In accordance with Executive Order 13777,
“Enforcing the Regulatory Reform Agenda,” the Department of Homeland Security
(DHS) formed a Regulatory Reform Task Force. The Task Force, led by DHS Deputy
Secretary Elaine C. Duke, will review existing regulations, policies, and
information collections across the Department.
To inform this review, FEMA is seeking
public input on regulations, policies, and information collections that may be
appropriate for repeal, replacement, or modification. FEMA requests commenters
be as specific as possible in their remarks. Preferred details would include how,
for example, a particular regulation, policy or information collection, imposes
costs that exceed benefits or is otherwise unnecessary or ineffective.
Commenters should also include any supporting data
or other relevant information such as cost information. When referencing an
existing regulation, please provide specific citations from the Federal
Register or Code of Federal Regulations, and include comprehensive suggestions
regarding repeal, replacement, or modification. Although FEMA will not respond to
individual comments, FEMA values public feedback and will give careful
consideration to all input that it receives.
Public comments may be made until August 14,
2017, at www.regulations.gov, Docket ID FEMA-2017-0023.
FEMA joins with the White House, our federal family and communities across the
country as we mark the 27th Anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) on
July 26. This milestone
civil rights law affirms the rights of people with disabilities and prohibits
discrimination based on disability by state and local governments, private
entities and telecommunications. In unison with the 1973 Rehabilitation Act,
which similarly prohibits discrimination on the basis of disability by the
federal government, the ADA is a powerful tool to ensure people with
disabilities are included in all aspects of emergency management.
At
FEMA, we recognize that emergency management is a whole community effort and,
through our Office of Disability Integration and Coordination, are committed to
including and providing equal access to people with disabilities throughout the
emergency management process.
The Ready
Campaign’s We Prepare Every Day video exemplifies
one of the ADA goals by delivering a strong preparedness message portraying
individuals with disabilities fully engaged in emergency preparedness for
themselves, their families and their community. The preparedness video also demonstrates
FEMA’s commitment to providing equal and effective communication access for the
whole community by including open captioning, a
certified deaf interpreter, and audio
description for viewers who are blind or have low vision. Visit Ready.gov for
more information on emergency preparedness for individuals with disabilities
and others with access and functional needs.
FEMA’s Emergency Management Institute
(EMI) Virtual Tabletop Exercise (VTTX) program will offer an earthquake
scenario September 19, 20,
and 21. The VTTX is designed to help emergency management
professionals exercise their response to the impact that a major earthquake has
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 an earthquake event. Content for each session
is the same for all days and participants should only attend one
session.
Each month, EMI conducts a VTTX series
using a Video Teleconference (VTC) platform to reach community-based training
audiences around the country by providing a virtual forum for interactive
disaster training. The VTTX is designed for a group of ten or more
representatives from state, local, tribal, and territorial emergency management
communities of practice. It provides a unique 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
VTTX occurs 12-4 p.m. Eastern Time. To participate, send an email to douglas.kahn@fema.dhs.gov with a courtesy copy
to fema-emi-iemb@fema.dhs.gov or call 301-447-1381. The
application deadline is August 8, 2017. Additional information is
available at https://training.fema.gov/programs/emivttx.aspx
Members
of the public are often the first to respond to incidents until first
responders can arrive to the scene. FEMA commends Cody Carter, a region
VI employee, for his heroic action to help someone in need.
On
July 3, Carter and several other diners were eating dinner in a hotel
restaurant in Little Rock, Arkansas. Over the chatter in
the restaurant, Carter said he heard someone choking.
Without hesitation, he rushed to assist a man in distress who apparently could
not breathe. He immediately put his arms around him and used the Heimlich
Maneuver, three times, until the man took a breath.
As a crowd
gathered around to see the commotion, Carter returned to his seat as though
nothing had happened. The person who was previously choking stopped by his table
and thanked him. Carter, a U.S. Army veteran who received Combat Life
Saver and CPR/First Aid training, is a Program Support Assistant in FEMA
Region VI. At the time of the incident he was deployed to Arkansas as a
Disaster Survivor Assistance Specialist, working on recovery efforts after
severe storms and flooding (DR-4318) hit that state in spring 2017.
Resources are available to help others learn
what to do at www.ready.gov/prepare.
$8 Million Available for Homeland Security National Training Program Continuing Grants
FEMA announced that $8
million in Fiscal Year 2017 Continuing Training Grants (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. Eastern Time
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.
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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