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.

Maryland’s Hospital/ Healthcare Preparedness Program (HPP) Fall Training Conference. October 24, 2014

MARYLAND Title	Department of Health and Mental Hygiene Maryland’s Hospital/ Healthcare Preparedness Program (HPP) Fall Training Conference
Location	Region V - Universities of Maryland Shady Grove Conference Center
Start Time	10/24/2014 9:00 AM
End Time	10/24/2014 4:00 PM
Address	Region V:  Universities of Maryland Shady Grove Conference Center 9630 Gudelsky Drive Rockville, MD 20850  Phone: (301) 738-6000
Description	Objective:   Participants will be engaged in emergency preparedness planning and training to enhance continuity of healthcare and recovery activities during a medical surge event.  Planning efforts will support the "whole-of-community" approach in emergency preparedness via Maryland Healthcare Coalitions and other key stakeholders.
Category	Training
Does this event need Registration?	Yes
Click Here to Register	http://preparedness.dhmh.maryland.gov/SitePages/RegistrationForm.aspx

2015 Preparedness Summit. Global Health Security: Preparing a Nation for Emerging Threats. April 14-17, 2015. Call for Abstracts

Abstracts are now being accepted for the 2015 Preparedness Summit! 

This year’s Summit will take place April 14–17, 2015 in Atlanta.

The 2015 Preparedness Summit will explore the theme, “Global Health Security: Preparing a Nation for Emerging Threats.”

The Summit provides one of the only cross-disciplinary learning opportunities in the field of preparedness and provides a unique opportunity to cross-pollinate ideas about global health security among attendees that include professionals working in local, state, and federal levels of government, emergency management, volunteer organizations, and healthcare coalitions. 

Join the distinguished list of Preparedness Summit presenters and submit an abstract for the 2015 Preparedness 

Summit today! 

Abstracts addressing issues such as climate change, extreme weather, cybersecurity, and emerging infectious disease outbreak response are encouraged. 

Abstracts are open now through 11:59PM PDT on Sept. 23, during National Preparedness Month. 

Start an abstract at http://preparednesssummit.org/abstract-instructions/.

Black Emergency Managers Association
1231  Good Hope Road  S.E.
Washington, D.C.  20020
Office:   202-618-9097
bEMA
“Our lives are not our own. We are bound to others, past and present, and by each crime and every kindness, we birth our future.” ― David Mitchell, Cloud Atlas

Continuity of Operations Excellence Series, Level I – Professional Continuity Practitioner and Level II – Master Professional Continuity Practitioner,

Over the past six years, National Continuity Programs (NCP) and the Emergency Management Institute (EMI) have developed and fielded continuity training to enhance the development and implementation of Federal and non-Federal Continuity Programs.  The Continuity of Operations Excellence Series, Level I – Professional Continuity Practitioner and Level II – Master Professional Continuity Practitioner, was established in coordination with EMI in April 2008 to enhance the excellence in Continuity Training Programs.

Effective 1 October 2014, the following two courses will be required as part of Level I:

IS 248: Integrated Public Alert and Warning System (IPAWS) for the American Public

IS 545: Reconstitution Planning Workshop

IS 248: Integrated Public Alert and Warning System (IPAWS):

The Integrated Public Alert and Warning System (IPAWS) Program Management Office designed this course to provide the American Public with an introduction to IPAWS. It identifies the key features and benefits of IPAWS and the authorities responsible for sending alert and warning messages. It also describes the actions you can take before and during an emergency to protect yourself and your loved ones.  As a continuity program manager this can be a trigger to activate your continuity plan.

IS 545:  Reconstitution Planning Workshop:

This course is based on the guidance to the Federal Executive Branch departments and agencies for developing Continuity of Operations (COOP) Plans and Programs. The purpose of the Reconstitution Planning Workshop is to assist Federal Department and Agency, State, local, tribal, and territorial jurisdictions with the importance of developing effective and comprehensive reconstitution planning.

Effective immediately, the following change has been made for Level II requirement due to the increase number of independent study courses available.  NCP has decreased the instructing/facilitating requirement from two courses to one course.

Instruct/Facilitate one of the following:

E/L/G 548: Continuity of Operations Manager’s T-t-T Course

E/L 550: Continuity of Operations Planner’s T-t-T Workshop

E/L/G 551: Devolution Planning Workshop

E/L 554: Determined Accord Pandemic Preparedness Workshop  

E/L 553: Resilient Accord Workshop

E/L 556: Guardian Accord Workshop

E/L 549: Reconstitution Planning Workshop

E/L 557: MEF Workshop

E/L 141: Instructional Presentation & Evaluation Skills Course

FEMA NCP Training

Level I - Professional Continuity Practitioner Requirements

§  IS 546.a: Continuity of Operations Awareness Course

§  IS 547.a: Introduction to Continuity of Operations

§  IS 242.a or equivalent E/L/G course: Effective Communication

Complete one of the following: §  E/L/G 548 or IS 548: Continuity of Operations Program Managers T-t-T Course §  G 549: Continuity of Operations Program Manager Course §  MGT 331 University of Maryland Preparing the States Continuity Course

Complete one of the following: §  E/L/G 550 or IS 524: Continuity of Operations Planner’s T-t-T Workshop §  L 552: Continuity of Operations for Tribal Government Course

Complete one of the following: §  IS 100.b: Intro to Incident Command System (ICS) §  ICS 100: Introduction to Incident Command System (ICS) §  ICS 200: Incident Command System (ICS)  §  IS 200.b:  Incident Command System (ICS) for Single Resources and Initial Action Incidents

§  E/L 549 or IS 545: Reconstitution Planning Workshop

§  IS 248: Integrated Public Alert and Warning System (IPAWS) for the American Public

§  IS 230.c: Fundamentals of Emergency Management or equivalent E/L/G course: Principles of Emergency Management

§  IS 700.a: Intro to National Incident Management System (NIMS)

§  IS 800.b: A National Response Framework (NRF), An Introduction

Complete one of the following: §  E 136: Exercise Development Course  (limited to EMI Resident MEPP candidates) §  IS 139: Exercise Design §  E/L 547: Continuity Exercise Design Course (CEDC)

Complete one of the following: §  E/L 554:  Pandemic Influenza (PI) Determined Accord Workshop §  IS 520: Introduction to Continuity of Operations Planning for Pandemic Influenzas and IS 522: Exercising Continuity Plans for Pandemic Course (both Independent Study courses are required) §  E/L 553 or IS 523: Resilient Accord Cyber Security Planning Workshop §  E/L 556 or IS 525: Guardian Accord Terrorism Awareness Workshop §  E/L 557 or IS 526: MEF Workshop

§  NARA/CoSA Vital Records Training (optional, recommended) – www.nara.gov

Level II - Master Continuity Practitioner Requirements

§  Applicants must attain a Continuity Excellence Series – Level I, Professional Continuity Practitioner

§  IS 130: Exercise Evaluation and Improvement Planning or E 132 (limited to EMI Resident MEPP candidates) or G130 Exercise Evaluation

§  IS 240.a or equivalent E/L/G course:  Leadership and Influence

§  E/L/G 551 or IS 551: Devolution Planning Workshop

Complete one of the following: §  E/L 156 or IS 156: Building Design for Homeland Security T-t-T Course for Continuity of Operations §  E/L 153: Building Design for Homeland Security for Continuity of Operations

Complete one of the following: §  E/L 262: Instructional Delivery for Subject Matter Experts §  G 265: Instructional Delivery Skills (formerly G 261: Instructional Presentation Skills) §  E 605: Instructional Delivery §  E/L 141: Instructional Presentation & Evaluation Skills Course

Instruct/Facilitate one of the following: §  *E/L/G 548: Continuity of Operations Manager’s T-t-T Course §  *E/L 550: Continuity of Operations Planner’s T-t-T Workshop §  *E/L/G 551: Devolution Planning Workshop §  *E/L 554: Determined Accord Pandemic Preparedness Workshop   §  *E/L 553: Resilient Accord Workshop §  *E/L 556: Guardian Accord Workshop §  *E/L 549: Reconstitution Planning Workshop §  *E/L 557: MEF Workshop §  *E/L 141: Instructional Presentation & Evaluation Skills Course

§  *Written Comprehensive Exam (150 questions) – Applicants are eligible to take the comprehensive exam once they have completed all Level I and Level II requirements. A score of 70% is required for passing.

* Please send email to FEMA-Continuity-Practitioner@fema.dhs.gov for additional information.

Previous EMI versions of courses listed are acceptable in lieu of current course version.

All Independent Study (IS) courses can found at http://training.fema.gov/is and by clicking on ISP COURSE LIST. 

Request Continuity Practitioner Certificates

·        Emergency Management Institute will issue all certificates

·        Level I and Level II requests must be accompanied by copies of all required course certificates or an official EMI transcript

·        Send certificate requests and copies of certificates or official EMI transcript to mailbox

FEMA-CONTINUITY-PRACTITIONER@FEMA.DHS.GOV or mail to

DHS/FEMA/NCP/COOP, Attn: Training Manager, Room 515, 500 C Street SW, Washington, DC 20472-3154

·        Please include your name, organization, work address or home address, email address and phone number

·        Expect to wait up to 6 weeks to receive your certificate

Request to take Written Comprehensive Exam (150 questions)

·        You must have completed all requirements for Level I

·        You must have completed all requirements for Level II

·        Facilitating/Instructing Requirement – Provide an email or letter from Lead Instructor with

Course Title, Dates, and Course Location

·        Send copy of your Level I certificate, copy of Level II course certificates or official EMI transcript, and Facilitating/Instructing email or letter to mailbox FEMA-CONTINUITY-PRACTITIONER@DHS.GOV or mail to

DHS/FEMA/NCP/COOP, Attn: Training Manager, Room 515, 500 C Street SW, Washington, DC 20472-3154

·        Once all requirements are verified, a date to complete the Written Comprehensive Exam will be provided