Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Increasing Transparency & Enhancing Disaster Preparedness

I feel it time to merger Ares with CERT. I think they are a redunant group which both skills together should make up the best classes of volunteer works. There function together as CERT Member who also Ares would be a Best trained volunteer, It also would mean that the forms and produces would be better know and NIMS would be complete as span of control of all of it without two differently trained group who some time ...more »

In an emergency, knowing what to do is your best defense. In my state of Pennsylvania we have a state sponsored website called readypa.org which helps people with learning the risks, making an emergency plan and getting involved to help others. I assume every state has a "Ready" site that citizens can assess to gather information about how to prepare for an emergency, be it manmade or natural. The task and expense of ...more »

If the citizens feel engaged and empowered by participating in civil defense, they will have a generally better chance at surviving any major event.

Issue updated regulations, set up fallout shelters and plan triage sites. Let the people involved do the research and planning, and you just have to put the stamp of approval on it.

This post is about maybe creating a more secure virtual "digital" reality; computer hacking and encryption pose problems to this nation's security. What if programmers developed digital "chip" or thumbprint activated ID to get around on the Internet? Customers of banks, students of colleges, government employees of departments, customers of stores, and legitimate officials to power plants would be assigned digital "chips" ...more »

I work at a local hospital and we have emergency response codes. I think this should be standardized nationwide. Example in our hospital we have a CODE SILVER: active shooter/killer. I have a friend who works at the air base clinic in Bellevue and their code name is CODE BLACK. Now there is a TV show stating that CODE BLACK is when an ER department is overwhelmed. If we use these codes as emergencies they should be standardized ...more »

The US-China accord to combat climate change brings innovations to market that tangibly address the issue as well as mitigate losses in natural calamities. FEMA has ignored a development that combines a LEED rated permanent, seamless roofing that is hurricane resistant. The Hurricane Testing Laboratory found no criteria for testing! The composite can be embedded with photovoltaic properties leading to "Solarizing the ...more »

I have no idea what is taught to high school kids today as far as Homeland security goes, as I have no kids in school. I stumbled on "Risk Management Fundamentals: Homeland Security Risk Management Doctrine." and thought it would be a great teaching tool. It also got me thinking about how young the recruits are for ISIS and the like. They are teaching kids under the age of 10 to hate and kill us, and showing them how ...more »

http://arstechnica.com/business/2015/08/fcc-urges-carriers-to-turn-off-copper-networks-upgrade-to-fiber/ Just when you thought your "land line" phone was safe...for the few of us that still have them. For telephone, TV and Internet, fiber-to-home (instead of copper wire) may sound attractive, but backup power is not provided (unless you pay for a limited amount of it and you maintain the system). Folks relying upon ...more »

I recommend the Federal Government remove Google Maps and Company Names from buildings for "at risk" terrorist targets. The Federal Government should, for example, require their defense contractors to remove their company names from their buildings and to wipe such business addresses referenced on the internet. Google Maps should be required to eliminate such locations/mapping from their online maps application. This ...more »

Conducting/supporting a study that compares all currently available triage tagging tools (different styles of paper tags, triage ribbon, reflective slap wrap wrist bands, colored clothes pins, chemical lights, single colored chemlight alternatives, triage lights and paper tags with RFID) in daytime, nighttime and adverse condition scenarios. There are several studies that compare triage methods but I have found only one ...more »

Original post, http://fema.ideascale.com/a/dtd/24-7-Field-Triage-Preparedness/319348-14692 Top 15 for 3 years. The recognition & adoption of a standardized national illuminated color coded system for triaging MCI patients 24/7. Today different States & organizations use different triage cards & tapes to triage patients. The one thing they all have in common is not the language or format of the triage cards but it is ...more »

The approach to volunteer emergency communications seems disconnected from the NIMS philosophy. The role (or roles) of ham radio with respect to the communication needs of an ongoing incident should be examined, and pertinent resource types should be identified. At the very least, resource types focused on on-incident comms should be distinct from resource types focused on connecting the incident to the outside world. ...more »

PURPOSE: U.S. statistics may imply that >70% of private-sector small businesses have time or money constraints that adversely impact their preparedness. - CONDITIONS, BUSINESS PREPAREDNESS IS LIKELY TO BE CONSTRAINED IN: 1. Sole-proprietorships and other single person businesses. => As of 2013 there are 19,850,941 Sole-proprietorships businesses in the U.S. =>Businesses that are sole-proprietorships may be functioning ...more »

Was watching the weather channel and one of those myth/fact ones came on proving that they are not safe in a Tornado, my idea is take some of those small storm shelters you can buy and make them bigger now put one on each side of the highway under the overpass, so maybe 10+ can survive in them over the course of the storm.. might need to have some special code or cards so homeless do not take up residents..

We are living 100 years back in time.Start putting all new grids underground and when servicing old power lines put them under also.It is a proven fact that above ground power lines are the first to go during ANY storm.I have submitted this idea over a year ago and things could have already been accomplished if anyone got off their bottoms.Also if you check you'll find out that this is a recurring problem leaving millions ...more »

It is time for FEMA to formulate both intrinsic/extrinsic and evacuee-related plans to address situations (like the current ebola crisis).

This should include public/private resources that address not only the situation but also widespread public reaction to the event.

Such an event may serve the propaganda purposes of terrorist groups that may seek to exploit the situation in furtherance of their agenda.

Law Enforcement (primarily) seems to have forgotten the concept of the Staging Area when responding to a Mass Casualty incident like an Active Shooter. Offices have been taught to "go in" rather than wait. We have accepted the risk of being shot in an effort to stop the continued shooting. And I agree with this concept when it comes to the officers who are on duty and respond to the scene as dispatched. My issue is ...more »

EDUCATION ON PREVENTION AND PREPARATION IS THE KEY General objective 1.Former leaders in preparation for emergencies and contingencies. 2. Establish local emergency committees Particular objectives - short-term -: Participants will learn to: To understand and to put in practice the essential concepts of prevention and preparedness for emergencies and disasters events, through the management of crisis plant ...more »

have all flights coming from anywhere other then usa land 1st in the east coast at providence, ri & the west coast ventura,ca or another small airport close to a big city but not a really big city and then have every one go through customs/tsa and continue on from there

Employees rate FEMA an "F" over the last 6 Emp Satisfaction Surveys. To address this, FEMA needs to weed out the incompetent, self-serving employees who are in roles of supervision and management. This suggestion is for Employees to evaluate their supervisors/managers at the end of deployment, just like employees themselves are evaluated. This measurement should be used to determine is the individual should remain ...more »

http://www.toondoo.com//ViewBook.toon?bookid=511640

The idea is that you can put the cell tower in a protective mode. So when the strong winds has disappeared you tell the tower to get operational again. In the link to the pdf I suggest you might get the cell tower into a protective mode simply by retracting it underground.

Our public safety department has done quite a bit of research regarding active shooter incidents, and we are currently evaluating different response models to find options that would best fit our needs. That said, several of our personnel that have attended training at the Center for Domestic Preparedness (CDP) were curious if they would be offering or considering to offer any sort of active shooter training for Fire ...more »