Course Overview, Course Goal, and Objectives

Welcome to the Emergency Protective Measures course.

The course will provide an overview of Emergency Protective Measures under the FEMA Public Assistance Program. By the end of the course, State, Local, Tribal, and Territorial Applicants and Recipients will be able to accurately capture Emergency Protective Measures activities and document costs concerning actual overtime based on payroll policies, equipment usage, and reasonable materials purchases.

Upon completion of this course, participants will be able to:

  • Define Emergency Protective Measures
  • Identify Emergency Protective Measures eligible for FEMA Public Assistance Program grant funding
  • Describe documentation requirements that support application for reimbursement of Emergency Protective Measures
Select this link to access the Public Assistance acronym list.
Lesson 1 Overview and Objectives

This lesson provides a brief overview of Emergency Protective Measures.

Upon completion of this lesson, participants will be able to:

  • Identify administrative requirements of the course
  • State the goals and objectives of the course
  • Define Emergency Protective Measures
Public Assistance Categories of Work

Within the Public Assistance Program, there are two general types of work: Emergency Work and Permanent Work. To facilitate the processing of Public Assistance grant funding, FEMA separates Emergency Work into two categories, based on the type of work performed. Permanent Work is separated into five categories based on facility types.

Please refer to appendix 1-1
Emergency Work

Public Assistance Emergency Work is work which must be done immediately to:

  • Save lives
  • Protect public health and safety
  • Protect improved property
  • Eliminate or lessen an immediate threat of additional damage

Emergency Work is made up of two Categories of Work:

  • Category A - Debris Removal
  • Category B - Emergency Protective Measures

An Applicant has six months from the declaration or designation date to complete their eligible Emergency Work, unless the Recipient or FEMA authorizes an extension.

Emergency Work: Category A Debris Removal and Category B Emergency Protective Measures.
Emergency Protective Measures

This course focuses on Category B, Emergency Protective Measures, of Emergency Work under the Public Assistance program.

Emergency Protective Measures are temporary measures taken against an incident. As outlined in the Public Assistance Program and Policy Guide, 2.VI.B,  Emergency Protective Measures are actions taken before, during, and after an incident to save lives, protect public health and safety, and prevent damage to improved public and private property.

After severe flooding changed the Mohawk River floodplain, crews work to restore the riparian corridor to the original flow.
Emergency Protective Measures Eligibility

Emergency Protective Measures conducted before, during, and after an incident are generally eligible if the measures:

  • Eliminate or lessen immediate threats to lives, public health, or safety
  • Eliminate or lessen immediate threats of significant additional damage to improved public or private property in a cost-effective manner

Emergency Protective Measures eligibility is typically based on evaluation of the immediate threat and legal authority to perform the work.

FEMA may require validation by State, Local, Tribal, or Territorial government officials that a threat exists, including:

  • Identification and evaluation of the threat
  • Recommendations of the work necessary to minimize the threat
Several men wearing hard hats speaking to one another on a canal.
Emergency Protective Measures Cost-effectiveness

Another aspect of eligibility is cost-effectiveness. Certain projects must be cost-effective for Applicants to be eligible for grant funding from the Public Assistance program.

  • Emergency Protective Measures that eliminate or lessen an immediate threat to lives, public health, and/or safety do not have to be cost-effective
  • Emergency Protective Measures that eliminate or lessen an immediate threat to protect improved property must be cost-effective
Linking Emergency Protective Measures to a Declared Event

As stated previously, Emergency Protective Measures conducted before, during, and after an incident are generally eligible.

Some activities that may qualify as Emergency Protective Measures include:

  • Firefighting
  • Search and rescue
  • Evacuation and sheltering

Throughout response operations, it is important to track activities that are potentially eligible for reimbursement under the Public Assistance grant program. Without tracking Emergency Protective Measures, an Applicant may jeopardize Public Assistance grant funding.

Lesson 1 Summary

Emergency Protective Measures are temporary measures taken against an incident.

In this lesson, participants learned how to:

  • Identify administrative requirements of the course
  • State the goals and objectives of the course
  • Define emergency protective measures

The next lesson provides an in-depth look at the activities that qualify as Emergency Protective Measures eligible under the Public Assistance Program.