When accidents and injuries happen, the actions of people
nearby can make all the difference. FEMA and partners developed the You Are the Help
Until Help Arrives program to train people in the skills needed to
provide lifesaving care before the arrival of professional first
responders.
Until Help Arrives recently reached an important
milestone on the road to building a culture of preparedness, with 100,000 individuals completing the online or classroom training. All Until Help Arrives participants learn
the right steps to take in an emergency: call 9-1-1, stay safe, protect the
injured from harm, stop bleeding, position the injured, and provide comfort.
FEMA aims to empower every American to prepare for, protect
against, and respond to disasters. Partners across the nation can help achieve
this goal by offering Until Help Arrives and other preparedness
initiatives in their communities. To learn more about the steps people should
take to help someone with life-threatening injuries, visit www.ready.gov/untilhelparrives.
Until Help Arrives is a partnership between
FEMA, the U.S.
Department of Health and Human Services Office of the Assistant Secretary for
Preparedness and Response (ASPR),
the Medical Reserve Corps (MRC), and the Uniformed Services University's (USU) National Center for
Disaster Medicine and Public Health (NCDMPH).
On May
31, FEMA released the updated Comprehensive Preparedness Guide (CPG) 201 to
reflect the changes in methodology for the Threat and Hazard Identification and
Risk Assessment (THIRA) and the Stakeholder Preparedness Review (SPR), formerly the State Preparedness Report. The update includes both the
THIRA and SPR because they are interconnected processes that, together,
communities use to evaluate their preparedness. The updated
methodology goes into effect this year.
The THIRA now includes standardized
language to describe threat/hazard impacts and capability targets, and gives
communities a structure to collect more specific, quantitative preparedness information
while also providing important context. Through the updated SPR process,
communities collect more detailed and actionable data on their current
capabilities and identified gaps. They indicate their intended approaches for
addressing those gaps and assess the impact of funding sources on building and
sustaining capabilities,
In addition to releasing the updated CPG 201, FEMA is hosting an
in-person technical assistance session June 13-14 in Houston, Texas. Prior 2018 technical assistance sessions were
held in May in Chandler, Arizona, and Arlington, Virginia.
FEMA is taking a phased approach to
implementation of the updated methodology, beginning in 2018. In 2018,
respondents will only need to address the response, recovery, and cross-cutting
core capabilities in their THIRA/SPR. In 2019, respondents will be required to
address all five mission areas. Beginning in 2019, jurisdictions will only need
to submit a THIRA to FEMA once every three years.
All types of communities can complete the
THIRA/SPR as a way to better understand the risks they face and make important
decisions on how to prevent, protect against, mitigate, respond to, and recover
from the threats and hazards that pose the greatest risks. While all
communities can complete a THIRA/SPR if they choose, the THIRA/SPR is required
among some communities. In
addition to states and territories, Urban Area Security Initiative
(UASI) and Tribal Homeland Security Grant Program (THSGP) recipients will now
also be required to complete the SPR. The THIRA remains a requirement for states, territories, and UASI and
THSGP recipients; however, THSGP recipients will only be required to complete
the THIRA and SPR for some of the core capabilities.
For more information, visit www.fema.gov/threat-and-hazard-identification-and-risk-assessment.
FEMA announced the availability of funds to
support wildfire recovery using the Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP) for
Fire Management Assistance declarations. The eligibility period is for
two fiscal years from October 1, 2016 through September 30, 2018.
To date, 85 Fire Management Assistance declarations are
eligible for HMGP Post Fire grants in six FEMA regions. The HMGP Post Fire
program leverages the existing Hazard
Mitigation Assistance Guidance. Eligible applicants must have a
FEMA-approved mitigation plan in order to receive HMGP Post Fire support. To view eligible declarations, visit www.fema.gov/disasters and select the declaration type, “Fire Management Assistance.”
FEMA will send a formal
funding notification letter to each eligible applicant. Eligible
applicants such as states, territories and federally recognized tribes will
have six months from the date of the funding notification letter to apply for
funds. Two 90 day extensions may be requested. For additional
information about HMGP Post Fire, visit www.fema.gov/hazard-mitigation-grant-program-post-fire.
On this week’s episode of
the FEMA Podcast, we catch up with the brave men and women of the U.S. Air
Force Hurricane Hunters. Major Nicole Mitchell, a meteorologist with the
hunters, gives us a tour of the aircraft and discusses what it’s like to fly
right through the most intense parts of a hurricane.
The FEMA Podcast is a new audio program series available to anyone
interested in learning more about the Agency, hearing about innovation
in the field of emergency management, and listening to stories about
communities and individuals recovering after disasters. The FEMA Podcast is available on Apple iTunes
to stream or download. Approximately 20 to 30 minutes in length, the
podcast will be updated with a new episode on a weekly basis. By
subscribing, new episodes will automatically update on a listener's
device. For more information, visit www.fema.gov/podcast.
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FEMA Seeks Comments on Individual Assistance Policy and Program Guide
FEMA
posted the draft Individual Assistance Program and Policy Guide (IAPPG)
for public comment. The IAPPG will provide a single comprehensive
reference document for all FEMA Individual Assistance (IA) programs. The comment period will close on June 7, 2018. FEMA
will then adjudicate comments and finalize the document. Once finalized, the
IAPPG will replace the Individuals and Households Program Unified Guidance
(IHPUG) from September 2016, and all stand-alone IA policies.
Please visit www.fema.gov/individual-assistance-program-and-policy-guide to
review and provide comments on the draft IAPPG.
Apply to the National Emergency Management Advanced and Executive Academies
FEMA’s Emergency Management Institute (EMI) is accepting applications until June 8, 2018 for the National Emergency Management Advanced Academy and the National Emergency Management Executive Academy.
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.
Apply to the Master Public Information Officer Program at FEMA's Emergency Management Institute
FEMA Emergency Management Institute's (EMI) Master Public Information Officer Program is a
three-course series designed to prepare public information officers for an
expanded role in delivering public information and warning using a strategic
whole community approach.
The course is open to full time public information officers
with a minimum of five years of experience
and who have a demonstrated sphere of influence capable of advancing the
relevance of whole community external affairs. For more information go to: https://training.fema.gov/programs/pio/masterpio.aspx#E0389,
or send an email to FEMA-Master_PIO_Program@FEMA.DHS.GOV. The application deadline is June 30, 2018. For instructions how to apply for the program, go
to the Training
Bulletin.
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