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The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is not effectively designating Surge Capacity Force (SCF) volunteers and managing the SCF program during disaster operations. In 2017, FEMA coordinated with multiple Federal agencies and augmented its workforce for the first time, using Tier 4 SCF volunteers to respond to multiple events. Based on these 2017 activities, we determined FEMA should take additional steps to help improve its SCF readiness and management.
Specifically, FEMA was not prepared to deploy SCF Tier 4 volunteers rapidly and efficiently. This occurred because FEMA had neither a clear commitment from other Federal agencies outside DHS to participate in SCF, nor a roster of volunteers capable of rapidly deploying. In addition, FEMA did not have mechanisms to make other Federal agencies aware of SCF or procedures to identify readily available volunteers. The absence of a commitment from other agencies and volunteer rosters contributed to FEMA’s delayed deployment of SCF volunteers from other agencies.
Read Report No. OIG-20-32
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