Readiness and Emergency Management for Schools (REMS) Technical Assistance Center

07/25/2013         Duration: 01h:29m:05s

Facilitator: Reverend David L. Myers, Sr. Advisor to FEMA Administrator Fugate and Director, DHS Center for Faith-based & Neighborhood Partnerships

Presenters/Supporters:

• Melissa Rogers, Special Assistant to the President and Executive Director, White House Office of Faith-based & Neighborhood Partnerships
• John Cohen, Principal Deputy Coordinator for Counterterrorism, U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS)
• Jeff Afman, Director, Office of Counterterrorism and Security Preparedness, FEMA Protection and National Preparedness
• Donald Lumpkins, Director, National Integration Center, FEMA Protection and National Preparedness
• Andrea T. Schultz, CPP, Chief, Commercial Facilities Section, DHS Office of Infrastructure Protection
• Marcus Coleman, Program Specialist, FEMA Individual Community Preparedness Division (ICPD)
• Mike Miron, Director, Homeland Security Advisory Council
• Paul Goldenberg, President, Secure Community Network (SCN)
• Katie Oldaker, Director, Disaster Response, Catholic Charities, USA
• Salam Marayati, President, Muslim Public Affairs Council
• Jasjit Singh, Executive Director, Sikh American Legal Defense and Education Fund

On Thursday July 25, 2013 the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), U.S. Department of Education’s (ED) Office of Safe and Healthy Students (OSHS), and Readiness and Emergency Management (REMS) Technical Assistance (TA) Center hosted a webinar that provided an overview of FEMA's Guide for Developing High-Quality Emergency Operations Plans for Houses of Worship.

In January 2013, President Obama put forward his “Now is the Time” plan to reduce gun violence. One of the executive actions put forth in his plan was the development of this new guide by Homeland Security, led by FEMA, the Departments of Education; Justice, led by the FBI; and Health and Human Services. This guide will help houses of worship develop and implement high-quality emergency operations plans (EOPs), and describes the principles and processes that will help ensure planning efforts are aligned with the emergency planning practices at the national, state, and local levels.

This webinar provided an overview of:

• the key principles for developing a comprehensive EOP for a house of worship;
• the planning process for developing, implementing, and refining an EOP for a house of worship;
• the form, function, and content of an EOP plan for a house of worship; and
• topics that support emergency operations planning including, but not limited to, key hazards to plan for.

This webinar included presentations on the guide, a brief question and answer session, and information on how to access more information and resources.