Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) National Preparedness Report: Partnering in Disaster Response

More and more people are carrying USB Flash Drives on their person. People need to start wearing ICE braclets/necklaces. They are small personal and can hold a ton of information. Information for the Medic or Police officer, or FEMA Rep. If you find yourself with nothing but the clothes you have on. You'll be glad you've got your "ICE"

Currently when you go to the EMI website there are a ton of various classes offered. What if a local city official, head of an association, etc. wanted to take a few courses to become familiar with Emergency Management or FEMA's process? What courses should they take? It's overwhelming to someone unfamiliar with Emergency Management. I think there should be a section where someone from the private sector can go and ...more »

Consider supporting disaster recovery volunteerism by giving federal agencies the discretion to grant employees one day of administrative leave to volunteer with the Red Cross, CERT, etc. if they live/work within 50 miles of a presidentially declared disaster. There are over two million federal employees and we live and work across the country. I am part of a CERT team and took leave to assist my state with food safety ...more »

In general, those who work in Fire, EMS, and law enforcement know how this law applies in their area. The definition changes state to state, and is applied differently. In light of PPD8, where resources will have a seat at the table for Disaster Planning, I have to ask how this law will be applied to NGO's and other groups that once seated at the table, will make commitments to the EOP's and become part of the responders ...more »

The recession has left many agencies with minimal staffing levels and underutilized office space and equipment. What has not changed is the mission of first responders still continues. It is proposed that agencies consider sharing; loaning; or accepting nominal fees for the use of;resources e.g. laptops, desktops, office space with other agencies. For example, the public health department is open from 8 am to 5 pm, ...more »

Why not create a hybrid model for the best of the Citizen Corps programs? Many jurisdictions have successfully integrated CERT and MRC. With less funding $$ available this might be a way to get more bang for your shrinking buck. Even Red Cross or Faith Based groups could be included, each with a special emphasis. Like a United Way for Disaster response.

Members of the media are often among the first to arrive at a disaster. Engage local media in a program to confirm and provide first aid, CPR, and disaster management/communication/coordination training to all media helicopter pilots and potential "on the scene" reporters and track via website accessible to media organizations and local disaster management in order to ensure both that training is up-to-date and that multiple ...more »

I have worked as a security guard for 5 years. I suggest that the private sector security companies or the state licensing boards for guards should require several levels of disaster response training (first aid; understanding the Red Cross, FEMA, and CERT responsibilities & activities; crowd management for safety and restoring sense of calm & hope). This training can come from existing training programs such as CERT, ...more »