FEMA extended the Public Assistance Alternative
Procedures (PAAP) Debris Pilot through June 27, 2019, to collect additional data about the effectiveness of the
pilot program.
The
data FEMA collects is used to assess the program’s effectiveness in advancing the goals identified in the Sandy Recovery
Improvement Act (SRIA). These include:
- Reducing the costs to the federal government of
providing Public Assistance.
- Increasing flexibility in the administration of
such assistance.
- Expediting the provision of assistance to a
state, local, tribal, or territorial government, or nonprofit owner or operator of a private
nonprofit facility.
- Providing financial incentives and disincentives
for timely and cost-effective completion of projects with such assistance.
In order to reduce the complexity of FEMA, streamline the
grantee experience, and simplify program delivery, FEMA is discontinuing the
Recycling Revenue prodcedure and the Sliding Scale.
Updated information on the Pilot is in the Public Assistance Alternative
Procedures Debris Pilot Guide at www.fema.gov/alternative-procedures.
After a disaster, volunteers and donations play a critical
role in a community’s recovery. After Hurricane Harvey in August 2017, volunteers went above
and beyond to help those affected by the hurricane. In order to ensure those types of contributions are valued, FEMA amended its policy to allow Public Assistance program
applicants to apply the value of donated resources used for eligible permanent work towards their non-federal cost share.
Projects approved under the Public Assistance program
are subject to cost sharing. This non-federal cost share is typically 25
percent of the total project cost. Examples of eligible donated resources include donating equipment to raise or reinforce a levee
or voluntary filling and placing of sandbags before a flood. For more
information on the policy, visit www.fema.gov.
Many people enjoy picnics,
family, and fireworks on July 4. Fireworks are fun and beautiful, but they are
also dangerous if not handled properly. In the month of July, an average 280
people go to the emergency room each day due to firework related accidents.
Sparklers can burn at 2,000 degrees Fahrenheit, which is as hot as a blow
torch. The United States Fire Administration urges everyone to stay safe this
Independence Day, and to leave the fireworks to the professionals.
Here are some safety tips
for those who decide to legally purchase and use fireworks:
- Keep a bucket of water
or garden hose nearby.
- Never allow young
children to play with or light fireworks.
- Don’t stand over a
firework when lighting the fuse.
- Light fireworks one at a
time.
- Do not try to relight a
firework that isn’t working properly.
For more information about
summer safety and fireworks, visit www.usfa.fema.gov.
FEMA and the Emergency Management Institute
(EMI) released two revised online National Incident Management System (NIMS)
courses. NIMS defines the comprehensive approach guiding the whole community to
work together during incidents.
- IS-100.c, An
Introduction to the Incident Command System, introduces the Incident Command System (ICS) and provides the foundation
for higher level ICS training.
- IS-700.b, An Introduction to the National Incident
Management System is an overview providing learners with a
basic understanding of NIMS concepts, principles, and components.
The
two new courses are available at https://training.fema.gov/is/.
Students will have access to tests for the legacy versions of these courses,
IS-100.b and IS-700.a, until July 26.
FEMA's
Emergency Management Institute (EMI) congratulates the Commonwealth of Puerto
Rico for completing their Integrated Emergency Management Course (IEMC), June
11-14, 2018. The four-day course was designed specifically for their
jurisdiction, providing both lecture and exercise-based training for a
hurricane scenario.
There
were more than 150 emergency management personnel who participated in the
course throughout the week, representing Emergency Operations Center (EOC)
personnel from Puerto Rico departments and agencies, as well as municipal
emergency management personnel that participated virtually in the training and
exercise. The classroom presentations were translated into Spanish by FEMA and
was instructed by local, Spanish-speaking presenters from FEMA, the Puerto Rico
Emergency Management Agency (PREMA), and the Puerto Rico National Guard.
The exercise simulated pre-landfall preparations for a Category 5 hurricane and
the post-landfall impact on residents across the island. EMI sent a training specialist
to support the course management and exercise conduct. FEMA Region II and the
Puerto Rico Joint Recovery Office supported the IEMC providing instruction and
exercise simulation.
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/.
FEMA’s National
Emergency Management Basic Academy is designed for individuals pursuing a career in emergency management,
offering the tools to develop comprehensive foundational emergency management skills.
On Thursday, June 28, the Basic Academy reached an important milestone
on the road to building a nationwide cadre of trained emergency managers, commemorating
its 1,000th graduate. Individuals from across the nation, as well as
emergency managers from Nigeria and Turkey, successfully completed the 160
hours of classroom training.
The Basic Academy provides
the knowledge and skills necessary to meet the unpredictable challenges in the
field of emergency management. It also provides a unique opportunity to build camaraderie,
establish professional contacts, and understand the roles, responsibilities,
and legal boundaries associated with emergency management.
FEMA
aims to provide a lifetime of learning for emergency management professionals
through its Emergency Management Professional Program (EMPP) curriculum.
The Basic Academy program is the first of a three-level Academy series. The
EMPP also includes the Advanced Academy, a program to develop the next
generation of emergency management leaders who are trained in advanced
concepts, issues, leadership, and management, as well as critical thinking and
problem solving. The EMPP culminates in the Executive Academy, 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.
Visit www.training.fema.gov/empp for
more information about the academies.
Register for the Emergency Management Institute's Cyber Virtual Tabletop Exercise
FEMA’s Emergency
Management Institute (EMI) Virtual Tabletop Exercise (VTTX) Program will offer
three cyber security breach scenarios August 7, 8, and 9, 2018. The VTTX
occurs 12 p.m. – 4 p.m. ET. To participate, send an email to Doug
Kahn at douglas.kahn@fema.dhs.gov
or call 301-447-7645. Also, send a courtesy copy email to the Integrated
Emergency Management Branch at fema-emi-iemb@fema.dhs.gov
or call 301-447-1381. Content is the same each day and participants would
attend only one session. Additional information is available at https://training.fema.gov/programs/emivttx.aspx.
The registration deadline is July 20.
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