FEMA Bulletin Week of Nov. 19, 2018

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FEMA BULLETIN

November 19, 2018

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In this Edition:

Important Dates & Deadlines 

November 30

Deadline to submit National Incident Management System feedback forms.


December 21

Deadline to submit Fire Prevention & Safety Grant applications

FEMA Releases 2018 National Preparedness Report

FEMA released the 2018 National Preparedness Report. This report, in its seventh year, summarizes the nation's progress toward becoming a more secure and resilient nation.

 

The National Preparedness Report enables FEMA and the nation as a whole to understand where progress has been made, and where more work is needed. The findings in this report are particularly important in helping communities build a culture of preparedness and improving their resilience for future disasters.

 

These findings provide practical insights into preparedness and should be used to support decisions about future program priorities, resource allocations, and community actions. The 2018 report provides an in-depth evaluation of five core capabilities identified in previous reports as facing persistent preparedness challenges— Infrastructure Systems, Housing, Economic Recovery, Cybersecurity, and Operational Coordination.

 

Refining the scope to focus on these five challenges helps concentrate the discussion on what communities need to accomplish to increase the nation’s preparedness. This will be particularly important in the years to come, as the nation looks to address long-term trends that will influence national preparedness, including rising disaster costs, new technology, an older and more diverse population, and evolving threats such as cybersecurity.


FEMA Launches Website to Track Supplemental Disaster Funding

The Recovery Support Function Leadership Group (RSFLG), comprised of 20 federal agencies, in coordination with FEMA’s RSFLG Program Management Office (PMO) and External Affairs, developed an innovative website to display and track federal interagency supplemental disaster funding for the 2017 hurricanes and California wildfires.

 

The RSFLG PMO Supplemental Funding Website was launched on Nov. 19 and includes the following capabilities:

 

• The Spending Explorer tab illustrates the money agencies receive for specific projects, and state profiles that present visualizations of spending within states and territories affected by the 2017 hurricanes and California wildfires.

 

• Through the Funding in Action tab, visitors are able to see stories of how the federal family uses funds to help affected communities recover from disaster.

 

• The State Profiles tab is an interactive way to explore federal disaster declarations by state, county, hazard, and year to better understand historical flood risks and financial impact.

 

Supplemental funding data on the website will be updated monthly as reported from all federal departments and agencies who receive disaster supplemental funds.


FEMA Announces Interim Management Costs Policies

FEMA released two interim polices Nov. 15 as part of the Disaster Recovery Reform Act of 2018 (DRRA) implementation.

 

On Oct. 5, 2018, President Trump signed the DRRA into law. The legislation contains critical reforms to federal disaster programs. To begin implementation of these reforms, both the FEMA Public Assistance Management Costs (Interim) Policy and the FEMA Hazard Mitigation Grant Program Management Costs (Interim) Policy are now available.

 

Both policies will offer greater flexibility to state, local, tribal, and territorial governments and may allow more funding to manage Hazard Mitigation Grant Program and Public Assistance programs. Under these interim policies, state, local, tribal, and territorial partners may be allowed higher rates of reimbursement for their management costs when implementing Public Assistance (12 percent) and Hazard Mitigation Grant Program projects (15 percent).

 

The DRRA defines management costs as indirect costs, direct administrative costs, and any other administrative expenses for a specific project. These policies will help to simplify the delivery of FEMA’s programs and provides incentives for recipients to practice efficient grants management and complete activities in a timely manner.

 

FEMA worked to develop the interim policies shortly after the law was passed to provide immediate guidance to grant recipients and subrecipients on how they may benefit from the changes to reimbursement for management costs. FEMA is working through implementation guidance for both interim policies.

 

Visit https://www.fema.gov/disaster-recovery-reform-act-2018 for more information and to find a summary of each section of the act, as well as the status on FEMA’s implementation.


PrepTalk on Healthcare Emergencies Released

FEMA released the video of Dr. Sheri Fink’s “Triage, Ethics, And Operations: Healthcare Emergency Preparedness and Response,” from the third PrepTalk symposium event on Sept. 6, 2018.

 

Dr. Fink is author of the Hurricane Katrina-related book “Five Days at Memorial: Life and Death in a Storm-Ravaged Hospital”; and her latest article, “Lost in the Storm,” tracks a family’s attempts to be rescued during Hurricane Harvey. Dr. Fink is a former relief worker in disaster and conflict zones, and received her M.D. and Ph.D. from Stanford University.

 

In her PrepTalk, Dr. Fink shares those two real-world case studies that demonstrate the value of situational awareness, the complexities of prioritizing limited resources, and the importance of ensuring systems can effectively support operational decisions.

 

Videos of her PrepTalk and the question-and-answer session that followed, as well as a discussion guide, and additional reference materials are available at https://www.fema.gov/preptalks/fink. Additional PrepTalks from the Sept. 6 symposium held in Washington, D.C. will be released in the coming months.

 

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.


Center for Domestic Preparedness Hosts Hazardous Materials Training Week

Hazardous Material

Instructor Jeremy Urekew (center), points out damage on a training barrel to students at CDP, noting that punctures can lead to emissions of hazardous material. Urekew also is a captain in the Jefferson County (Ky.) Fire Service.

 

More than 100 healthcare, law enforcement and hazardous materials professionals enhanced their skills and preparedness Nov. 12-16 during Hazardous Materials Training Week at the Center for Domestic Preparedness in Anniston, Ala. Course attendees included students from 32 states, tribes and territories.

 

The week culminated in an Integrated Capstone Exercise that combined the 135 students from five different hazardous materials and healthcare courses to form a cohesive emergency response community and respond to a simulated chemical agent exposure and mass casualty event.

 

Themed training weeks are a recent addition to the CDP’s repertoire, focusing multiple courses on responding to and recovering from an existing or emerging threat. Four more of these training weeks are scheduled for 2019, starting with hazmat theme week, Feb. 24-Mar. 2.

 

Go to CDP’s website for more information on training opportunities.


Thanksgiving Fire Safety Tips

Did you know Thanksgiving is the peak day for home cooking fires? To ensure home fire safety, please keep these tips in mind.

Turkey

 

If you are roasting your turkey, make sure you set a timer. If you are frying your turkey:

• Use a fryer with thermostat controls. This will ensure the oil does not become over heated.

• Thaw your turkey completely. Ice on the bird will cause the oil to splatter.

 Don’t overfill the pot with oil. If you do, the oil will overflow when you add the turkey causing a fire hazard.

• Keep children and pets at least three feet away from the fryer.

• Also, always use the fryer outdoors; never on a deck or in the garage; and keep the fryer a safe distance from the home and other buildings.

 

When Cooking in the Kitchen

 

 Stay in the kitchen when you are frying, boiling or broiling. If you are in the kitchen, it is easier to catch spills or hazardous conditions before they become a fire.

 Keep the area around the stove clear of packaging, paper towels, and dish cloths; anything that can burn.

 Be prepared. Keep a large pan lid or baking sheet handy in case you need to smother a pan fire.

 Be sure to clean up any spills as they happen.

 Turn pot handles towards the back of the stove so you don’t bump them.

 

For more home cooking fire safety tips, visit www.usfa.fema.gov.