BEMA...Every Month is Preparedness Month.....September is National Preparedness Month

TO our members in Canada, South & Central America, the Caribbean, Cuba, Nigeria, Togo, Kenya, and the Middle-East join your U.S. members in planning a preparedness week or day in solidarity & unity of all our communities.

Join our members in Nigeria currently experiencing the devastating effect of the Ebola pandemic affecting the nations of West Africa, and in hope that all the member nations of the African continent select a scheduled date(s) to show solidarity & unity by joining Sierra Leone, Liberia, and others by voluntarily closing their borders, transportation sectors, and reviewing their public health plans and procedures to contain this disease.

September is a month of preparedness, and reflection on September 11, 2001 where the entire country reacted to a planned threat and shut-down all both internal and external transportation (airlines) sectors to contain a threat to ensure the nation, the constituents of the U.S., and world that the U.S. was safe.

Be safe, Be prepared.

Charles D. Sharp.  CEO.  Black Emergency Managers Association

http://www.ready.gov/september

During National Preparedness Month  you, your family, community and workplace can take action by planning a National PrepareAthon! Day on or around September 30th. Recommend that you use digital media tools as a way to promote National Preparedness Month, September 1-30th.

What you can do to promote National Preparedness Month:

• Check out the How to Get Involved in NPM Quick Guide
• Download the 2014 National Preparedness Month Digital Engagement Toolkit
• Share NPM messages on Social Media
• View and share the new Ready Campaign Public Service Announcements
• Join Thunderclap message on let your followers know that it’s National Preparedness Month with your followers. How does Thunderclapwork? Once you sign up, Thunderclap will sync your social media accounts to release an automatic Facebook post, Tweet or both on September, 2, 2014 at 2:00 PM reminding your friends and followers to make a family emergency plan.
• Join the National Preparedness Community and download the high resolution NPM logo
• Promote NPM by updating your Facebook and Twitter cover photo and profile image
• For NPM materials in Spanish please visit:www.ready.gov/es/septiembre
• Register for National PrepareAthon! Day: www.ready.gov/prepare

Federal Grants to Local Fire Departments Offer Up-to-Date Equipment and Training to Stations Large and Small

BEFORE THE DOOR IS SHUT!

Paradigm Shift:  

                     Redirecting grants and funding from 

                     community law enforcement, and fire departments 

                     to community 501(c)(3) nonprofits.

           How:   -Establish a volunteer fire station,

                       -Utilize FEMA 'free' online learning classes,

                       -Attend Program Manager and Train-the-Trainer

                          CERT (Community Emergency Response Team)

                          FEMA courses in Emittsburg, MD

                       -Establish a CERT team specifically for your community

                       -Have volunteer fire station as training, and education

                          facility for FEMA, fire and other training,

                       -Have volunteer fire station designated as a polling\voting

                          location in your community,

                       -Unlimited possibilities

                   

Federal Grants to Local Fire Departments Offer Up-to-Date Equipment and Training to Stations Large and Small

08/29/2014 10:53 AM EDT

New York, NY -- The Atlantic City Fire Department has some 250 full-time firefighters and six fire stations serving a southern New Jersey population of 40,000.  The department received last month a federal Assistance to Firefighters Grant (AFG) of almost $490,000 to replace personal protective equipment ravaged by Hurricane Sandy and years of on-the-job use.  The local share of the grant brought the total to $543,400.

An Emergency Preparedness Workshop for the Faith Community. Tuesday, September 30th

For your community check with the DHS Center for Faith-based & Neighborhood Partnerships to have a workshop scheduled in your community.   Partnerships@fema.dhs.gov

State and local partners of the National Capital Region (District of Columbia, Maryland & Virginia) in collaboration with

the Department of Homeland Security’s Center for Faith-based & Neighborhood Partnerships

and the Federal Emergency Management Agency, cordially invite you to: 

 Faithful Readiness:

An Emergency Preparedness Workshop for the Faith Community

Tuesday, September 30th

9:00 AM – 2:00 PM

(With optional sessions after 2:00 p.m. with area local emergency managers)

Holiday Inn Capitol

550 C St, SW

Washington, DC, 20472

_*** The workshop is free***

To pre-register for the workshop e-mail Partnerships@fema.dhs.gov with “NCR - RSVP” in the subject line, please include your contact information (name, organization, title, work number and e-mail).

As a faith and/or community leader you will:

·         Start “Developing a High Quality Emergency Operations Plan for your House of Worship” to respond to an emergency/incident, including guidance to address an active shooter scenario

·         Connect with new partners ready to help support your house of worship & community prepare for emergencies

·         Begin the process to receive a certificate from the Emergency Management Institute and earn Continuing Education Units

If you need reasonable accommodations, or if you have Limited English Proficiency please contact Partnerships@fema.dhs.gov no later than

September 12, 2014.

Workshop: September 30, 2014 Faithful Readiness: An Emergency Preparedness Workshop for the Faith Community

State and local partners of the National Capital Region (District of Columbia, Maryland & Virginia) in collaboration with

the Department of Homeland Security’s Center for Faith-based & Neighborhood Partnerships

and the Federal Emergency Management Agency, cordially invite you to: 

 Faithful Readiness:

An Emergency Preparedness Workshop for the Faith Community

Tuesday, September 30th

9:00 AM – 2:00 PM

(With optional sessions after 2:00 p.m. with area local emergency managers)

TBD – Metro (Train and Bus) Accessible Location in Washington, DC

_*** The workshop is free***

To pre-register for the workshop e-mail Partnerships@fema.dhs.gov with “NCR - RSVP” in the subject line, please include your contact information (name, organization, title, work number and e-mail).

As a faith and/or community leader you will:

·         Start “Developing a High Quality Emergency Operations Plan for your House of Worship” to respond to an emergency/incident, including guidance to address an active shooter scenario

·         Connect with new partners ready to help support your house of worship & community prepare for emergencies

·         Begin the process to receive a certificate from the Emergency Management Institute and earn Continuing Education Units

If you need reasonable accommodations, or if you have Limited English Proficiency please contact Partnerships@fema.dhs.gov no later than

September 8, 2014.

PUBLICATION OF THE HAZARD MITIGATION GRANT PROGRAM (HMGP) APPEALS DATABASE

The Hazard Mitigation Grant Program provides grants to state, local, tribal and territorial governments to implement long-term hazard mitigation measures after a major disaster declaration. The purpose of the HMGP is to reduce the loss of life and property due to natural disasters and to enable mitigation measures to be implemented during the immediate recovery from a disaster.

An eligible applicant may appeal any FEMA determination regarding applications submitted for funding under the Hazard Mitigation Grant Program. The appeal process allows applicants to request a reconsideration of the decision in conformity with program requirements. There are two levels of appeals. The Regional Administrator decides first appeals. If FEMA denies the appeal at the Regional Administrator’s level, the applicant may submit a second appeal to the Deputy Associate Administrator for Mitigation at FEMA Headquarters. If FEMA approves an appeal, FEMA will take the appropriate action to implement the decision. If the second appeal is denied, the decision is final.

To provide an effective means to research and track appeals, FEMA developed a web based database that can be accessed online. The online Appeals Database is a searchable database containing FEMA responses to applicant appeals for assistance. The database houses HMGP second appeal records since 1988 and first level appeals since the release of the FY2011 Hazard Mitigation Assistance guidance. In 2011, FEMA started monitoring first appeals made in the regions. The purpose of the database is to inform the public on how program requirements are applied. The database can be accessed at: http://www.fema.gov/hazard-mitigation-grant-program/hmgp-appeals.

For more information on the terms used in the appeal database and a brief summary of the basic program elements, users can reference the Hazard Mitigation Assistance Program Digest.

FEMA Hazard Mitigation Assistance datasets are also available through OpenFEMA.