Secretary of Homeland Security Jeh Johnson announced the
release of Fiscal Year (FY) 2015 Notices of Funding Opportunity for DHS preparedness grant programs totaling more than $1.6 billion. The
grant programs provide funding to state, local, tribal and territorial
governments, as well as transportation authorities, nonprofit
organizations, and the private sector, to improve the nation’s readiness
in preventing, protecting against, responding to, recovering from and
mitigating terrorist attacks, major disasters and other emergencies. The
grants reflect the Department’s focus on implementation of an
all-of-nation, whole-community approach to the building, sustainment,
and delivery of those core capabilities essential to achieving a secure
and resilient nation.
The FY 2015 grant guidance will continue to focus on the nation’s
highest risk areas, including urban areas that face the most significant
threats. Based on consistent feedback from state, local, tribal, and
territorial partners regarding the challenges created by a two-year
period of performance, the Secretary addressed this concern in the FY
2015 grant guidance by increasing the period of performance for grant
awards from two years to three years for all FY 2015 grant programs,
except the Assistance to Fire Fighters Grants and the Emergency
Management Performance Grant. Consistent with previous grant guidance, dedicated funding is
provided for law enforcement and terrorism prevention throughout the
country to prepare for, prevent and respond to pre-operational activity
and other crimes that are precursors or indicators of terrorist
activity.
The Emergency Management Performance Grant (EMPG) applications,
announced on March 25, 2015, are due no later than April 24, 2015. All
other preparedness grant applications – excluding Fire Grant programs –
are due no later than May 19, 2015. Final submissions must be made
through the Non-Disaster Grants system located at https://portal.fema.gov.
More information on the 2015 grant guidance is available online. Final submissions must be made
through the Non-Disaster Grants system located at https://portal.fema.gov. Further information on DHS’s preparedness grant programs is available at www.dhs.gov and www.fema.gov/grants.
As part of FEMA's
work with the National Preparedness Goal, FEMA is hosting a series of 60-minute
engagement webinars
on April
8, 9, 10, and 13
to discuss the refresh effort. All webinars are open to the whole community,
including individuals with or without disabilities, business and nonprofits,
faith based and community groups, schools, and all levels of government.
FEMA is coordinating
a whole community effort to refresh the first edition of the National
Preparedness Goal (the Goal). As called for under Presidential Policy Directive
8: National Preparedness (PPD-8), the National Preparedness Goal sets the
vision for preparedness, “a secure and resilient Nation with the
capabilities required across the whole community to prevent, protect against,
mitigate, respond to, and recover from the threats and hazards that pose the
greatest risk,” and identifies the core capabilities
necessary to achieve the Goal.
FEMA requests
feedback on the first edition of the National Preparedness Goal. The comment
period closes Thursday,
April 16, 2015 at 5:00 p.m. EDT.
Please visit www.fema.gov/ppd8 to review proposed updates to the
Goal, and download the feedback matrix. All comments should be submitted via
email to PPD8-Engagement@fema.dhs.gov using the provided matrix.
FEMA's Individual and Community Preparedness Division (ICPD) is hosting a webinar on emergency preparedness for the entire
family, presented by four women who have one title in common—mother. These
mothers and well-known bloggers will offer tips, actions and insights on how to
get your family prepared for disasters. Join the conversation via webinar on
Thursday, April 16 at 2 p.m. EDT.
The
webinar entitled, “Easy Ways to Help Prepare Your Family for Disasters” will
feature preparedness information from:
- Shelle
Wells, blogger for Preparedness Mama;
- Erica
Mueller, blogger for Mom Prepares;
- Tanya
Ferraro, blogger for Bigger
than Myself; and
- Shelly
Lopez-Gray, blogger for Adventures
of a Labor Nurse.
Those interested in participating can register for the webinar online. Closed captioning will be offered.
The likelihood family pets will survive a disaster such as a flood or
tornado depends largely on proper emergency planning. In
support of America’s
PrepareAthon!, FEMA Region III is hosting a
#Petpared Challenge to prepare pets
for emergencies. Take action and join in now through May 8, 2015. There are several ways
to participate, such as:
- Download a pet preparedness mobile
application;
- Build
a pet emergency supply kit;
- ID
your pet with a collar and tag or consider micro chipping;
- Determine
where you would shelter-in-place with your pet; or
- Create
a buddy-system with a relative or friend to help each other’s
pets if one of you is away from home during an emergency.
Once an action is complete, take a picture (or a selfie) of a #petpared pet
and share it on Twitter or Instagram using hashtag #Petpared to help
spread the word.
The application period for the 2015
Individual and Community Preparedness Awards is open until April 10, 2015. The awards highlight innovative local practices and achievements by
recognizing individuals and organizations that have made outstanding
contributions toward making their communities safer, stronger, better prepared,
and more resilient.
To be considered for this year’s awards, all submissions must be received by
April 10, 2015, at 11:59 p.m. EDT and must feature program activities taking
place between January 1, 2014, and April 10, 2015. Applications should be
submitted to citizencorps@fema.dhs.gov.
The Fire Prevention and
Safety (FP&S) Grants are part of the Assistance to Firefighters Grant (AFG)
and support projects that enhance the safety of the public and firefighters
from fire and related hazards. The FY 2014 Fire
Prevention & Safety (FP&S) application period is open until April
17, 2015 at 5 p.m. EDT.
FEMA Administrator Craig Fugate announced the release of the FY 2015 Notice of Funding Opportunity for the
Emergency Management Performance Grant (EMPG) Program. The FY 2015 EMPG Program
provides over $350 million to assist state, local, tribal, and
territorial governments in preparing for all hazards, as authorized by the
Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act. The notice of funding opportunity can be found at www.grants.gov.
EMPG applications are due no later than April 24, 2015. Final submissions
must be made through the Non-Disaster (ND) Grants system located at https://portal.fema.gov.
FEMA recently posted three
Office of Response and Recovery Senior Executive Service opportunities on USAJobs: Director, National Disaster Recovery Planning, Office of Federal Disaster Coordination; Assistant Administrator, Response Directorate; Deputy Assistant Administrator, Recovery Directorate. To review the posting and complete an application, please visit www.usajobs.gov. The deadline to apply is April 24, 2015.
FEMA and federal
partners are providing a series of listening sessions on the implementation guidelines of the Federal Flood Risk Management Standard (FFRMS).
These sessions provide the opportunity to learn more about the Standard, ask
questions, and provide feedback on how federal agencies implement the Standard. An upcoming session will be held in Seattle,
Washington. Details for this session are available online.
Due to
space constraints of the facilities, seating may be limited. To reserve a
seat in advance, please provide a request via email at least three days in
advance with the contact information of the participant (including name,
mailing address, and e-mail address), and the meeting to be attended to FEMA-FFRMS@fema.dhs.gov and include the
subject/attention line: Reservation Request for FFRMS. For
anyone attending the meetings who is hearing or visually impaired, or who
requires special assistance or accommodations, please also contact FEMA-FFRMS@fema.dhs.gov.
The deadline to comment on the
draft version of Implementing Guidelines has been extended until May 6,
2015. Questions and comments may be submitted to FEMA-FFRMS@fema.dhs.gov.
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