EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

This Executive Summary, submitted pursuant to the Federal Advisory Committee Act (FACA), contains a summary of the activities that took place during the National Advisory Council (NAC) meeting on May 14 – 15, 2008. The complete transcript may be requested at FEMA-NAC@dhs.gov. 

Day One Summary – May 14, 2008 

The National Advisory Council (NAC) convened at 8:32 am (EST) on May 14, 2008, at the Four Points by Sheraton Hotel in Chicago, IL. 

NAC Members Present:
Dr. Kem Bennett, Chair
Dr. Robert Gougelet, Vice Chair 
David Barron
Ann Beauchesne
Joe Becker
Michael Brown
Joseph Bruno
Stephen Cassidy
Dr. Christina Catlett
Irene Collins
Robert Connors
Russell Decker
John Didion
Nancy Dragani
Cathey Eide
Angelia Elgin
John Hines
Chuck Kmet
Bill Libby
Dr. Kenneth Miller
James Paturas
Philip Reitinger
Hilary Styron
JR Thomas
Susanne Torriente
Peter Verga

DHS/FEMA Staff in Attendance:
Harvey Johnson, Deputy Administrator
Bob Shea, Associate Deputy Administrator
Patty Kalla, Executive Officer
Jeff Stern, DHS HSAC Executive Director 
Dennis Schrader, Deputy Administrator, National Preparedness
W. Ross Ashley, Assistant Administrator, Grant Programs
Janet Odeshoo, Deputy Regional Administrator, Region V
Cindy Lou Daniel, Disability Coordinator
Alyson Price, Designated Federal Official
Amy Humphreys, Designated Federal Official (Alternate)
Kevin Vassighi, Designated Federal Official (Alternate)

Meeting:
The meeting was called to order at 8:32 am by Bob Shea, Associate Deputy Administrator.

Welcome
Bob Shea commented that the announcements of new NAC members and reappointments are still pending. Affected members will be notified once a final decision is made.

Following the welcome, the meeting was presided over by Dr. Kem Bennett, NAC Chair.
 
Chairman’s Remarks

* Review of NAC’s subcommittee meetings on previous day
* Review of agenda for next two days
* Review of the importance of the NAC’s work
o PKEMRA mandates certain areas which the NAC is to examine and offer advice on.

1. National Integration Center: This includes providing assistance with the ongoing management and maintenance of the National Incident Management System, the National Response Plan, and any successor to such system or plan.

2. National Planning Scenarios

3. Establish Target Capabilities and Preparedness Priorities

4. Equipment and Training Standards

5. Training and Exercises

6. Comprehensive Assessment System

7. Remedial Action Management Program

8. National Disaster Housing Strategy

9. Guidelines to Accommodate Individuals with Disabilities
10. National Disaster Recovery Strategy

o Work of the NAC is extensive and will continue for a long time.
o The NAC will establish priorities and address the issues as expeditiously as possible, giving each a thorough review.

Highlights from FEMA Headquarters – Harvey Johnson, FEMA Deputy Administrator

* A lot of interest on the Hill in how the NAC is proceeding. Viewed as a good external body.
* 2007 FEMA Employee Survey
o Most scores showed improvement over last year – improvement of scores in FEMA over the average in DHS.
* Transition Planning
o FEMA is approaching transition like a relay race; FEMA is taking an active role in knowledge transfer, succession planning and supporting DHS-wide transition.
* FY ’09 Budget
o No clear answer yet whether there will be an FY ’09 Budget in place before the elections.
o Slight possibility that Congress will pass a DOD or DHS appropriations bill.
* Formaldehyde: Gulf Coast Recovery Update
o There are still 24,216 households that occupy temporary housing units.
o Unit testing:
* 2500 tests requested
* 1422 tests scheduled
o Major milestones:
* Since April 2008, over 2200 people have been moved out of temporary housing units; 800 were from concerned groups (health issues, children, elderly).
* Each day, a couple hundred families are moved out of the temporary housing units.
* Goal is to close down group sites before hurricane season begins.
* National Disaster Housing Strategy
o There is no existing national disaster housing strategy so it is taking a while to develop one – starting from square one.
o Step 1: Communicating a strategy across all levels of government to work as a nation to provide disaster housing to disaster victims.
o Step 2: Institutionalize the lessons learned from events such as Katrina.
o Step 3: Recalibrate expectations inside the government and with disaster victims.
o Step 4: Realign roles to match responsibilities – FEMA needs to re-delegate some of its roles to states and local jurisdictions.
o Step 5: Focus on the individual, recognizing all of the complexities of what the individual needs are and stay focused on those.
o Step 6: Have more flexible options – aside from a travel trailer or a mobile home.
o Step 7: Plan. This goes beyond opening shelters into planning for interim housing or permanent housing.
o Step 8: Catastrophe. Plans must be altered for natural disasters vs. Chemical- Biological- Radiological- Nuclear (CBRN) attacks.
o Step 9: There must be a full-time focus on disaster housing that includes Federal level, state level and private sector input. 
* Hurricane Preparedness
o Predictions for this year: 15 named storms, 8 hurricanes and 4 major hurricanes (about Category 3).

NAC Operating Guidelines – presented by David Barron
* The intent of the NAC Operating Guidelines was to provide a framework to allow the NAC to focus on issues rather than process. 
* The guidelines are not intended to supersede any Federal Advisory Committee Act requirements and/or Federal Emergency Management Agency policy.
* Voting can take place during face to face meetings of the NAC and subcommittees as well as during any official teleconference meeting.
o A simple majority of NAC members must be present to constitute a quorum – currently 18 members.
* Only NAC members and properly recognized alternates may sit at the table and speak during the meetings.
o With advance notice and permission, the Administrator may allow Representative council members only to designate one approved alternate to attend meetings in their place.
* Unless otherwise noted, NAC meetings are open to the public and announced in the Federal Register at least 15 days in advance
o Closed meetings are only held when deliberations of a sensitive nature need to be handled.

RAC-NAC Task Force Paper – presented by Major General Bill Libby
* Similarities between Regional Advisory Councils (RAC) and the NAC
o Both are solely advisory in nature
o Both are authorized to establish subcommittees who report to the Council only.
* Major differences between RAC’s and NAC
o Advisory responsibilities/scope of work
* NAC advises the Administrator of FEMA; incorporates State, local and tribal government and private sector input; provides input on the development and revision of the national preparedness goal, the national preparedness system, NIMS and the NRP.
* RAC’s advise the Regional Administrators of FEMA; incorporates State, territorial, local and tribal government and advises the administrator on emergency management issues specific to the Region to include geographic, demographic and other characteristics that make the four phases of emergency management more challenging.
o Member composition
* NAC – Up to thirty-five (35) members
* RAC – Up to twenty-one (21) members
* Recommendations regarding RAC-NAC relationship and communications:
o There is no formal relationship between the NAC and RAC as established in the Homeland Security Act of 2002 nor do they have any authority over each other.
o Should the RAC identify a national issue, it should be forwarded to the NAC for resolution.
o Each NAC meeting should include a RAC update given by a FEMA Regional official
o NAC minutes should be provided to the RAC as a way to keep them updated on NAC priorities and as a means of avoiding a duplication of effort.

Target Capabilities List – presented by Assistant Administrator Dennis Schrader
* The Target Capabilities List (TCL) Version 2.0 lists the 37 capabilities communities need to build and maintain.
* Capability Implementation Initiative will provide an objective, common framework for assessing preparedness
* Six (6) capability frameworks will be released at the beginning of Fiscal Year 2009
o Animal Health; Emergency Operations Center Management; Intelligence; Mass Transit Protection; On-Site Incident Management; WMD/HazMat Rescue and Decontamination
* Technical Working Group sessions will be held to develop all portions of a capability framework
o Working Group sessions will be held from April through July 2008
o At least one session will be hosted in each FEMA Region to ensure input from stakeholders across the country
o NAC members were invited to email the DFO if interested in participating in a TCL Working Group

National Exercise Program – presented by Assistant Administrator Dennis Schrader
* The National Exercise Program (NEP) components include:
o Homeland Security Exercise and Evaluation Program (HSEEP); 
o Five-Year National Exercise Schedule;
o Corrective Action Program (CAP); and
o Lessons Learned Information Sharing System (LLIS)
* Department and Agency designees coordinate their roles and responsibilities through the NEP Executive Steering Committee, chaired by the Director of the FEMA National Exercise Division (NED)
* NEP exercises are designed for participation of heads of Federal departments and agencies and other key officials and for examining and evaluating emerging national-level policy issues

National Response Framework – presented by Assistant Administrator Dennis Schrader
* Incident annexes and partner guides to be updated in 2009.

National Incident Management System – presented by Assistant Administrator Dennis Schrader
* As of May 4, 2008, over 7 million people have done NIMS Compliance courses through the Emergency Management Institute.
* Proposed NIMS Components:
o Preparedness
o Communications and Information Management
o Resource Management
o Command and Management
o Ongoing Management and Maintenance
* February 2009 – plan to have an inventory of all federal response officials.
* Two Previous National Comment Periods:  February 1-19, 2007 and March 26 – April 6, 2007
o Commenters:  252
o Comments: 5,544
* As the NRF has now been released, the NIMS will undergo one final national comment period (May 1- June 2, 2008).
o Document is located on www.regulations.gov; Docket ID FEMA2008-0008
o NAC members are asked to submit their comments through Russ Decker and the DFO.

Subcommittee Report Outs
* National Response Framework – led by Nancy Dragani
o Subcommittee Charge: 
* “To provide input on modifications to the NRF; offer strategies for dissemination of the framework and other related plans; and assist with developing meaningful and relevant training programs on the integration and implementation of the NRF.”
o Issues/Recommendations:
* Prioritization – focus is on familiarization over acceptance and dissemination.
* Outreach – understanding what FEMA is currently doing
* Audience consideration.
* Create a standardized message.
* Regional support (training and dissemination).
* Integration of NRF into existing training.
* Review and provide feedback on NRF Resource Center briefings for State, local and tribal audiences, Private Sector and NGO’s.
* Recommendations will be provided to full NAC at August meeting.
* All NRF subcommittee members are to take the IS800b class and review the NRF document.
* Post Disaster Housing – led by Joe Becker
o Subcommittee Charge:
* “To provide FEMA with recommendations regarding: Prioritized standards/criteria for use in determining appropriate post shelter housing strategies; Alternative transitional housing options that FEMA should consider beyond the current practices for use in client housing; and FEMA’s role in assisting state, local and tribal governments with operational planning and implementation regarding post disaster housing policies, options and practices.”
o Issues/Recommendations:
* Interface with National Housing Strategy - National Housing Strategy is imminent and will change scope of work.
* Scope of work grew to include reaction to “Wrap-Around Services Issue Paper”
* Recommends FEMA take operational/playbook approach to National Housing Strategy
* Action Item: Request NAC support for legislative change to grant FEMA authority to empower state and locals to implement strategy.
* Potential recommendation may be upcoming requiring a legislative language change regarding housing needs.
* Stafford Act – led by Nancy Dragani
o Subcommittee Charge:
* “To examine the provisions of the Stafford Act and related federal regulations and recommend any changes that would enhance the ability of FEMA and its partners to effectively prepare, protect, respond, recover and mitigate emergencies and disasters.  When conducting this examination, the subcommittee will place priority on identifying those areas where changes in the implementing regulation and policy can most quickly and directly result in greater flexibility in providing assistance.”
o Issues/Recommendations:
* Received 70-plus recommendations for change; 33 were examined; 12 were tabled and 12 were pushed forward. 
* Major groupings were regulatory, legislative and policy changes.
* Comments will be accepted through June 16th in the form of stakeholder issue papers.
* Recommendations will be made by subcommittee members and forwarded to NAC Chair and full NAC for recommendation at the August meeting.

* Measuring Grant Programs – presented by W. Ross Ashley, FEMA Grants Administrator
o Grants Programs Directorate (GPD)
* Mission: to assist State and local entities to employ risk management frameworks to achieve homeland security capability targets, while also providing a unified, solutions oriented approach to federal financial assistance management in support of FEMA's multi-faceted mission, priorities and customer base
* Vision: to be recognized as the leading component that is valued for proactive federal financial assistance management that prepares the American public
o GPD updates
* 19 grant programs
* $10 billion in grant money distributed in 2007
* Requirements analysis document to be completed by August 2008
* Non-disaster grants system to be rolled out in October 2008
* Grant guidance to be issued on May 16th

Meeting was recessed at 5:15 pm. 

Day Two Summary – May 15, 2008

The National Advisory Council (NAC) reconvened for the second day of its meeting at 8:30 am (EST) on May 15, 2008 at the Four Points by Sheraton Hotel in Chicago, IL. 
 

NAC Members Present:
Dr. Kem Bennett, Chair
Dr. Robert Gougelet, Vice Chair 
David Barron
Ann Beauchesne
Michael Brown
Joseph Bruno
Dr. Christina Catlett
Irene Collins
Robert Connors
Russell Decker
Cathey Eide
Angelia Elgin
John Hines
Chuck Kmet
Bill Libby
Dr. Kenneth Miller
James Paturas
Philip Reitinger
Mark Shriver
Hilary Styron
JR Thomas
Susanne Torriente
Peter Verga

DHS/FEMA Staff in Attendance:
R. David Paulison, FEMA Administrator
Harvey Johnson, Deputy Administrator
Bob Shea, Associate Deputy Administrator
Patty Kalla, Executive Officer
Jeff Stern, DHS HSAC Executive Director 
Edward Buikema, Regional Administrator, Region V
Dennis Schrader, Deputy Administrator, National Preparedness
W. Ross Ashley, Assistant Administrator, Grant Programs
Janet Odeshoo, Deputy Regional Administrator, Region V
Alyson Price, Designated Federal Official
Amy Humphreys, Designated Federal Official (Alternate)
Kevin Vassighi, Designated Federal Official (Alternate)


Meeting:
The meeting was called to order at 9:00am (EST) by Bob Shea, Associate Deputy Administrator.

Remarks by Administrator Paulison
* All council recommendations need to be formalized and documented – suggest that an annual report be done before January 2009.
o Want to make sure that all of NAC’s work is accounted for during the transition.
* Headquarters Updates
o Nancy Ward (Region 9 Administrator) will be Career Transition Lead during the transition.
o Rebuilt budget is $9.2 billion this year (10% HQ; 90% Field).
o 3,400 employees on board; Intend to have over 4,400 by the end of FY09.
o New Incident Management Assistant Teams (IMAT) formed at the regional and national level.
* Will soon be able to mobilize in 4 hours and be on ground within 12 hours.
o Proactive organization is being developed – bringing in operational planners to assist.
o Family Emergency Registry and Child Locator System have been deployed.
* Seeking the assistance of the NAC to help get out the message of personal preparedness, that individuals need to take personal responsibility for themselves and their families.

Summary of Previous Day

* There will be 3 subcommittee report outs today.
* There will be an administrative (closed) session during the August 13-14, 2008 meeting.

Regional Advisory Council (RAC) Update – presented by Edward Buikema, Region V Administrator
* Majority of RAC’s have met 2 or more times
o Region 1: Working on improving public awareness and education, regional operations and training/exercises.
o Region 2: Created 2 new subcommittees – Tribal Affairs and Special Needs.
o Region 3: Creating a plan to host an EMAC tabletop exercise with Region 3 states.
o Region 4: Initially started with over 40 intra-state issues and have narrowed to 23.  Plan to host another conference call soon to narrow slate of issues further.  
o Region 5: Creating NIMS training for the law enforcement community; will be hosting a meeting (along with other Regions along the Northern border, the government of Canada and FEMA International Affairs) with Public Safety Canada to discuss an emergency management assistance compact across the US and Canadian borders.
o Region 6: Collaborating with States and locals, Interagency - the RAC is currently researching opportunities for federal, state, and local collaboration regarding special needs evacuation, evacuee tracking, and sheltering solutions and joint communication strategy.
o Region 7: Has identified need to educate all partners on economic and physical impacts of agricultural events.
o Region 8: Supporting the promotion of Intra-Regional collaboration in preparedness, including training, exercises, plans, procedures, and funding.  Also supports establishing a full time Region VIII liaison officer in each State Emergency Management Office.
o Region 9: Briefed on the development of the California Catastrophic Earthquake Readiness Planning Initiative with a focus on a San Francisco Bay Area earthquake.
o Region 10: Helping elected officials be effective during a disaster; creating clear positions and locations for them to report to during planning phase.  R-10 is actively exploring existing sources of training for elected officials and give the courses visibility among elected officials (e.g. Integrated Emergency Management Course, etc.).

Subcommittee Report Outs 

* National Incident Management System – led by Russ Decker
o Subcommittee Charge:
* “To offer guidance and recommendations to the Administrator for revisions and implementation of the National Incident Management System.”
o Issues/Recommendations:
* Concerns with NIMS revision document
* Need to be more of a connection between ICS and ESF.
* Need to remove the phrase that “elected officials must have access to the incident commanders.”
* Reconsider use of the words “must” and “shall” to reduce potential post-disaster liability.
* Next step is to consolidate NAC’s comments to the NIMS – due on June 4th – and provide to NAC Chair in advance of the June 18th NAC Conference Call.
* Special Needs Subcommittee – led by Irene Collins
o Subcommittee Charge:
* “To expand the office of the National Disabilities Coordinator to fully integrate the definition of Special Needs as written in the National Response Framework; to further enhance the office by the inclusion of Faith-based and Special Needs Volunteer Programs; and assure full integration and coordination with the Interagency Coordinating Council.”

o Issues/Recommendations:
* Adopt a Functional Regional Approach that is in line with FEMA established direction and provide outreach and operational support.
* Explore existing opportunities and initiatives within FEMA (i.e., Senior Corp and Office of Faith Based Initiatives).
* Co-branding/Remarketing of “New FEMA” – encourage use and adoption of materials and train trusted agents within specific communities to participate in messaging
* Private/Public Partnerships – led by Ann Beauchesne
o Subcommittee Charge:
* “To determine how FEMA can facilitate the public/private sector partnerships at the local, state, and federal levels to establish a culture of preparedness across the Nation for all hazards.”
o Issues/Recommendations:
* Working to identify other best practices for public/private sector partnerships
* Solicit NEMA, IAEM to survey membership
* Evaluate US Chamber of Commerce preliminary surveys
* Solicit NGA to survey Homeland Security directors
* Constant reminder is needed that the Private sector is part of the response, recovery and solution process – treat it and respect it as such.
* Next Steps: Identify a survey tool for public and private entities to ascertain their thoughts on what works with regard to training, exercising and planning.

CLOSING REMARKS

* NAC Conference Call – June 18th – details to be sent via email.
* Next meeting – August 13-14, 2008 at the Grand Hyatt in Washington, DC.
o August 12th will be subcommittee meetings
* Final meeting for 2008 – December 9-11, 2008 – location undecided.
* Annual report will be drafted and sent around to all NAC members for input.

The meeting was adjourned at 3:30 pm EST. 


I hereby certify that, to the best of my knowledge, the foregoing minutes are accurate and complete.

___________________________
G. Kemble Bennett
Chairman
National Advisory Council



1