Volume 8 - Issue 9 Top Stories

Task Force Makes Recommendations on Homeland Security Advisory System

A task force established by DHS Secretary Janet Napolitano just completed a 60-day review of the alert system and submitted its report for her consideration. The task force, comprised of public and private officials, recommended the alert system have three levels instead of the current five, and that the alerts be narrowly focused when used. NEMA State Director Matt Bettenhausen was a member of the task force. Matt is the Secretary of the California Emergency Management Agency.

The task force was unable to reach consensus on whether the alert system should continue to use colors. Some members felt the color coded system is easy to understand. Others felt the current system suffers from a lack of credibility and should be changed. NEMA provided input to DHS on the alert system and noted that the public had no idea what actions they were supposed to take for each alert level; therefore, most people simply ignore it. The task force recommended that elevated alerts be tailored to particular areas of the country or industry, and that counter actions for the public be developed. The Department should also give the public as much information as possible when alert levels are raised and levels should return to normal levels as soon as possible.

Sec. Napolitano will consider the report and share the recommendations with the White House.

Richard Serino Faces Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee for Confirmation Hearing

On Wednesday, September 16th, a confirmation hearing was held by the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs for the nomination of Richard Serino to be Deputy Administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency. Citing Serino’s years of emergency preparedness and response experience in a large metropolitan area, Chairman Joseph Lieberman (I-CT) suggested that Serino will be an excellent complement to Craig Fugate, Administrator of FEMA. Lieberman addressed the nation’s state of emergency preparedness for H1N1, biological and chemical attacks, and natural disasters and questioned what Serino will do to help the nation better prepare and prevent these types of emergencies. Serino reiterated his multi-pronged approach to emergency disaster response and vowed to use his experience in Boston to assist in the development of additional national policies, plans, partnerships, and public education.

Serino outlined his priorities post-confirmation: (1) supporting Janet Napolitano, U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security and Fugate in their priorities to strengthen federal, state, local and tribal capabilities, (2) strengthening partnerships with first responders and ordinary citizens, (3) building disaster preparedness and resiliency at all levels of government and amongst citizens, specifically including H1N1 preparedness, (4) developing trans-regional relationships within FEMA and amongst state directors, (5) bolstering the FEMA workforce. Serino demonstrated support for Homeland Security grant programs and the Post-Katrina Emergency Management Reform Act and indicated that Gulf Coast recovery will remain a top priority of FEMA and DHS. A mark-up will be held Tuesday September 29th and at that time, the Committee will vote to approve Serino’s nomination and send to the full Senate.

NEMA 2009 Annual Conference in Columbus

The NEMA 2009 Annual Conference begins October 9. The final agenda, conference materials, committee agendas are posted on the NEMA website, www.nemaweb.org.

Special thanks to the sponsors and exhibitors of the 2009 Annual Conference in Columbus:

Adjusters International, Booz Allen Hamilton, CSC, IEM, Unified Recovery Group, Dewberry & Davis LLC, ICF International, Inc., L-3 Communications, GS&ES, NC4, Inc., Previstar, Inc., CirclePoint, ESRI, Genesys, HeaterMeals, IHS/Jane's, Michael Baker Jr. Inc., Motorola, Raytheon Civil Communications Solutions, Abrams Learning & Information Systems, Inc., URS Corporation- EG&G Division, WeatherBug Professional, Beck Disaster Recovery, Inc., Buffalo Computer Graphics, GA Food Service, HESCO Bastion USA, SSI Knowledge Center, Inc., Twenty First Century Communications, Vanguard Recovery Group.

NEMA and Congressional Hazards Caucus Host Congressional Briefing on Mitigation

On September 10th, in partnership with the Congressional Hazards Caucus, NEMA sponsored a briefing on Capitol Hill to discuss the mitigation white paper Recommendations for an Effective National Mitigation Effort. NEMA Mitigation Committee Chair and Director of the Washington State Emergency Management Division Jim Mullen spoke at the event and joined FEMA Administrator Craig Fugate, Debra Ballen of the Institute for Building and Home Safety, and Mike Armstrong of the International Code Council in outlining critical mitigation issues facing the nation. The 90 minute event hosted a standing room only crowd and was generously hosted by Senator Mary Landrieu (D-LA).

All speakers emphasized the importance of mitigation strategies and the value mitigation can add to overall emergency management strategies throughout the country. Senator Landrieu focused many of her statements on the continued work following Hurricane Katrina throughout the State of Louisiana. The Senator focused on the continued problems faced by the emergency management community to promote mitigation before a disaster occurs. Administrator Fugate also commented on the difficulties facing the mitigation community but stated that personal preparedness is also a key element of true disaster resiliency.
　
All speakers stressed mitigation as an investment and not a cost, choosing to look at long-term gain instead of the initial monetary commitments.

Spotlight: Best Practices

The Washington Emergency Management Division has developed a comprehensive internet site to help businesses plan for and respond to emergencies. The portal is designed as a one-stop online destination to provide user-friendly, comprehensive information that will assist businesses rebound after disasters and other unexpected events that might otherwise be crippling. The overall goal is to provide some of the tools necessary to help businesses become more resilient in the long-term.

The site offers several unique and notable features that include a Comprehensive Business Preparedness and Planning Guide to allow business owners to increase their readiness level over a period of 12 months; statewide program listings of local training, exercise and volunteer information available in one location for those companies doing business in multiple jurisdictions; and a Safe@Work program that packages emergency preparedness, public education materials and resources into training modules that can be delivered at business safety meetings. The web site link for the business portal can be found at: http://www.emd.wa.gov/preparedness/prep_business.shtml

Did You Know?

States spend thousands of hours and millions of dollars to manage and administer the myriad of federal grant funding. For FY 08, states reported that it required on average 4,157 hours and $324 million to manage and administer all federal homeland security and emergency management related grant programs. These managerial responsibilities include developing funding priorities based on federal grant guidance; developing grant applications; developing budgets and investment justifications; passing through funds to local governments who are sub-grantees; and more.

Please refer to the NEMA 2008 Biennial Report for more information on this and many other disaster management issues.

EMAC

The EMAC course at FEMA’s Emergency Management Institute is new!

Starting October 2009, E431, an introductory course on EMAC will be taught twice a year at EMI. The course, entitled “Understanding & Implementing EMAC” will enable emergency management personnel from all political jurisdictions and response and recovery personnel to more effectively understand, implement, and utilize the EMAC system.

Course Objectives:

Upon completion of this course, participants will:

Fully comprehend the legal stipulations in the EMAC Articles of Agreement
Understand the EMAC governance structure & Member State roles & responsibilities
Understand process for requesting & offering assistance through the EMAC system
Know & apply the recommended actions during each phase of the EMAC process
Recognize & understand the EMAC levels of operations & span of control
Understand & apply the process & procedures for reimbursement

EMAP

EMAP Assessor Training

The Emergency Management Accreditation Program will hold a two-day EMAP Assessor Training course on October 28-29 in Seattle, WA. This Assessor Training is open to qualified potential assessors and will focus on UASI assessment preparation. Through a cooperative agreement with the Federal Emergency Management Agency, EMAP is providing free baseline assessments for UASI Emergency Management Programs looking to assess their programs in an effort toward continual improvement. This training will prepare potential assessors for the basis of EMAP assessment and accreditation processes as well as the specific aspects of a UASI on-site assessment. The training will be held during the Big City Emergency Managers meeting. The first day of the training is from 8:30 am to 5pm and the second from 8:30am to 4pm. Participation both days is required.

　
Those attending the training course may be eligible to participate on assessor teams for state/territorial, regional or local program applicants, though this training will be geared specifically toward preparing assessors for UASI/ Regional assessments. Serving on an assessor team involves reviewing an applicant program's self-assessment materials and documentation, participating in on-site assessment of the program (four to nine days including travel), and working with other team members to compile an assessment report.

　
Serving as an assessor is an excellent way to serve the public and the profession of emergency management while broadening one's knowledge of emergency management practices. Registration information for the training can be found at www.emaponline.org or by calling EMAP staff at 859-244-8222. The registration deadline is set for October 12th, however if you are interested in attending the training, a spot can be pre-reserved by emailing EMAP staff at mcollins@csg.org while you are completing the application.