FEMA Disaster Response Assets And Enhancements

Part of building a new FEMA that will be the nation's preeminent emergency management and preparedness agency requires adopting a more forward leaning and collaborative disaster response approach and strengthening capabilities across the full spectrum of operational and support missions.  Central to this effort is developing more robust national and regional disaster response teams and capabilities to provide the critical support needed to help state, local, and tribal governments respond to disasters. 

FEMA has the primary responsibility for leading and coordinating the federal government's disaster response efforts.  The Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act provides the legal basis for FEMA to provide disaster response and recovery assistance.  Following a major emergency or disaster declaration by the President, FEMA is authorized to dispatch its own disaster response teams and assets to provide support or to issue a Mission Assignment (MA) to the National Response Plan (NRP) signatory Departments and Agencies for support.  The MA is the vehicle used by FEMA in a Stafford Act declaration to order immediate, short-term disaster response assistance from departments and agencies. 

Disaster response support is coordinated through one or more of the NRP's 15 Emergency Support Functions (ESF), which serve as the primary operational-level mechanism to provide assistance in functional areas such as transportation, communications, public works and engineering, firefighting, mass care, housing, human services, public health and medical services, search and rescue, agriculture, and energy.  In addition, FEMA can surge assets into an area in anticipation of an approaching storm or event that is expected to cause a significant impact and result in a declared emergency or major disaster.  This surge allows FEMA to position for a quick response, but actual assistance cannot be provided until the governor requests and a Presidential declaration is made.   

FEMA DISASTER RESPONSE ASSETS

FEMA has multiple disaster response operations centers, teams, and assets that play a key part in coordinating and providing disaster response assistance.  Based on lessons learned and ongoing assessments, FEMA continues to improve its capabilities. 

Operations Centers

FEMA manages a network of FEMA operations centers to coordinate and sustain response operations, maintain situational awareness and a common operating picture (COP) for DHS and FEMA leadership, facilitate information sharing between FEMA and non-FEMA entities, and provide internal and external stakeholders a consolidated, consistent, and accurate status of on-going incidents, responses, or potential events.  The key components of this network are the National Response Coordination Center (NRCC) in FEMA Headquarters; the Regional Response Coordination Centers (RRCC) located in each of the ten FEMA Regions; the FEMA Operations Center (FOC) located at the Mt. Weather Emergency Assistance Center; the six Mobile Emergency Response Support (MERS) Operations Centers (MOC) located in the States of Massachusetts, Maryland, Georgia, Texas, Colorado, and Washington; and the Logistics Response Center at Headquarters.

DISASTER RESPONSE TEAMS AND ASSETS

To assist state, local and tribal governments overwhelmed in a disaster situation, FEMA's Disaster Operations Directorate can immediately deploy multiple disaster response teams.  We test the capability of teams and systems to execute the disaster response mission through multi-agency and State and local exercises.  Several different types of disaster response teams can be deployed to support disaster response, as discussed below.  In accordance with the Post Katrina Act, FEMA is developing a next generation of rapidly deployable interagency National and Regional emergency response teams, tentatively identified as Incident Management Assistance Teams (IMAT).  These new teams will eventually replace existing Emergency Response Teams (ERT) at the National and Regional level and the Federal Incident Response Support Teams (FIRST) and be designed to provide a forward Federal presence to better manage and coordinate the National response for catastrophic incidents.  The new IMAT concept is discussed later.

Emergency Response Teams-National (ERT-N)

FEMA's ERT-Ns are deployed by FEMA Headquarters in response to Incidents of National Significance and major disasters.  Their purpose is to coordinate disaster response activities, coordinate and deploy key national response assets and resources, provide situational awareness, and maintain connectivity with key Department of Homeland Security operations centers and components.  ERT-Ns are made up of approximately 32 individuals from FEMA Headquarters and Regions who also have day-to-day responsibilities beyond their team assignments.  ERT-Ns are organized according to National Incident Management System/Incident Command System (NIMS/ICS) standards, which provide a systematic, proactive, and coordinated approach for governmental and nongovernmental organizations at all levels to effectively prepare for, prevent, respond to, recover from, and mitigate the effects of incidents.

Emergency Response Teams-Advanced (ERT-A)

ERT-As are located in the ten FEMA Regions and can be deployed in the early phases of an incident to work directly with the states to assess the disaster impact, gain situational awareness, help coordinate the disaster response, and respond to specific state requests for assistance.  The ERT-As are made up of approximately 25 individuals from the FEMA Regions, who also have day-to-day responsibilities beyond their team assignments, and representatives from the ESF Departments and agencies

Federal Incident Response Support Teams (FIRST)

FIRSTs are emergency response teams consisting of approximately five individuals who can be deployed immediately to an incident or disaster, particularly an Incident of National Significance.  We currently have two FIRSTs, one located in Region IV in Atlanta, Georgia, and the other in Region V in Chicago, Illinois.  They are designed to serve as the forward component of the ERT-A and will provide the core preliminary on-scene federal management that supports the local incident commander or area commander to ensure an integrated inter-jurisdictional response. 

Hurricane Liaison Team (HLT)

The HLT is a small team designed to enhance hurricane disaster response by facilitating information exchange between the National Hurricane Center in Miami, Florida, and other National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration components and federal, state, and local government officials.

Urban Search and Rescue (US&R) Task Forces

The National US&R Response System is a framework for structuring local emergency services personnel into integrated disaster response task forces. The 28 National US&R Task Forces, complete with the necessary tools, equipment, skills and techniques, can be deployed by FEMA to assist state and local governments in rescuing victims of structural collapse incidents or to assist in other search and rescue missions.  Each Task Force must have all its personnel and equipment at the embarkation point within six hours of activation. The Task Force can be dispatched and en route to its destination in a matter of hours.

Mobile Emergency Response Support (MERS)

Another key FEMA disaster response asset is the MERS System.  The primary function of MERS is to provide mobile telecommunications capabilities and life, logistics, operational, and power generation support required for the on-site management of disaster response activities.  MERS support falls into three broad categories:

MERS supports federal, state and local responders in their efforts to save lives, protect property and coordinate disaster operations, including providing prompt and rapid multi-media communications, information processing, logistics, administrative, and operational support.  Staged in six strategic locations, one with offshore capabilities, the MERS detachments can concurrently support a large JFO and multiple field operating sites within a disaster area.

OTHER DISASTER OPERATIONS DIRECTORATE ENHANCEMENTS

New Incident Management Assistance Teams (IMAT)

To further enhance disaster response capabilities and ultimately provide for the three national-level response teams and regional-level emergency response "strike" teams required in the Post Katrina Emergency management Reform Act of 2006, FEMA is developing the next generation of rapidly deployable interagency emergency response teams, tentatively identified as IMATs, designed to provide a forward Federal presence to facilitate managing the national response to catastrophic incidents.  The primary mission of a FEMA IMAT will be to rapidly deploy to an incident or incident-threatened venue, provide leadership in the identification and provision of federal assistance, and coordinate and integrate inter-jurisdictional response in support of the affected state(s) or US Territory(s).  The IMATs will support efforts to meet the emergent needs of state and local jurisdictions; possess the capability to provide initial situational awareness for Federal decision-makers; and support the initial establishment of a unified command. 

The short-term plan is to, at a minimum, stand-up one fully operational interim National IMAT and one fully operational interim Regional IMAT by June 30, 2007.  The interim teams will form the nucleus of FEMA's next generation of emergency response personnel until we hire and train personnel to staff permanent teams. Our longer-term plan is to have one permanent National IMAT and three permanent Regional dedicated IMATs by September 30, 2007.

Hurricane Gap Analysis Initiative

The new FEMA doesn't have the luxury of waiting to be asked before it identifies potential needs and shortfalls.  Under a Gap Analysis Initiative rolled out this Spring, a Gap Analysis Tool was developed in coordination with the State of New York Emergency Management Office/New York City Office of Emergency Management and has been implemented to provide FEMA and its partners at both the State and local levels in the hurricane prone regions of the country a snapshot of asset gaps at the local, State and National levels.  Seven critical areas are incorporated for review in the tool: debris removal, commodity distribution, evacuation, sheltering, interim housing, medical needs, and fuel capacity along evacuation routes.  The FEMA regions and corresponding hurricane prone states/territories and local communities have been conducting meetings to discuss capabilities and gaps for responding to hurricane disasters:

Region I: Connecticut, Rhode Island, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire
Region II: New York, New Jersey, Puerto Rico, Virgin Islands
Region III: Maryland, Delaware, Virginia, District of Columbia  
Region IV: Mississippi, Florida, North Carolina, South Carolina, Alabama, Georgia
Region VI: Louisiana, Texas

Use of Modeling to Improve FEMA's Disaster Response Readiness

Modeling is an essential element of FEMA's planning efforts and enables planning for different circumstances and data sets.  FEMA is coordinating with the DHS Science and Technology (S&T) Directorate to adapt modeling tools to the specific circumstances of large metropolitan areas.  For example, many tools, including HAZUS (Hazards U.S.), utilize a standard figure for population per square mile, often resulting in skewed data for areas with high rise apartment buildings.  The work with S&T is focusing on adapting these modeling tools to variable situations.  

As the use of the Hurricane Gap Analysis Tool becomes more extensive, FEMA plans to incorporate additional modeling capabilities to validate the data received and to forecast needs based on different variables.  FEMA's current planning efforts relative to hurricanes rely heavily on existing modeling tools such as:

Development of Pre-Scripted Mission Assignments

Other federal departments and agencies have considerable resources and expertise that are critical in life saving circumstances and provide major support to the disaster response and recovery process.  A major FEMA responsibility is to identify needs and to task or "mission assign" the appropriate agency to fulfill these needs.  FEMA uses the Mission Assignment (MA) as the interagency process to task and reimburse other Federal departments and agencies to provide direct essential assistance.  Greater emphasis has been placed on the MA process to include development of Pre-Scripted Missions Assignments (PSMAs).  The PSMA was developed to facilitate rapid response, as well as to standardize development of mission assignments prior to and during disaster operations. By expanding the development of PSMAs, FEMA is better prepared to support state and local governments in disaster response. 

Coordination with Department of Defense, National Guard, and U.S. Coast Guard 

DOD plays a key role supporting FEMA in overall planning, coordinating, and integrating Defense Support to Civil Authorities (DSCA) with local, state, and federal agencies.  DSCA is DOD's support, provided by its federal military forces, DOD civilians, contract personnel, and DOD components, in response to requests for assistance.  The DOD focus in domestic disaster response is on providing homeland defense, supporting civil operations, and cooperating in theater security activities designed to protect the American people and their way of life. FEMA's has had a productive partnership with DOD over the last year and this partnership continues to evolve.

National Guard and National Guard Bureau: Federal and State Military Integration

The National Guard is the organized militia reserved to the states by the Constitution.  In peacetime, the National Guard is commanded by the governor of each respective state or territory. When ordered to federal active duty for mobilization or for emergencies, units of the National Guard are under the control of the appropriate service secretary. Generally, there are two levels of coordination between FEMA and the National Guard.  FEMA coordination with the National Guard at the state level routinely takes place between FEMA Regional staff and state officials.  14 of The Adjutant Generals (TAG), the leadership of the National Guard are also State Emergency Management Officials (SEMOs). 

DHS/US Coast Guard Role

The U.S. Coast Guard is one of the five armed services as outlined in 14 U.S.C. § 1 which states:  "The Coast Guard as established January 28, 1915, shall be a military service and a branch of the armed forces of the United States at all times."  The Coast Guard was placed under the DHS on February 25, 2003 where it executes a variety of missions including search and rescue, maritime law enforcement, and defense readiness.  However, the Coast Guard also shoulders substantial disaster response capabilities and an expanded role in the NRP.  Coast Guard support is provided directly to DHS and FEMA during an emergency, with Coast Guard response and incident management personnel integrating directly into the DHS/FEMA incident management organization established for a specific incident.  Under the NRP and the implementation of PSMAs, the Coast Guard can be called upon to provide support in 9 separate ESFs across 20 possible Mission Assignments areas.  To ensure close coordination of Coast Guard and FEMA planning and disaster response operations, two Coast Guard liaisons are assigned to FEMA Headquarters.  Coast Guard has also trained a number of JFO Support Teams to assist FEMA during an incident.  The Coast Guard JFO teams perform the dual responsibilities of representing Coast Guard interests during an incident while providing support to the overall Federal response.

Disaster Workforce

In accordance with the Post Katrina Reform Act and FEMA's strategic direction, FEMA is pursuing a disaster workforce management redesign to create a single and standardized system for managing, deploying, maintaining accountability of, training, and credentialing of FEMA's disaster workforce.  A major goal of the disaster workforce management initiative is to develop a more highly trained and effective disaster workforce with focus on skills development and credentialing of disaster cadres and teams.

Last Modified: Tuesday, 12-Jun-2007 13:29:19 EDT