build
and sustain their core capabilities as well as close capability gaps identified
through the Threat and Hazard Identification and Risk Assessment, the State
Preparedness Report, or other capability assessments. The National Preparedness Goal identifies the
core capabilities needed by all jurisdictions to be fully prepared to prevent, protect,
mitigate against, respond to, and recover from all hazards and to be able to implement
the National Preparedness System.
Each sheet provides the core capability
definition and tasks, relevant trainings, example capability targets, typed
resources, critical planning partners, validation techniques, and additional
organizations that support development or delivery of the specific capability.
Download the sheets by mission area – Prevention, Protection, Mitigation,
Response, and Recovery – or as a complete set at: www.fema.gov/fema-technical-assistance-program.
The sheets will be updated and improved with
feedback. Please contact FEMA-TARequest@fema.dhs.gov with any comments.
Following
flooding and severe storms, FEMA selected
Missouri (DR-4317) and New Hampshire (DR-4316) to be the next two states to
implement FEMA’s New Public Assistance Delivery Model. Over the last 20 years,
FEMA delivered the Public Assistance (PA) program the same way with a one-size fits all approach -- that is changing.
Following successful implementations in Oregon and Georgia, FEMA took lessons
learned and is pushing forward into the third stage of implementation.
The new model delivers the PA program
more efficiently and is focused on providing excellent customer service to meet
the needs of state, tribal, and local entities as they work to rebuild public
infrastructure after a disaster.
- Segmenting
projects based on the complexity of the type of work;
- Standardizing
workflow process, including the development of the PA Grants Manager and Grants
Portal tools, to promote consistency and accountability;
- Specializing staff
roles and responsibilities, fitting the right skill sets with grant applicant
requirements to ensure quality applications; and
- Consolidating
subject matter experts in Consolidated Resource Centers (CRC) to improve
consistency, as well as making them available for wider use across disaster
operations.
Following
implementation of the new model in Missouri and New Hampshire, additional
disasters will implement the new model with the goal of using the new model in
all newly declared disasters by early 2018.
For
additional questions about the New Public Assistance Delivery Model, please
email FEMA-PA-Grants@fema.dhs.gov.
FEMA's Emergency
Management Institute (EMI) congratulates the State of Rhode Island for
completing their Integrated Emergency Management Course (IEMC), June 19-22,
2017. The four-day course was designed specifically for their jurisdiction,
providing both lecture and exercise-based training.
There were more than 100 emergency
management personnel who participated in the course, representing all levels of
government in Rhode Island, from the Governor’s Office to first responders. The
exercise, emanating from Rhode Island’s Emergency Operations Center (EOC),
simulated a Category 3 hurricane and the impact on residents across the state.
The exercise incorporated simulated response from five local EOCs, ensuring
situational awareness for Rhode Island Emergency Management Agency staff. EMI sent
a training specialist and technician to support the exercise, and FEMA’s
National Exercise Division sent two personnel who served as exercise
controllers. FEMA Region 1 supported the IEMC providing local expert
instruction on FEMA and FEMA regional policies, local concerns, trends and
equities.
IEMC courses simulate
realistic crisis situations that emergency operations center personnel and
community leadership/elected officials may encounter during disasters or other
events. Also, the course helps enhance the skills of participating officials,
and provides a forum to evaluate the effectiveness of their specific emergency
policies, plans, and procedures that protect life and property. The course’s
target audience includes state, local, tribal, and territorial government
personnel; their elected and appointed officials; supervisory, operations, and
emergency support personnel; nonprofit organizations; the private sector; law
enforcement personnel; firefighters; attorneys; public information officers;
planners; and other whole community stakeholders and partners.
IEMC classes are principally delivered at FEMA’s EMI at the
National Emergency Training Center in Emmitsburg, Maryland; however, local
delivery such as this one can also be conducted in a specific jurisdiction.
Questions should be directed to FEMA-EMI-IEMB@fema.dhs.gov. If your
jurisdiction is interested in applying for the program or is seeking more
information on the application process and its timeline, please visit http://training.fema.gov/iemc/.
Peter Gaynor, Director, Rhode Island EMA, speaks at the Integrated Emergency Management Course.
Emergency Management Institute Hosts Training e-Forums in June
During
the month of June, EMI will host weekly “One
Link, One Bridge, Many Voices” e-Forums that will provide an opportunity for
the emergency management community to discuss matters of interest related to
national preparedness training. The
pilot forums
will showcase community partners and peers, sharing their experiences in panel
format that offers opportunities to provide technical assistance in training
management by facilitating peer-to-peer sharing of best practices.
June 28: THIRA/SPR Development
Each year, states produce two
self-assessments, the Threat and Hazard Identification and Risk Assessment
(THIRA) and the State Preparedness Report (SPR). Join us to hear North
Dakota and FEMA’s National Preparedness Assessment Division discuss the
importance of the role of the State Training Officer in the THIRA and SPR
process.
Registration link: https://fema.connectsolutions.com/emieforums
Conference call-in:
800-320-4330, PIN 107622#
For
questions, contact: https://training.fema.gov/contactus/sendcomment.aspx
Participation does not require pre-registration.
Continuity Guidance Circular Draft Released for National Engagement
FEMA released the draft of an updated Continuity Guidance
Circular for national engagement. The document provides
recommendations on developing and maintaining the capability to ensure
continuity of operations, continuity of government, and enduring constitutional
government. National
preparedness and sustainment of essential functions is a shared responsibility
of the whole community – business, nonprofit and governmental entities. FEMA’s National Continuity Programs developed
the Circular in 2009 and issued its first revision in 2013.
The 30-day
national engagement period includes several 60-minute engagement webinars to
describe the draft document, provide information on how to submit feedback, and
to answer stakeholders’ questions. Feedback from stakeholders will shape the
development of the final document. For more
information and to review the draft documents, visit www.fema.gov/continuity-guidance-circular by July 6, 2017. Submit your completed feedback form to FEMA-CGC@fema.dhs.gov.
Apply for the 2018 National Emergency Management Executive Academy
FEMA’s
EMI is now accepting application packages for the 2018 National
Emergency Management Executive Academy.
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.
Applications will be
accepted through August 15, 2017. 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.
Comments Needed for Draft Policy on Floodplain Development
FEMA
prepared a draft policy for FEMA staff and communities participating in the
NFIP to update guidance for participating communities on satisfying National
Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) floodplain development permit requirements, and
to address questions about floodplain permitting of development activities
occurring in the FEMA designated Special Flood Hazard Areas (SFHA). Through
this policy, a community can ensure compliance with NFIP and local floodplain
management regulations, while potentially reducing the administrative burden
associated with permitting certain types of low-to-no impact development in the
floodplain.
This
guidance does not intend to address other permits associated with building
codes, or other federal, state, local, tribal, or territorial permits, and only
applies to floodplain development permitting requirements to enroll in, and
maintain eligibility for, the NFIP. The draft policy is available for review on FEMA’s
website at: https://www.fema.gov/media-library/assets/documents/131010,
and the public is invited to provide comment and input via FEMA-Floodplain-Management-Division@fema.dhs.gov
until August 23, 2017.
FEMA Tribal Outreach and Consultation Period on FEMA Tribal Consultation Policy
FEMA initiated a 90-day outreach and consultation period
from June 1 to August 29, 2017, to seek input from federally recognized Indian
tribal governments on the update of the agency’s Tribal Consultation
Policy. The FEMA
Tribal Consultation Policy, first issued in 2014, acknowledges the agency’s
nation-to-nation relationship with tribal governments. The policy also guides how FEMA
engages tribal governments in regular and meaningful consultation and
collaboration on policy and actions that have tribal implications.
Tribal officials can submit
comments on the FEMA Tribal Consultation until August 29, 2017,
through:
- E-mail to tribalconsultation@fema.dhs.gov, or
- Mail to ATTN: Margeau Valteau, Office of External Affairs,
DHS/FEMA, 500 C Street SW, Washington, DC 20472-3191.
Visit FEMA’s Tribal Affairs
web page for more information on the tribal consultation period for this
policy.
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