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Updated National Planning Frameworks ReleasedFEMA and its partners released the updated National Planning Frameworks for each mission area: Prevention, Protection, Mitigation, Response, and Recovery. The National Planning Frameworks, which are part of theNational Preparedness System, set the strategy and doctrine for building, sustaining, and delivering the core capabilities identified in the National Preparedness Goal of building a secure and resilient nation.
National preparedness is a shared responsibility—everyone has a role to play to ensure that our nation can address its greatest risks. FEMA supports the mission of strengthening the security and resilience of the nation by working to improve the ability of all to manage incidents, events and emergencies. The Frameworks do this by creating a shared understanding about how we, as a nation, coordinate, share information, and work together to achieve our missions, as well as define our roles and responsibilities from the firehouse to the White House.
The updated National Planning Frameworks also incorporate critical edits from the National Preparedness Goal refresh, including updated core capabilities, lessons learned from real world events and continuing implementation of the National Preparedness System, including an increased emphasis on cyber threats, and updates on the roles and responsibilities of coordinating structures in each mission area. The updated Frameworks also align with new policies and directives, such as PPD-21, Critical Infrastructure Security and Resilience, and Executive Order 13636, Improving Critical Infrastructure Cybersecurity.
From June 21 to July 6, FEMA is hosting a series of engagement webinars to highlight key changes to the Frameworks and to answer questions participants may have. All webinars are open to individuals and communities, the private and nonprofit sectors, faith-based organizations and all governments. For a copy of the document, summary of changes and webinar registration information, visit http://www.fema.gov/national- FEMA Posts Draft Individuals and Households Program Unified Guidance for Public CommentOn June 15, 2016, FEMA posted the draft Individuals and Households Program (IHP) Unified Guidance (IHPUG) to the Federal Register for public comment. FEMA strongly encourages the public and emergency management community to submit comments. IHP is one of the most publicly recognizable FEMA program and this is an excellent opportunity for the public to provide their input.
The IHPUG compiles FEMA policy for each type of assistance under the IHP into one comprehensive document and is intended to serve as a singular resource for state, territorial and tribal governments, and other entities who assist disaster survivors with post-disaster recovery. Once finalized, the IHPUG will replace all stand-alone policies and policy statements currently located in FEMA documents and standard operating procedures; catalogue lessons learned from disaster operations and FEMA’s decisions as they relates to the IHP; and increase consistency, collaboration, and the sharing of knowledge. The draft guidance is posted to the Federal Register, and will be available for comment until August 1, 2016. Emergency Alert System Test Scheduled for North Carolina and VirginiaFEMA, in coordination with state, local, and tribal emergency managers and state broadcasters’ associations in North Carolina and Virginia will conduct a test of the Emergency Alert System (EAS)on Wednesday, June 22 at 10:02 a.m. EDT.
The EAS test is made available to radio, broadcast and cable television systems and is scheduled to last approximately one minute and will verify the delivery and broadcast, and assess the readiness for distribution of a national-level test message. The message of the test will be similar to the regular monthly test message of EAS, normally heard and seen by the public: “This is a national test of the Emergency Alert System. This is only a test.”
Public safety officials need to be sure that in times of an emergency or disaster, they have the methods and systems that will deliver urgent alerts and warnings to the public when needed.
This voluntary test has been rescheduled from an earlier scheduled test that was canceled due to severe weather. Periodic testing of public alert and warning systems is a way to assess the operational readiness of the infrastructure required for the distribution of a national message and determine what technological improvements need to be addressed. The next national test is scheduled for September 28, 2016. Results from this test will support preparations and improvements leading up to the national test.
Receiving preparedness tips and timely information about weather conditions or other emergency events can make all the difference in knowing when to take action to be safe. FEMA and partners are working to ensure you can receive alerts and warnings quickly through several different technologies no matter where you are–at home, at school, at work or in the community. The FEMA App, which can be downloaded on both Android and Apple devices, is one way to ensure you receive both preparedness tips and weather alerts of your choice. Download the FEMA App today.
More information on the Integrated Public Alert and Warning System and Wireless Emergency Alerts is available at www.fema.gov/ipaws or www.ready.gov/alerts. Webinar: Preparing for WildfiresAre you prepared for a wildfire? To kick off the summer, FEMA’s Individual and Community Preparedness Division invites you to a webinar on Thursday, June 23 from 2:00–3:00 p.m. EDT,which will feature an array of dynamic, nationwide programs and resources to prepare individuals and communities for wildfires. Titled “Ember Alert: Preparing for Wildfires”, this webinar will feature presentations from: • Phyllis Krietz, United States Fire Administration, FEMA • Barbara Geringer, Fire Prevention, Mitigation, and Education Program Manager, United States Forest Service • Mark Jackson, Branch of Wildland Fire Management, Bureau of Indian Affairs • Cathy Prudhomme, National Fire Protection Association • Christi Collins, Individual and Community Preparedness Division, FEMA Please register for the event using the Adobe Connect registration web link. This webinar will offer closed captioning. FEMA’s Basic Academy Offers Training for New Emergency ManagersFEMA’s National Emergency Management Basic Academy is the entry point for individuals pursuing a career in emergency management. The Basic Academy offers the tools to develop comprehensive foundational skills needed in emergency management. For those who are new to emergency management, the Basic Academy also provides a unique opportunity to build camaraderie, to establish professional contacts, and to understand the roles, responsibilities, and legal boundaries associated with emergency management.
The Basic Academy curriculum consists of five courses: Foundations of Emergency Management;Science of Disaster; Planning: Emergency Operations; Exercise Design; and Public Information and Warning. Upcoming courses in the program are Science of Disaster, a three-day, 24-hour training being held August 8-10, followed by the Planning course, a two-day, 16-hour training being offeredAugust 11-12. Applications for both courses are due by June 27. The courses will be delivered by the Emergency Management Institute at FEMA’s National Emergency Training Center in Emmitsburg, Maryland. For more information, visit the EMI website or send an email to FEMA-EMPP-Basic-Academy@fema.
The Basic Academy is the first of a three-level Academy series in the Emergency Management Professional Program (EMPP). The EMPP curriculum is designed to provide a lifetime of learning for emergency management professionals and includes three separate, but closely threaded, training programs. The program builds from the Basic Academy to the National Emergency Management Advanced Academy, a program to develop the next generation of emergency management leaders who are trained in advanced concepts and issues, advanced leadership and management, and critical thinking and problem solving. The EMPP culminates in the National Emergency Management Executive Academy, a program 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. Emergency management professionals should visit www.training.fema.gov/empp for more information about which academy best suits their needs.
FEMA Region III Hosts Public-Private Sector Tabletop ExerciseOn July 21, 2016, FEMA Region III will host the third annual Public-Private Sector Tabletop Exercise in Philadelphia, PA, which will focus on cyber as the threat scenario. This full-day event will bring together members of the public and private sectors to educate and inform participants on contemporary cyber threats. Throughout the course of the day’s events, participants will be invited to share best practices, information sharing methods, capabilities, resources, and incident response plans for cyber attacks. The exercise will include two scenarios. Scenario 1 will drive discussions on how entities respond to cyber incidents impacting their own organizations and critical infrastructure (CI) sectors. Scenario 2will focus on regional response and recovery as a whole and how communication and coordination are accomplished during a cyber attack, with a particular focus on communications, energy and retail CI sectors. For more information on this event or to register, click here. Reminder of Upcoming DeadlinesEMI’s Master Exercise Practitioner ProgramThe Master Exercise Practitioner Program application period is open until July 1, 2016. Participants in the program are assigned to an exercise planning team where they are challenged to: demonstrate their expertise at all levels of exercise design and conduct; and apply best practices and lessons learned from their organizations and experience. Contact fema-emi-iemb@fema.dhs.gov for more information. FEMA Extends Public Comment Period for Draft Public Assistance Required Minimum StandardsFEMA extended the comment period for an additional 30 days on the draft Public Assistance Program Minimum Standards replacement language for the Public Assistance (PA) Program and Policy Guide. The minimum standards will be used for all buildings in tornado, wind, seismic, and flood-prone areas identified in the IBC, regardless of the type of incident that caused the damage. As FEMA works to implement the new standard for its PA program, it is requesting input on the draft language from the public and emergency management community. The draft language is posted to the Federal Register, and will be available for comment until July 8, 2016. FEMA Tribal Consultation Period on Hazard Mitigation Planning Continues Until July 8FEMA is updating its policy that guides how Agency officials interpret regulatory requirements in their review and approval of tribal mitigation plans. FEMA is seeking feedback from tribal governments regarding this updated policy, “Tribal Mitigation Plan Review Guide.” Tribal officials’ suggestions and comments will inform further development of the Tribal Mitigation Plan Review Guide.
Tribal officials can submit comments on the Tribal Mitigation Plan Review Guide: Key Concepts document until July 8, 2016, either by e-mail to tribalconsultation@fema.dhs. |
