FEMA,
in partnership with organizations that collectively represent the emergency
management profession, released today the seventh video presentation from the
inaugural PrepTalks Symposium, John Hope Bryant’s “Financial Literacy and
Overcoming Liquid Asset Poverty.”
In his PrepTalk,
Bryant, founder, chairman and chief executive officer of Operation HOPE,
Inc., makes an impassioned case for
emergency managers to make financial literacy a priority in their communities. Some
neighborhoods are in crisis before a disaster ever hits, he says. He asks emergency
managers to consider how disaster recovery dollars could improve the financial
resilience of community members that live in poverty.
Operation HOPE, Inc. is a not-for-profit organization that
champions financial literacy and capability empowerment for youth. Bryant is
the author of the bestselling books “The Memo: Five Rules for Your Economic
Liberation” and “How the Poor can Save Capitalism: Rebuilding the Path to the
Middle Class.”
Bryant’s
presentation, the question-and-answer session that followed, a discussion
guide, and additional reference materials are available
at https://www.fema.gov/preptalks. This is the seventh video of eight being produced from the
PrepTalks Symposium held in Washington, D.C. in January. The final PrepTalk
from this symposium will be released in April. The
next PrepTalks Symposium is tentatively scheduled for fall of 2018.
PrepTalks are a
partnership between FEMA, the International Association of Emergency Managers,
the National Emergency Management Association, the National Homeland Security
Consortium, and the Naval Postgraduate School Center for Homeland Defense and
Security.
During March, FEMA is highlighting ways that promote the partnership and commitment to support communities and build a more resilient nation. Read the latest blog, “A Mitigation Plan is the Foundation for a Safer, Stronger and More Resilience Community,” which highlights the strategic planning that one community has made through the decades to prevent future disaster losses.
FEMA’s mitigation grants reduce overall risk to a community’s residents and structures as well as reduce reliance on federal funding. The program’s goals are to provide a long-term solution to a natural hazard and ensure that the potential savings must be more than the cost of implementing the mitigation project in a community. To date, more than $15 billion in mitigation grants have helped local communities, states, tribes and territories across the country.
Visit https://www.fema.gov/30-years-of-HMA to see a detailed timeline about mitigation and the evolution of the program, examples of project highlights, Hazard Mitigation Assistance funding at all levels, and blog posts with reflections from FEMA employees who have been a part of the program over the years.
|
The application period for the Fiscal Year 2017 Staffing for Adequate Fire and
Emergency Response (SAFER) Grants has opened, with $345
million in funding available to enhance the ability of recipients
to attain and maintain 24-hour fire department staffing and to assure that
their communities have adequate protection from fire and fire-related hazards. Applications
are being accepted through 5 p.m. EDT on Friday, April 27, 2018.
Volunteer, career, and combination fire departments
are eligible to apply under the Hiring of Firefighters. Municipalities and fire
districts may submit applications on behalf of fire departments when the fire
department lacks the legal status to do so, e.g., when the fire department
falls within the auspices of the municipality or district. Eligibility for Recruitment
and Retention of Firefighters funding is limited to volunteer and
combination fire departments. National, state, local, or tribal organizations
representing the interests of volunteer firefighters and individual fire
departments (volunteer or combination) may apply for assistance for regional
projects.
This is the
last of the application periods to open for the FY 2017 Assistance to Firefighters
Grants programs. The Assistance to
Firefighters Grants and Fire
Prevention & Safety Grants application periods have closed.
Yesterday, FEMA announced
allocations for jurisdictions through the Emergency Food and Shelter Program
to assist organizations dedicated to feeding, sheltering, and providing
critical resources to our nation's hungry and homeless. Total funding of $120
million was awarded and made available by Congress for the National Board of
the Emergency Food and Shelter Program to support social service agencies in cities and counties across the
country. A state-by-state list of the
eligible jurisdictions and award amounts is available at www.efsp.unitedway.org.
Emergency Food and Shelter Program funding is allocated to
qualifying jurisdictions based on thresholds involving population, unemployment
and poverty levels both nationally and locally. Grants are then awarded to
non-profit community and government organizations that are chosen by local
boards in the qualifying jurisdictions. This year’s award to the National Board
brings the total aid disbursed in the EFS’s 35-year history to more than $4.43
billion.
FEMA’s Emergency Management Institute (EMI) is hosting a series of
“One Link, One Bridge, Many Voices” e-Forums every Wednesday from 3-4 p.m.
Eastern Time (ET). EMI e-Forums are one-hour, moderated webinar
discussions that provide an opportunity for EMI and the emergency management
community to discuss matters of interest on national preparedness training. The
e-Forums showcase whole community partners and peers, sharing their
experiences. The panel format offers opportunities to provide technical
assistance in training management by facilitating peer-to-peer sharing of best
practices.
April EMI e-Forums
- 4/4 Emergency Management Professional Program
(EMPP): Blended Methods of Training to Deliver the Basic Academy
- 4/11 Incorporating Reusable Learning Objects
(RLOs) in Training: How to tips from an Instructional Systems Designer
- 4/18 Master Exercise Practitioner Program (MEPP):
How the Application Process Works
-
4/25 Engaging Faith-Based and Community
Organizations: Preparedness Considerations for Emergency Managers
Participation link: https://fema.connectsolutions.com/emieforums
Conference call-in: 800-320-4330, PIN 107622
Questions: https://training.fema.gov/contactus/sendcomment.aspx. EMI e-Forums on Adobe Connect are mobile device
accessible.
FEMA is seeking applicants for the Youth Preparedness Council, which brings together teens from across the country who are interested and engaged in community preparedness. Council members are selected based on their dedication to public service, their efforts in making a difference in their communities, and their potential to expand their impact as national leaders for preparedness. Students in 8th through 11th grade are eligible to apply.
Youth interested in applying to the Council must submit a completed application form, provide two letters of recommendation, and academic records. All applications and supporting materials must be received no later than March 30, 2018, 11:59 p.m. PDT. New council members will be announced in May 2018. To access the application materials, read about the current Council members, and for more general information about the Youth Preparedness Council visit www.ready.gov/youth-preparedness-council.
FEMA’s Emergency Management Institute (EMI) is accepting applications until May 15, 2018 for the National Emergency Management Advanced Academy and the National Emergency Management Executive Academy.
The Advanced Academy 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. The program consists of four resident courses conducted at the National Emergency Training Center in Emmitsburg, Maryland; each course is five days in length. Classes begin in October, November, or December 2018 and are ideally taken sequentially through September 2019.
The Executive Academy curriculum enhances 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, have 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 objectives of the Executive Academy are 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, distance learning, and literature reviews.
For more information and to apply for the Advanced Academy, go to https://training.fema.gov/empp/applytoadvancedacademy.aspx or contact fema-empp-advanced-academy@fema.dhs.gov. For the Executive Academy, go to https://training.fema.gov/empp/applytoexecutiveacademy.aspx or contact fema-empp-executive-academy@fema.dhs.gov.
Learn How to Strengthen Your Organization’s Cybersecurity
FEMA invites
you to a cybersecurity webinar on Wednesday, March 28, 12:00 – 1:00 p.m. ET. Speakers will provide overviews of:
incident response resources, hands-on technical assistance, and information-sharing resources available from the Department of Homeland Security’s
Critical Infrastructure Cyber Community (C3) Voluntary Program, and the
Financial Services Information Sharing and Analysis Center (FS-ISAC), a global,
non-profit organization consisting of 7,000+ members from throughout the
banking, securities, and insurance industries. Learn how to connect the FS-ISAC trusted network to crisis
planning, exercising, and response and recovery activities to your organizations.
How to Join the Webinar: Register for the event using the Adobe
Connect registration web link and test
your Adobe Connect connection prior to the meeting. The webinar will offer captioning.
2018 National Preparedness Symposium Promoting Whole Community Preparedness Through Unity of Effort
FEMA's Emergency
Management Institute (EMI) will host the 2018 National Preparedness Symposium
from May 21-24 at the National Emergency Training Center in Emmitsburg, Maryland. The symposium provides federal, state, tribal, territorial, and
nongovernmental training and exercise officials the opportunity to discuss
current and future training and exercise programs and to share case studies,
lessons-learned, and smart practices. The theme is “promoting whole community
preparedness through unity of effort,” with a focus on promoting a culture of
preparedness in America.
Applications for registration must be received by
April 9, 2018. To apply and for more information, visit https://training.fema.gov/nationalpreparednesssymposium/
or contact the EMI National Training Liaison Dan Lubman at daniel.lubman@fema.dhs.gov.
Property Acquisition Open Space Collection Comment Period
FEMA recently listed a Federal Register Notice
for public comments about information collection. In accordance with the
Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, this notice seeks comments concerning the
process of property acquisition and relocation for open space as part of FEMA's
mitigation grant programs, monitoring requirements after a receiving a grant,
and a direct grant to property owners for acquisition and demolition of severe
repetitive loss structures. Comments may be submitted through the Federal
Register at www.federalregister.gov/d/2018-03949 until April 30, 2018.
|