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FEMA is seeking qualified individuals to lend their expertise and serve on the agency’s National Advisory Council.
The National Advisory Council includes a geographically diverse and substantive cross-section of 35 members who advise the FEMA Administrator on all aspects of emergency management, ensuring input from and coordination with state, local, tribal and territorial governments as well as the private and nonprofit sectors.
FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell will appoint up to 14 members who will begin serving on the council in December. Council members selected will guide future recommendations on topics including equity, climate, readiness and workforce. The agency is accepting applications for 11 discipline-specific positions and three administrator-selected positions. Discipline-specific positions include climate change, cybersecurity, disabilities, access and functional needs, elected state officials, emergency management, emergency medical provider, non-elected local official, non-elected state government officials, public health and standards setting and accrediting. For more information about what each position entails, please see the council’s charter.
Individuals appointed to the council bring their experience and diversity of views to provide the Administrator consensus recommendations on a broad range of issues.
Supporting her commitment to address climate adaptation, Administrator Criswell directed the council’s charter to be updated to include climate change experts. The first climate expert began serving in December 2021. This recruitment announcement includes solicitation of a second climate expert. Newly selected members will serve up to a three-year term on the council. If other positions open during the application and selection period, FEMA may select qualified candidates from the pool of applications.
If you are interested in applying to serve on the National Advisory Council, please follow the instructions found in the Federal Register for submitting an application package no later than midnight ET on March 31.
Feb. 1 is the start of a new lunar year.
Celebrated for thousands of years in many Asian cultures around the globe, the lunar new year is known by different names — such Chunjie (Spring Festival) in China, Seollal in Korea and Tết in Vietnam — but it always has family, food and fun at its core.
Lunar New Year begins on the second new moon following the winter solstice. It was originally a time for farmers to rest and have fun after months of hard work tending to their crops. Today, Lunar New Year has grown into a celebration full of tradition and rituals.
Visit the FEMA Blog to read about how some FEMA employees celebrate the new year and what it means to them.
Every year, FEMA honors and recognizes the many contributions African Americans make to the agency and our nation. This year, FEMA is commemorating Black History Month with a series of events hosted by the agency’s African American FEMA Employee Resource Group that will reflect the month’s theme: “Black Health and Wellness.”
“The 2022 Black History Month theme of Black Health and Wellness pays tribute to the many contributions of African American health care professionals serving our communities," says FEMA Deputy Administrator Erik Hooks. "This timely focus highlights the disproportionate effect of COVID-19 on African Americans and other wellness and mental health issues which continue challenging our nation. As we celebrate the achievements of African Americans this February, I encourage us to take action to protect our families and loved ones now and in the future.”
As FEMA continues working with federal, state and local partners, territories and tribal nations in the fight against COVID-19 and other disasters, our emergency managers are keenly aware that many communities remain impacted by disparities in access to healthcare services and initiatives. The agency remains committed to focusing on how FEMA can continue to ensure equity for all.
For more information on Black history and the public we serve visit: https://africanamericanhistorymonth.gov/about/.
DHS and FEMA are hosting a quarterly webinar series on the new phase of emergency alerting for the Integrated Public Alert Warning System (IPAWS).
The next webinar, “IPAWS Equips Emergency Management with Tools to Protect the Public,” will be from 1 – 2:15 p.m. ET on Feb. 3. Attendees will learn about the new program planning toolkit and leave with an understanding of how a three-fold increase in IPAWS usage in 2020 better equipped first responders, emergency managers and alert originators with tools to protect the public. Register now.
IPAWS is FEMA's national system for local alerting that provides authenticated emergency and life-saving information to the public through mobile phones using Wireless Emergency Alerts, to radio and television via the Emergency Alert System and on the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Weather Radio. To learn more about IPAWS, visit FEMA.gov.
Firefighters Grants Application Deadline is Approaching
FEMA is accepting applications for the fiscal year 2021 grants that constitute the Assistance to Firefighters Grants program.
The application period for $560 million in funding for Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER) grants closes at 5 p.m. ET on Feb. 4. SAFER grants focus on enhancing the ability of recipients to attain and maintain fire department staffing and to assure that their communities have adequate protection from fire and fire-related hazards.
The application period is now open for $46 million in funding for the Fire Protection and Safety (FP&S) grants and will close 5 p.m. ET on Feb. 18. FP&S grants focus on enhancing the safety of the public and firefighters with respect to fire and fire-related hazards.
The funding notice and technical assistance documents for this program will be available at grants.gov and FEMA.gov. For questions, contact FEMA's Fire Grants Helpdesk via email at firegrants@fema.dhs.gov.
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FEMA Seeks Input on the Development of National Continuous Improvement Guidance
FEMA is seeking whole community stakeholder feedback to aid in the development of National Continuous Improvement Guidance. The engagement period will last until Feb. 10.
FEMA will host a series of 60-minute webinar sessions to gather input from whole community stakeholders that wish to participate and indicate what they would find most useful in establishing new or developing existing continuous improvement processes.
Webinar sessions will be offered until Feb.8.
- Listening Session #4: 5 – 6 p.m. ET on Feb. 02.
- Listening Sessions #5: noon – 1 p.m. ET on Feb. 08.
For information on webinar sessions and to register visit https://preptoolkit.fema.gov/web/cip-citap/events. For additional questions or feedback contact FEMA-CITAP@fema.dhs.gov.
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FEMA Recruits the Next Generation of Emergency Managers
FEMA is accepting applications for the Youth Preparedness Council. All applications are due no later than by midnight on March 6. If you know a teen interested in preparedness and community service, encourage them to apply.
FEMA will host an applicant information session on Feb. 17 for those interested in learning more about the council and the application process. Help us spread the word about this year’s Youth Preparedness Council by using #YPC2022 on social media when sharing this news.
To learn more about the Youth Preparedness Council, visit Youth Preparedness Council | Ready.gov.
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