Webinar, on Jan. 25 at 2 p.m. ET, Register now: Selma and beyond: Responding to tornadoes in Alabama and Georgia

 The Jan. 12 tornado outbreak in Selma and many other communities across Georgia and Alabama left 11 people dead and a large path of destruction. 

The webinar, on Jan. 25 at 2 p.m. ET, will discuss the urgent and long-term needs of communities affected by the outbreak. Panelists will focus on the effect of pre-existing conditions such as racialized poverty, historical and systemic discrimination in housing and the differences between rural and urban communities.

Moderated by CDP’s Director of Domestic Funds Sally Ray, the panel will discuss the different immediate and long-term needs in urban and rural communities and how pre-existing inequities affect outcomes for recovery. They will also explore how grantmakers can support communities to prepare for, respond to and recover from these devastating disasters.

             

Please register and join us.  ​

Electronic Signatures. January 2023

Open if you’re still on the fence about eSignatures.

 

In today’s fast-paced world, everything is going digital. And so do our signatures. According to a study from Statistica, 754 Million transactions were signed electronically worldwide in 2017 alone. If you’re still on the fence about eSignatures, here are the answers to the most frequently asked questions: What is an e-signature? - They are simply signatures in electronic form as compared with handwritten ones - It's a legal way to approve and sign the contents of a document Are eSignatures legal and safe to use? - They are legally binding virtually everywhere in the world and across different industries - They can be used as evidence in court - eSignature uses digital stamps, like an IP address, making it easy to trace each signee How does eSignature work? - Anybody can sign remotely anywhere in the world - You can type, draw, or upload a photo to create your eSignature using an app Why are eSignatures a great alternative? - Legally binding and supported by international laws in 60+ countries - Instant, documents can be signed using a computer or phone, in seconds - Paperless, meaning no more printing, signing, scanning, and sending documents back It’s not only safe and secure… it also saves time, resources, and trees, too. Go paperless and start using Signaturely for free Best, Will Founder, Signaturely P.S. Still have a few questions? Just hit reply with what’s on your mind and I’ll get right back to you. Signaturely, LLC 340 S Lemon Ave Ste 1760, Walnut, CA 91789

Know your SAA (State Administrative Agent). Grant making process to disaster declaration.

All a matter of being aware.

Do you know who your State Administrative Agent (SAA) is in the grant approval process, and when a disaster strikes your location and resources aren’t available within your state and DHS\FEMA needs to be called?

Know before any deadline approaches.  Make the call before, during, and after the grant and disaster.

Check the list for your State SAA.  Know the disaster declaration process for your State.  Voice your needs and concerns. Before and during a crisis. 

The difference may just be a CONFERENCE CALL you lead with BEMA International on the line at your invitation.  You are not alone.

1. DHS\FEMA list of SAA.
1. https://www.fema.gov/grants/preparedness/about/state-administrative-agency-contacts
2. Disaster declaration Process.
1. Local official guide:  https://www.blackemergmanagersassociation.org/p/local-elected-and-appointed-officials.html
2. State process:  https://www.blackemergmanagersassociation.org/p/disaster-declaration-process-in-united.html
3. Federal process:  https://www.blackemergmanagersassociation.org/p/disaster-declaration-process-figuring.html

At some point in the process it may become a POLITICAL decision and the needs of disadvantaged people and communities is not a priority.

Change occurs when YOU get involved.  Get involved. 

BEMA International

Black Emergency Managers Association International   Washington, D.C.  20020 bEMA International Cooperation, Collaboration, Communication, Coordination, Community engagement, and  Partnering (C5&P) A 501 (c) 3 organization   Change without sacrifice is an illusion.

 

Hospital Preparedness for Emergencies January 2023

E-learning course development on Hospital Preparedness for Emergencies

By Asian Disaster Preparedness Center published on Jan 17, 2023 02:30 pm
The purpose of this assignment is to develop a self-paced online course in MOOC format for Hospital Preparedness for Emergencies (HOPE) under the PEER program administered by the Preparedness for Response and Recovery (PRR) Department. 

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Asian Disaster Preparedness Center

Asian Disaster Preparedness Center (ADPC) is an autonomous international organization with a vision to reduce disaster and climate risk impacts on communities and countries in Asia and the Pacific by working with governments, development partners, international organizations, NGOs, civil society, private sector, media, and other key stakeholders.

Established in 1986 as a technical capacity-building center, ADPC has grown and diversified its expertise across social and physical sciences to support sustainable solutions for risk reduction across a broad range of specialist areas. With over 100 staff from 19 different nationalities and a wide range of professional expertise from atmospheric scientists to social scientists with experiences from all levels of engagement typically required for Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) and Climate Resilience (CR) in an effective manner. ADPC has six strategic themes supported by seven departments: ADPC Academy, Risk Governance, Climate Resilience, Urban Resilience, Health Risk Management, Preparedness for Response and Recovery, and Geospatial Information. These are supported by Finance, Human Resources and Administration, and Strategic Planning departments. In addition to the departments, ADPC also works on three cross-cutting themes: Gender and Diversity, Poverty and Livelihoods, and Regional and Transboundary Cooperation through permanent working committees.

ADPC Strategy 2020 guides the organization in providing comprehensive risk reduction support to countries and communities in Asia and the Pacific. ADPC recognizes the importance of examining the linkages between disaster risk management, poverty reduction, gender equality, sustainability, rights-based approaches, climate change, and regional cooperation.

For details, please refer to the ADPC website at http://www.adpc.net/

Department Introduction

The Preparedness for Response and Recovery (PRR) Department of ADPC focuses on enhancing the preparedness, and response management capacities of governments, response organizations, volunteers, non-governmental organizations, the private sector, communities, and other traditional and non-traditional actors of the Disaster Risk Management Ecosystem. It also strives to strengthen the capacity of institutions and at-risk communities for faster and more efficient disaster recovery. The department works with the above-stated actors to ensure that the regional, national, sub-national, and local disaster preparedness, response, and

recovery frameworks and implementation plans are in place well before disaster strikes.

Purpose and Objectives

The purpose of this assignment is to develop a self-paced online course in MOOC format for Hospital Preparedness for Emergencies (HOPE) under the PEER program administered by the Preparedness for Response and Recovery (PRR) Department. The focus of the course will be on the management, leadership, and coordination roles of hospital managers during emergencies. The key technical information will be presented in the different sessions, but it is not meant to go into detail. Instead, the purpose is for hospital managers to be aware of the various issues and tools available and mobilize the appropriate experts and trained professionals to support the hospital response during emergencies. It is not the intention of the HOPE E-Learning Course to replace the existing in-person course, but rather it adds value by providing an opportunity for more participants to access the training and increase the outreach in promoting the preparedness of hospitals. The E-Learning Course also acts as a refresher training and provides updates for people that completed the HOPE training.

Therefore, ADPC seeks a qualified firm to develop the HOPE E-learning course.

Expected Outputs

1. Introductory video of the HOPE Online Course
2. Instructional Design Document that includes project plan, key milestones, and timeline
3. Presentation prototype using ADPC Communication Guide.
4. Illustrated videos of training modules (graphic animations, voice-over)
5. Module Assessment / Quizzes
6. Course structure uploaded to ADPC Platform
7. Operational maintenance and training
8. Final project report

Responsibilities and Tasks

The firm is responsible for providing the following services:

1. Instructional Design Document (IDD)

   • Collect training course content from the HOPE training, clarify objectives, and finalize content in consultation with the ADPC PEER team.

   • Submission of instructional design document (IDD) for HOPE, including the course concept, tools, work plan, collation of existing training content and limitations, and information about the software under production or development according to the requirement of the hosting platform (ADPC).

   • Develop and present detailed storyboards based on the HOPE online course in consultation with the ADPC PEER team.

2. Design and Development

   • Transform training material to e-learning modules on the topics that are identified. Design and curate interactive modules using various pedagogical tools, including audio/video script, multimedia elements, graphics, animations, simulations, quizzes, case studies, etc.

The following type of available materials can be converted to e-learning content:

• Materials from the existing face-to-face training (e.g., project information, course syllabus, assignments, case studies)
• Current training course on HOPE
  1. Prototype - Develop and present a prototype of one of the topics.
  2. Develop the first module incorporating the feedback on the prototype.

1. Components of the e-learning course

   • Create User Profile

Enable the option for the user to create a 'Profile' for the course to save their details and track their progress in the course or module. The information provided will be used to generate the certificate and measure progress.

• Brief overview of each module
• Information about the course
• Reading materials
• module, syllabus, grading
• sitemap and help section
• Feedback and FAQs section

3.3 Module

• After each session, learners take a short quiz. When the learners complete the quiz, the session is shown as “completed.”
• After the learners complete the entire course, including the final test/quiz, a certificate of completion is generated
• Include a repository of reading material and contacts of resource persons, instructors for additional information.
• Provide subtitles for videos wherever required
• Provide an option to save (user’s progress) and exit

3.4 Certification

Certification shall be provided based on the assessment elements such as quizzes, multiple choice questions (MCQs), hypothetical scenarios, and the following. These can be used to test the competence of the participants on the topics. These questions should adhere to the weightage given to each session for certification.

4. Course Framework

Design and develop 5 modules with 3-4 sessions in each module and host all e-learning modules on appropriate LMS. It's expected minimum of 255 minutes total based on the materials.

5. Platform deployed on hosting server

1. Platform skeleton to be compatible with the hosting platform’s requirements.
2. Moderator- The firm should moderate responses to queries and feedback during the contract and ensure the transfer to the assigned person.

6. Operation maintenance and training

1. Post-deployment portal maintenance
   1. Provide technical support to maintain the online course during the contract period. After the contract ends, the selected agency shall be available for four months to provide services if there are technical faults in running the online e-learning platform.
   2. Carry out error/bug fixes and minor enhancements to keep the online course fully functional during the contract period. Provide maintaneance for 1 year after the online training is live.
   3. Support users and administrators in any technical.
2. Training organized for management of e-learning platform
   1. Training material: Develop clear and comprehensive Operational and Technical Reports/ Manuals for training and maintenance of the e-learning course.
   2. After the e-learning course is live to the audience, perform monitoring of the back-and-forth process of the eLearning development cycle.

Working Principles

In performing the duties and responsibilities indicated above, the firm will be supervised by the PEER team under the overall guidance of the Technical Lead, Emergency Preparedness, and the Director, Preparedness for Response and Recovery (PRR) Department of ADPC. In addition, the firm will closely work with other Project/Program Coordinators/Managers and Project Coordinators of the PRR Department.

Qualifications

The qualifying criteria for the firms/institutions/individuals applying for this are given as follows:

• Should have implemented similar e-learning and virtual courses. Provide 2-3 examples as reference.
• Should have a minimum of five years of experience in e-learning and virtual course development, including multimedia content/ graphics/ graphical guiding elements for e-learning applications (animations, videos, etc.)
• Should have experience in implementing assignments with a multi-disciplinary team of experts available
• The firms/institutes/individuals will also be assessed on the following:
  • Troubleshooting capabilities: Capability to provide technical support for maintenance,
  • Availability of dedicated team for maintenance and update of course,
  • After-development support: ability to provide software orientation, timely troubleshooting and fixes, software configuration, software customization, backup services, and monitoring of software implementation after the course is live,
  • Availability of manual testing procedures during the development process.

Duty Station: Home-base

Duration: 1 February 2023 - 31 March 2023

How to apply

Interested firms can submit the project proposals to ADPC to: adpcjobs@adpc.net by 25 January 2023, including links to previous work.

Simplify during disaster recovery: FEMA Program to Support Rapid Recovery for Applicants January 2023

 

FEMA Releases Policy to Simplify Public Assistance Program to Support Rapid Recovery for Applicants

 

On Jan. 9, FEMA released a policy that will simplify the Public Assistance (PA) program to help communities recover more quickly after Presidentially declared events.

 

As the name implies, the PA Simplified Procedures Policy simplifies procedures and streamlines documentation requirements for applicants under the Public Assistance program. This policy release follows the August 2022 announcement to increase the threshold for PA small projects to $1 million.

 

“This policy change is a reflection of FEMA and President Biden’s commitment to reduce red tape, cut back on bureaucracy and ensure that communities get the resources they deserve when they need them most,” Administrator Criswell said in August 2022 when the final rule was announced. “FEMA’s Public Assistance remains our flagship program for helping communities rebuild infrastructure, restore critical services to the public and build climate resilience. By simplifying the application process, we will break down barriers and better meet the funding needs of small communities and our nonprofit partners.”

 

The policy simplifies procedures, reduces the administrative burdens, supports equitable delivery of assistance to underserved communities and enables communities to recover more quickly after Presidentially declared events. The policy defines FEMA’s requirements for funding small projects, and it applies to all public assistance projects up to $1 million from major disasters and emergencies declared on or after the date of issuance.