FEMA Bulletin Week of July 2, 2018

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FEMA BULLETIN

July 2, 2018

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In this Edition:

Important Dates & Deadlines 

July 20

Emergency Management Institute's Cyber Virtual Tabletop Exercise Registration Deadline

FEMA Extends Alternative Procedures Debris Pilot

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.


FEMA Releases Donated Resources Policy for Public Assistance

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.


Firework Safety Tips

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.

Fireworks safety tips.

FEMA Releases Two Revised National Incident Management System Courses

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.


Integrated Emergency Management Course Helps Communities Prepare

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/.


National Emergency Management Basic Academy Reaches Milestone with 1,000 Graduates

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.

Basic Academy class photo.

Reminder of Upcoming Deadlines

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.