Important Dates & Deadlines
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Public Assistance Required Minimum Standards Comment Period Ends Tribal Consultation Hazard Mitigation Planning Comment Period Ends |
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Draft Individuals and Households Program Unified Guidance Comment Period Ends |
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Application Deadline for National Emergency Management Executive Academy |
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FEMA Continues Alternative Procedures Debris Pilot
After three years of application, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) extended the Public Assistance Alternative Procedures Debris Pilot for another year, effective June 28, 2016. During the last three years, FEMA used the alternative procedures pilot to award more than $576 million across 117 disasters.
The Public Assistance Alternative Procedures Debris Pilot program for debris removal was one of the first provisions to be developed under the authorities of the Sandy Recovery Improvement Act, which President Obama signed into law on January 29, 2013. The alternative procedures were first offered during the Oklahoma Tornadoes in May of 2013 and were then expanded to include all new declarations with the pilot program on June 28, 2013.
Additional information on the Public Assistance Alternative Procedure Debris Removal Pilot can be found at www.fema.gov/alternative-
Congratulations National Emergency Management Basic Academy Graduates
FEMA congratulates the 23 graduates from the National Emergency Management Basic Academy on June 30, 2016. The graduates representing emergency management professionals from federal, state, local government, universities and private sectors completed the full Basic Academy curriculum, which provides basic knowledge and skills to help meet the unpredictable challenges in the field of emergency management.
The National Emergency Management Basic Academy is the entry-point for individuals pursuing a career in emergency management, offering tools to develop comprehensive foundational skills. 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 is the first of a three-level Academy series in the Emergency Management Professional Program (EMPP). The EMPP curriculum is designed to guide and educate emergency management professionals as they progress through their careers, providing a lifetime of learning for emergency management professionals.
The EMPP includes three separate training programs: the Basic Academy, the National Emergency Management Advanced Academy, and the National Emergency Management Executive Academy. The Advanced Academy program is geared towards the next generation of emergency management leaders trained in advanced concepts and issues, advanced leadership and management, critical thinking and problem solving. The Executive Academy is 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.
2016 Homeland Security Preparedness Grants Released
The Department of Homeland Security Secretary, Jeh Johnson announced on Wednesday the final allocations of the $275 million for six Fiscal Year 2016 DHS competitive preparedness grant programs.
The allocations are being used to assist states, urban areas, tribal and territorial governments, non-profit agencies, and the private sector with their preparedness efforts.
The competitive grants for 2016 included:
•Intercity Bus Security Grant Program provides $3 million.
•Nonprofit Security Grant Program $20 million.
•Operation Stonegarden $55 million.
•Port Security Grant Program $100 million.
•Transit Security Grant Program $87 million.
•Tribal Homeland Security Grant Program $10 million.
The non-competitive grants for 2016 included:
•Emergency Management Performance Grant Program $350.
•Intercity Passenger Rail – Amtrak Program $10 million.
•State Homeland Security Program $402 million.
•Urban Areas Security Initiative $580 million.
Further information on DHS’s preparedness grant programs is available at www.dhs.gov andhttp://www.fema.gov/grants.
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Reminder of Upcoming Deadlines
Updated National Planning Frameworks Released
FEMA 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 the National 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.
On July 6, FEMA is hosting 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 levels of governments. For a copy of the document, summary of changes and webinar registration information, visithttp://www.fema.gov/national-
FEMA Extends Public Comment Period for Draft Public Assistance Required Minimum Standards
FEMA 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 International Building Code, 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 8
FEMA 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.
FEMA Region III Hosts Public-Private Sector Tabletop Exercise
On 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. For more information on this event or to register, click here.
FEMA Posts Draft Individuals and Households Program Unified Guidance for Public Comment
On June 15, 2016, FEMA posted the draft Individuals and Households Program Unified Guidance (IHPUG) to the Federal Register for public comment. FEMA strongly encourages the public and emergency management community to submit comments. The Individuals and Households Program (IHP) is the most publicly recognizable FEMA program and this is an excellent opportunity for the public to provide their input.The draft guidance is posted to the Federal Register, and will be available for comment until August 1, 2016.
Apply for the 2017 National Emergency Management Executive Academy
The objective of the Executive Academy is to engage, challenge and enhance the talents of emergency management executives through critical thinking, visionary strategic planning, and negotiation and conflict resolution when applied to complex real-world problems. The Executive Academy consists of four resident sessions, webinars, distance learning, and literature reviews. Executives will explore how they can leverage science, technology, engineering, and data analysis to impact critical decisions and guide informed policy development. Executives will have the opportunity to work collaboratively on projects, share smart practices, and participate in exercises on cascading and catastrophic events.
The four resident sessions, to be conducted by EMI at the National Emergency Training Center, in Emmitsburg, Maryland, will include:
• Systems Thinking& Research Methods for Executives: February 13 – 16, 2017
• Executive Emergency Management Leader Core Competencies I: April 24 – 27, 2017
• Executive Emergency Management Leader Core Competencies II: July 10 – 14, 2017
• Executive Emergency Management Leaders Core Competencies III: September 18 – 22, 2017
Applications will be accepted through August 5, 2016. There are a limited number of seats and enrollment is competitive. For more information on the Executive Academy and the application and selection process, visit www.training.fema.gov/EMPP/
The Executive Academy is the pinnacle of a three-level Academy series in the Emergency Management Professional Program (EMPP) which includes Basic, Advanced, and Executive Academies. Emergency management professionals should visit the EMPP page for more information about which academy best suits their needs.
Draft Disaster Resilience Indicators Concept Released By Mitigation Federal Leadership Group Subcommittee
FEMA, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and their federal partners in the Mitigation Federal Leadership Group (MitFLG) Disaster Resilience Indicators Subcommittee released a “Draft Interagency Concept for Community Resilience Indicators and National-Level Progress Measures.”
This concept is the result of a year-long effort to identify potential indicators of community resilience capacity building that align with the Mitigation and Recovery Core Capabilities under the National Preparedness Goal. Learn more details about this joint FEMA/NOAA initiative herewww.fema.gov/community-
The document, compiled in response to broad public interest in identifying key factors of community resilience nationwide in order to promote better-informed capacity building strategies, is intended to start a broad conversation among public- and private-sector stakeholders on how best to define and track improvements in community resilience capacity across 28 key indicator categories.
Interested stakeholders seeking to add their input can submit comments and feedback to the Disaster Resilience Indicators Subcommittee of the MitFLG at FEMA-CommunityResilience@fema.
The MitFLG subcommittee was led by representatives of FEMA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and includes significant contributions from federal partners such as the National Institute of Standards and Technology, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the U.S. Geological Survey and others.