This course provides the fundamental knowledge for FEMA and other Federal emergency management personnel who assist with incident management or incident support of disaster operations.

This course builds on the concepts and principles covered in ICS 100, 200, 700, and 800.

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To receive credit for this course, you must:

Complete all of the lessons. Each lesson will take between 10 and 30 minutes to complete. It is important to allow enough time to complete the course in its entirety.

This lesson provides an overview of the authorities and FEMA planning frameworks that guide FEMA’s incident management and incident support actions in preparing for, preventing, responding to, recovering from, and mitigating effects from all incident levels.

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

• Describe the purpose of the course.
• Identify significant legal authorities that guide FEMA in preparing for, preventing, responding to, recovering from, and mitigating effects from incidents.

The purpose of this course is to provide an overview of FEMA’s role in responding to and recovering from an incident.

This course prepares FEMA staff for assignments in a Joint Field Office (JFO) or Initial Operating Facility (IOF), Regional Response Coordination Center (RRCC), or the National Response Coordination Center (NRCC).

You will begin by learning about key legal authorities that guide FEMA’s actions.

FEMA has evolved into the organization it is today as a result of the Federal government's response to such historically significant events as the Three Mile Island accident, the eruption of Mount St. Helens, the terrorist attacks of September 11th, and Hurricanes Katrina and Sandy.

For example, the terrorist attacks of September 11th spurred passing of the Homeland Security Act (HSA), the various Homeland Security Presidential Directives, and the NIMS. Hurricane Katrina spurred the creation and passing of the Post Katrina Emergency Management Reform Act (PKEMRA). Hurricane Sandy triggered the Sandy Recovery Improvement Act of 2013 (SRIA).

Thus, various documents—national doctrines, policies, and procedures—have been developed to help FEMA use its resources more effectively and efficiently.

Select this link to learn more about FEMA’s Statutory Authorities (https://www.fema.gov/about-agency).

The Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act (Public Law 100-707), signed into law on November 23, 1988, amended the Disaster Relief Act of 1974 (Public Law 93-288). The Stafford Act constitutes the statutory authority for most Federal disaster response activities, especially as they pertain to FEMA.

The Stafford Act states that "All requests for a declaration by the President that a major disaster exists shall be made by the Governor of the affected State." These requests are made through the regional FEMA office where a Preliminary Damage Assessment is conducted.

Upon the determination of the President, emergency and major disasters can be declared, where Federal assistance is supplemental to State and local efforts to lessen the threat of a catastrophe in the United States.

However, even when the President does not issue a declaration, FEMA may perform certain activities to support the State planning and preparedness functions.

Select this link to learn more about the Stafford Act (www.fema.gov/robert-t-stafford-disaster-relief-and-emergency-assistance-act-public-law-93-288-amended)

44 CFR, which is updated annually, establishes "Emergency Management and Assistance" as an element of the CFR, which is a codification of the general and permanent rules and regulations published in the Federal Register. Title 44 is titled "Emergency Management and Assistance," and Chapter 1 of Title 44 contains the regulations issued by FEMA, including those related to the implementation of the Stafford Act.

44 CFR was developed in response to the Stafford Act, codifying the basic policies and procedures related to implementing the Stafford Act such as:

• 44 CFR 10.13 (https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/CFR-2008-title10-vol1/pdf/CFR-2008-title10-vol1.pdf)
• 44 CFR 10.4 (b) (www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/CFR-2000-title44-vol1/pdf/CFR-2000-title44-vol1-part9-appA.pdf)
• 44 CFR 1.4 (a) (https://www.govinfo.gov/app/details/CFR-2006-title44-vol1/CFR-2006-title44-vol1-sec1-4)
• 44 CFR 1.4 (b) (https://www.govinfo.gov/app/details/CFR-2006-title44-vol1/CFR-2006-title44-vol1-sec1-4)
• 44 CFR 10.1 (a) (https://www.govinfo.gov/app/details/CFR-2008-title44-vol1/CFR-2008-title44-vol1-sec10-1)

Select each section above to learn more.

The Homeland Security Act (HSA) of 2002 created the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) as an executive department of the United States. The HSA consolidated component agencies, including FEMA, into DHS. The Secretary of Homeland Security is the head of DHS and has direction, authority, and control over it. All of the functions of the officers, employees, and organizational units of DHS are vested in the Secretary. The mission of DHS includes preventing terrorist attacks within the United States, reducing America's vulnerability to terrorism, and minimizing the damage and recovering from attacks that do occur. PKEMRA amended the HSA with respect to the organizational structure, authorities, and responsibilities of FEMA and the FEMA Administrator.

The Homeland Security Presidential Directive 5 (HSPD 5), issued on February 28, 2003, directs the establishment of a single, comprehensive NIMS led by the Secretary of Homeland Security that covers the prevention, preparation, support, response, and recovery from terrorist attacks, major disasters, and other emergencies. The implementation of such a system includes plans, doctrine, resource typing credentialing, team and cadre formation, and other activities to enable all levels of government throughout the Nation to work together efficiently and effectively.

HSPD 5 requires all Federal departments and agencies to adopt NIMS and to use it in their individual incident management programs and activities as well as in support of all actions taken to assist State, tribal, and local governments. The directive requires Federal departments and agencies to make adoption of NIMS by State, tribal, and local organizations a condition for Federal preparedness assistance (through grants, contracts, and other activities). NIMS recognizes the role that non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and the private sector have in preparedness and in activities to prevent, protect against, respond to, recover from, and mitigate the effects of incidents.

Select this link to learn more about NIMS (www.fema.gov/pdf/emergency/nims/NIMS_core.pdf).

The National Incident Management System (NIMS) is a structured template used nationwide for both governmental and NGOs to respond to disasters and/or terrorist attacks at the Federal, State, tribal, and local levels of government. NIMS provides a consistent, flexible, and adjustable national template within which government and private entities can work together to manage domestic incidents regardless of their cause, size, location, or complexity.

NIMS components include:

• Preparedness
• Communications
• Information Management
• Command and Management
• Resource Management
• Ongoing Management and Maintenance

Select this link to review the NIMS document (www.fema.gov/pdf/emergency/nims/NIMS_core.pdf).

The Post Katrina Emergency Management Reform Act (PKEMRA) of 2006 clarified and modified the Homeland Security Act with respect to the organizational structure, authorities, and responsibilities of FEMA and the FEMA Administrator. It enhanced FEMA's responsibilities and its authority within DHS and transferred many functions of DHS's former Preparedness Directorate to FEMA. Per PKEMRA, FEMA leads and supports the Nation in a risk-based, comprehensive emergency management system of preparedness, protection, response, recovery, and mitigation. Under the act, the FEMA Administrator reports directly to the Secretary of Homeland Security, and FEMA is a distinct entity within DHS.

Some of the major provisions that PKEMRA has provided are:

• Requirements for the development of pre-scripted mission assignments as part of the planning efforts for Emergency Support Functions (ESFs) response efforts
• NIMS and the National Response Framework as the framework for emergency response and domestic incident management
• Direction for the development of a National Disaster Recovery Strategy and National Disaster Housing Strategy
• Amendment to the Stafford Act to direct FEMA to appoint a Disability Coordinator to ensure that the needs of individuals with disabilities are being addressed in emergency preparedness and disaster relief
• FEMA Qualification System

Preparedness requires the commitment of our entire Nation. Presidential Policy Directive-8 (PPD-8), issued on March 30, 2011, describes the Nation's approach to preparedness-one that involves the whole community, including individuals, businesses, community- and faith-based organizations, schools, and all levels of government, such as, State, local, tribal, Territorial, and insular governments.

PPD-8 links together national preparedness efforts using the following key elements:

• National Preparedness System: How We Get There
• National Planning System: What We Deliver
• Annual National Preparedness Report: How Well We Are Doing
• Whole Community Initiative: Who We Engage

Select this link for additional information on PPD-8 (www.fema.gov/learn-about-presidential-policy-directive-8).

PPD-8 calls for development and maintenance of a National Preparedness Goal defining the core capabilities necessary to prepare for the specific types of incidents posing the greatest risk to the security of the Nation. The Goal will establish concrete, measurable, and prioritized objectives to mitigate specific threats and vulnerabilities-including regional variations of risk-and emphasize actions intended to achieve an integrated, layered, accessible and all-of-Nation/whole community preparedness approach, while optimizing the use of available resources.

DHS, in coordination with other executive departments and agencies, and in consultation with State, local, tribal, and Territorial governments; the private and non-profit sectors; and the general public, was charged with developing and submitting the first edition of the National Preparedness Goal. The Goal is reviewed regularly to evaluate consistency with applicable policies, evolving conditions, and the NIMS.

An important part of the National Preparedness System is the five National Planning Frameworks. They include:

• National Prevention Framework
• National Protection Framework
• National Mitigation Framework
• National Response Framework
• National Disaster Recovery Framework

The Frameworks describe guiding principles, core capabilities, and critical tasks for the mission area, as well as coordinating structures and key roles and responsibilities for the whole community. Each framework is supported by an interagency operational plan. These Frameworks are integrated to ensure interoperability across all mission areas.

Select this link to review the Overview of the National Planning Frameworks document (https://www.fema.gov/sites/default/files/2020-04/NRF_FINALApproved_2011028.pdf).

National Prevention Framework

The National Prevention Framework helps achieve the National Preparedness Goal of a secure and resilient Nation that is optimally prepared to prevent an imminent terrorist attack within the United States.

Select this link to review the National Prevention Framework document (https://www.fema.gov/sites/default/files/2020-04/National_Prevention_Framework2nd-june2016.pdf).

The National Protection Framework is currently under development. This Framework will provide guidance and unifying principles required to safeguard the Nation against acts of terrorism and man-made or natural disasters.

Select this link to review the National Protection Framework document (https://www.fema.gov/media-library-data/1466017309052-85051ed62fe595d4ad026edf4d85541e/National_Protection_Framework2nd.pdf).

The National Mitigation Framework addresses how the Nation will develop, employ, and coordinate mitigation core capabilities to reduce loss of life and property by lessening the impact of disasters.

Select this link to review the National Mitigation Framework document (https://www.fema.gov/media-library-data/1466014166147-11a14dee807e1ebc67cd9b74c6c64bb3/National_Mitigation_Framework2nd.pdf).

The National Response Framework (NRF) is a guide to how the Nation responds to all types of disasters and emergencies. It describes specific authorities and best practices for managing incidents that range from the serious but purely local to large-scale terrorist attacks or catastrophic natural disasters.

Select this link to review the National Response Framework (NRF) document (https://www.fema.gov/sites/default/files/2020-04/NRF_FINALApproved_2011028.pdf).

The National Disaster Recovery Framework (NDRF) is a guide to promote effective recovery, particularly for those incidents that are large-scale or catastrophic.

Select this link to review the National Disaster Recovery Framework (NDRF) document (https://www.fema.gov/sites/default/files/2020-06/national_disaster_recovery_framework_2nd.pdf).

The Sandy Recovery Improvement Act (SRIA) of 2013 authorizes several significant changes to the way FEMA may deliver disaster assistance under a variety of programs. Specifically, SRIA changes the following programs and processes:

• Public Assistance
• Hazard Mitigation
• Dispute Resolution
• Federal Assistance to Individuals and Households
• Individual Assistance
• Tribal Requests for a Major Disaster or Emergency Declaration

Select this link to review the Stafford Act (www.fema.gov/media-library/assets/documents/15271?fromSearch=fromsearch&id=3564).

Select this link to review the Sandy Recovery Improvement Act of 2013 Fact Sheet (https://www.fema.gov/disasters/sandy-recovery-improvement-act-2013).

• FEMA is authorized to develop alternative procedures that an applicant may elect to use for Public Assistance permanent work and debris removal projects.
• FEMA may expeditiously implement this authority as a pilot program until such time that the Agency promulgates implementing regulations.
• Once implemented, FEMA may apply these alternative procedures to future emergencies and major disasters, but may also do so in current declared events for projects where construction has not yet begun.
• These alternative procedures will, at minimum, include the following specified procedures:
• Permanent Work Alternative Procedures
• Debris Removal Work Alternative Procedures

• Streamlined Procedures: Directs FEMA to expedite the National Environmental Policy Act and the National Historic Preservation Act compliance processes. Additionally, FEMA may implement streamlined procedures that consider multiple structures as a group for an analysis of cost-effectiveness and satisfaction of cost-share requirements.
• Advance Assistance: Allows FEMA to provide up to 25 percent of the estimated costs for eligible hazard mitigation measures to a State grantee before eligible costs are incurred
• Allows FEMA to waive notice and comment rulemaking to expeditiously implement State administration of the Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP), if FEMA determines that doing so is necessary to expeditiously implement the administration of HMGP by States as a pilot program.
• Once implemented, FEMA may apply this provision to previously declared disasters for which the application period has not ended as of January 29, 2013, and all future disasters.

• Directs FEMA to establish a nationwide dispute resolution pilot program, including arbitration by an independent review panel, for Public Assistance projects.
• This nationwide dispute resolution pilot program will only be available for:
• Disputes in an amount of at least $1 million,
• Projects with a non-federal cost share requirement, and
• Applicants that have completed a first appeal pursuant to 44 C.F.R. § 206.206.
• FEMA will establish an independent arbitration review panel and decisions made by the independent review panel will be binding.
• Requests for review under this nationwide dispute resolution pilot program, once implemented, must be submitted by December 31, 2015.
• Arbitration available under this nationwide dispute resolution pilot program is separate and distinct from the arbitration process established for Public Assistance projects for major disasters declared in response to Hurricanes Katrina and Rita.

• Amends the Stafford Act to provide for an option for the Chief Executive of a federally recognized Indian tribe to make a direct request to the President for a major disaster or emergency declaration. The amendment provides that Tribes may elect to receive assistance under a State’s declaration, provided that the President does not make a declaration for the Tribe for the same incident.
• Authorizes the President to establish criteria to adjust the non-federal cost share for an Indian tribal government consistent to the extent allowed by current authorities.
• Requires FEMA to consider the unique circumstances of tribes when it develops regulations to implement the provision.
• Amends the Stafford Act to include federally recognized Indian tribal governments in numerous references to state and local governments within the Stafford Act.

Let’s summarize what you have learned in this lesson:

• This course provides the fundamentals of management and support coordination of Federal disaster operations.
• Various legal authorities have guided FEMA in using its resources more effectively and efficiently, including:
• 44 CFR
• HSA
• HSPD 5
• PKEMRA
• PPD-8
• SRIA
• The Stafford Act

Now that you've been introduced to the main topics of this course, in the next lesson, you will learn about FEMA’s doctrine.

This lesson provides an overview of current FEMA doctrine. In this lesson, you will learn about the hierarchy of FEMA doctrine and the alignment of doctrine to FEMA’s mission. The lesson also specifically describes several key doctrine publications.

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

• Identify the purpose of FEMA doctrine.
• Identify the publications that establish the foundation for FEMA doctrine.

Doctrine is a belief, or set of beliefs, held by an organization about the best (or right) way to do things. Doctrine reflects the culture of an organization and staffs’ understanding of how those beliefs relate to their roles and responsibilities.

Doctrine specifically:

• Tells us the “why’s” and “what’s” rather than the detailed “how to” steps.
• Provides a standard frame of reference for FEMA.
• Is based on shared experiences.
• Constantly matures and evolves.
• Is, in summary, the human interoperability factor.

FEMA doctrine is driven by FEMA-s mission:

•  To support our citizens and first responders to ensure that as a Nation we work together to build, sustain and improve our capability to prepare for, protect against, respond to, recover from and mitigate all hazards.-

As you proceed through this lesson, consider how each level of doctrine aligns with and reinforces this mission.

Operational manuals describe what FEMA personnel manage and how they support incident operations. Manuals include definitions, descriptions of roles, functions, structure, and concept of operations for those conducting FEMA incident management and support duties.

Manuals are intended to:

• Provide the high-level rules for operating.
• Address major, widespread operational issues.

Examples of FEMA manuals include the National Incident Support Manual and Regional Incident Support Manual.

Procedural documents describe how—with specific, measurable actions and methods—we implement doctrine or policy.

Procedures are designed to:

• Be narrowly defined and focused.
• Address specific issues or processes.

Examples of procedures include the Incident Management Handbook and the FEMA Incident Action Planning Guide.

FEMA Publication 1 (Pub 1) serves as FEMA’s capstone doctrine. Pub 1 communicates what FEMA is, what FEMA does, and how FEMA can better accomplish its missions.

Specifically, Pub 1:

• Describes FEMA’s ethos, which is to “serve the Nation by helping its people and first responders, especially when they are most in need.”
• Identifies FEMA’s core values of “compassion, fairness, integrity, and respect.”
• Delineates eight Guiding Principles that provide overarching direction to all FEMA personnel.

Pub 1 describes FEMA’s eight guiding principles—teamwork, engagement, getting results, preparation, empowerment, flexibility, accountability, and stewardship. These guiding principles all tie back to FEMA’s four core values of compassion, fairness, integrity, and respect.

Select each guiding principle below for more information.

The Incident Management and Support Keystone (IMSK) establishes broader doctrine that applies primarily to the FEMA Response and Recovery mission. It is the primary document from which all other FEMA disaster response directives and policies are derived.

The IMSK leads a family of other document guidance that supports the implementation of FEMA disaster response operations. Specifically, the IMSK:

• Standardizes FEMA procedures to more effectively integrate at all levels of government and across the country.
• Institutionalizes best practices—it uses principles initially established in wildfire management processes and widely adopted in the fire service throughout the country.
• Serves to guide planning, training, equipping, and staffing processes to bring all levels of emergency response across all disciplines to a common management process.
• Differentiates between incident support and incident management, which are addressed in greater detail later in this lesson.

In Lesson 1, you learned about the NRF as one of the five National Planning Frameworks. The NRF is a guide to how the Nation responds to all types of disasters and emergencies. It describes specific authorities and best practices for managing all kinds of incidents.

The NRF is national-level doctrine, applicable to all Federal agencies including FEMA. FEMA’s IMSK is the link between this national-level doctrine and FEMA-specific doctrine. The IMSK aligns with NRF guiding principles and translates those principles into guidance for FEMA.

The NRF’s guiding principles establish the foundation for the response mission:

• Engaged Partnership
• Tiered Response
• Scalable, Flexible, and Adaptable Operational Capabilities
• Unity of Effort through Unified Command
• Readiness to Act

Incident Support is the coordination of all Federal resources that support emergency response, recovery, logistics, and mitigation-activities that occur at the NRCC or RRCC by either the National Response Coordination Staff (NRCS) or the Regional Response Coordination Staff (RRCS). Responsibilities include the deployment of national-level assets, support of national objectives and programs affected during the disaster, and support of incident operations with resources, expertise, information, and guidance.

Incident Management is the incident-level operation of the Federal role in emergency response, recovery, logistics, and mitigation-the activities that occur at the IOF or JFO. The IOF or JFO is staffed by an Incident Management Assistance Team (IMAT). Responsibilities in incident management include the direct control and employment of resources, management of incident offices, operations, and delivery of Federal assistance through all phases of emergency response.

The third level of the FEMA doctrine hierarchy is manuals—such as the National Incident Support Manual (NISM) and the Regional Incident Support Manual (RISM).

As you learned earlier in this lesson, operational manuals describe what FEMA personnel manage and support. They include definitions, descriptions of roles, functions, structure, and concept of operations for those conducting FEMA incident management and support duties. Manuals are intended to:

• Provide the high-level rules for operating.
• Address major, widespread operational issues.

The NISM describes how FEMA NRCS at the NRCC supports FEMA incident operations. It includes definitions and descriptions of roles and responsibilities, functions, and organizational structures for those conducting FEMA incident support duties.

The NISM forms the basis from which FEMA personnel plan and execute their assigned missions. It also serves as the basis for developing related guidance (procedures, handbooks, incident guides, training materials, etc.).

Finally, it also discusses how NRCS procedures are relevant to all personnel (FEMA, other Federal agencies (OFAs), NGOs, and the private sector) who are either assigned to, or coordinating with, the NRCS.

The FEMA RISM describes the organization, functions, and underlying doctrine of incident support activities at the regional level. It explains how the RRCS supports incident operations and discusses steady State activities pertinent to incident operations. Like the NISM, the RISM serves as the basis for developing guidance, including procedures, handbooks, incident guides, and training materials for FEMA incident support personnel. It is also intended to inform FEMA-s partners regarding guidelines and requirements for incident support operations.

The fourth and final level of FEMA’s doctrine hierarchy is procedures. Procedural documents describe how—with specific, measurable actions and methods—FEMA implements doctrine or policy. Procedures are intended to:

• Be narrowly defined and focused.
• Address specific issues or processes.

Examples of FEMA procedural documents include:

• Incident Management Handbook (IMH) 
• FEMA Incident Action Planning Guide (IAP Guide)

The Incident Management Handbook (IMH) is designed to assist emergency management personnel in the use of ICS during all hazards response operations and planned events. The document:

• Clarifies FEMA’s field operating structure.
• Outlines how FEMA utilizes the characteristics of the ICS to interact with States, territories, tribes, and NRF agencies and partners under disasters and emergencies.

The Incident Action Planning Guide (IAP Guide) explains how to plan and execute operations during any incident. This document, based on the IMH:

• Explains the ICS incident action planning process.
• Describes how to use it during FEMA incidents.
• Defines the specific roles and responsibilities of the various participants.
• Establishes standards for incident action planning during FEMA incidents.

Accurate, consistent, and complete application of this guide is essential to successful incident operations.

So far in this lesson, you have learned how FEMA differentiates between incident support and incident management, and how different components of FEMA doctrine apply to the incident, regional, and national levels. Through learning about the doctrine, you have also been introduced to the different response levels, facilities, and staff at those facilities. Now, let’s examine the different systems applied at those levels and facilities.

• At the incident level, the IOF or JFO is staffed by an IMAT. Incident-level operations apply ICS.
• At the regional and national levels, the NRCC and RRCCs are staffed by the NRCS or the RRCS. These facilities apply a Multiagency Coordination System (MACS). You will learn more about MACS on the next page.

The MACS is a process that allows all levels of government and all disciplines to work together more efficiently and effectively. It occurs across the different disciplines involved in incident management, across jurisdictional lines, or across levels of government.

MACS coordinates activities above the incident-level and prioritizes incident demands for critical or competing resources, thereby assisting the coordination of the operations in the field. MACS integrates several elements into a common system including personnel (e.g., NRCS), procedures, protocols, facilities (e.g., NRCC), business practices, and communications.

The MACS provides the following:

• Planning and coordinating resources and other support for planned, notice, or no-notice events.
• Defined business practices, standard operating procedures, processes, and protocols by which participating agencies will coordinate their interactions.
• Dispatch procedures and protocols, command structure, and the coordination and support activities.
• Support, coordination, and assistance with policy-level decisions to the incident-level operations.

A fully implemented MACS is critical for seamless multiagency coordination activities and essential to the success and safety of the response whenever more than one jurisdictional agency responds

Let’s summarize what you have learned in this lesson:

• Doctrine is a belief, or set of beliefs, held by an organization about the best way to do things. FEMA's doctrine is driven by the organization's mission.
• FEMA doctrine hierarchy includes (in order or higher hierarchy) Capstone, Keystone, Operational Manuals, and Procedures.
• Key FEMA doctrine includes the Pub 1, IMSK, NISM, RISM, IAP Guide, and IMH.
• Incident support refers to regional and national level operations and applies a MACS.
• Incident management refers to incident level operations and applies the ICS.

Now that you’ve learned about FEMA doctrine, you will learn more about FEMA incident support in the next lesson.

This lesson provides an overview of FEMA incident support.

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

• Describe how FEMA doctrine guides the missions of response and recovery at the national and regional levels.

Remember you can access the glossary throughout this course by selecting the Glossary button in the top right hand corner of each main content screen.

FEMA is never in command of an incident, so the FEMA incident-level structure is established within a Unified Coordination Group (UCG) that contains the same essential command and general staff elements typically found in a traditional ICS structure.

The IOF or JFO becomes FEMA’s “incident command post” where incident management takes place. The RRCC and NRCC provide incident support to the IOF or JFO, i.e., the FEMA incident level.

The FEMA Qualification System (FQS) is a performance-based qualification system that gives employees the opportunity to demonstrate and document their knowledge and skills in their specific incident management or incident support positions. Performance-based training refers to incident-related performance (at a disaster, incident, or scheduled exercise) that demonstrates the employee’s knowledge, skills, and actual performance, as documented in the position task book for the specific position, during these types of situations.

To become qualified for an incident management or incident support position, each employee is evaluated on the job. FQS standardizes the qualifications for positions across the Agency so that an employee who is qualified to perform in a given disaster position in one FEMA region will be prepared to perform in the same position in another region.

Remember the NISM describes how FEMA national staff supports FEMA incident operations and briefly discusses steady-state activities pertinent to incident operations. It defines the activities of Federal assistance—across the nation and within FEMA’s statutory authority—supporting citizens and first responders in responding to, recovering from, and mitigating all hazards.

It includes definitions and descriptions of roles and responsibilities, functions, and organizational structures for those conducting FEMA incident support duties, thus forming the basis from which FEMA personnel plan and execute their assigned missions. The NISM also serves as the basis for developing related guidance (procedures, handbooks, incident guides, training materials, etc.). It also discusses how NRCS procedures are relevant to all personnel (FEMA, other Federal agencies, nongovernmental organizations, and the private sector) who are either assigned to or coordinate with the NRCS.

The NRCC is a multiagency center that coordinates the overall Federal support for major disasters and emergencies, including catastrophic incidents and emergency management program implementation. As the focal point of FEMA’s national resource coordination, the NRCC:

• Serves as FEMA’s primary operation (support) center.
• Coordinates resource deployment.
• Provides support to regional and field structures.
• Develops national strategic plans.
• Serves as an information conduit.

The NRCS provides emergency management coordination, conducts planning, deploys resources, and collects and disseminates incident information as it builds and maintains situational awareness. The NRCS does the following:

• Maintains situational awareness of specific potential threats, events, or incidents.
• Collects, validates, analyzes, and distributes incident information.
• Coordinates the use of other Federal agencies- resources through mission assignments and interagency agreements.
• Develops the National Support Plan, National Advanced Operational Plan, and Functional Plans to source and address identified resource shortfalls.
• Coordinates with the affected region(s) to determine initial requirements for Federal assistance.
• Coordinates support and situational reporting with the RRCC(s).
• Activates and deploys national teams.
• Deploys initial response resources and other disaster commodities when required.
• When directed, assumes responsibility for regional incident support if a regional office is not operational.

As an element of the MACS, the NRCC organizational structure is NOT set up in an ICS format. However, there is commonality with title terminology and a familiarity with the structure relative to ICS principles.

It is the NRCS who operates the NRCC. The NRCS is organized into four functional sections, aligned with the core functions described on the previous page and coordinated by the Chief of the NRCS. This functional-organization approach enhances coordination, communications, and facilitation by focusing NRCS efforts to achieve essential tasks.

Click on each element below to learn more.

• Ensures information flow and coordination among all FEMA levels (national, regional, and incident[s]).
• Coordinates and synchronizes all Headquarters disaster response; recovery; and mitigation operations, programs, and related activities.
• Provides appropriate incident support to the Regional Administrators (RAs) and Federal Coordinating Officers (FCOs).
• Directs the deployment of national-level teams as needed.
• Approves and signs plans developed by the NRCS Planning Support Section.
• Advises the FEMA Administrator on program and policy issues related to incident management and support and provides recommended courses of action.

• Directs and leads the NRCC by guiding, overseeing, and authorizing activities of the support sections of the NRCC to support incidents.
• Executes the guidance and direction of the Director of Disaster Operations as it relates to incident support.
• Acts as a liaison to executive-, congressional-, and Cabinet-level leadership during response.

• Compiles and analyzes information and data collected through their specific functions and produces relevant products from which the NRCS, senior leadership, and other stakeholders (internal or external) can make decisions affecting their specific support to an incident
• Supports informed decision making through the development of a COP and serves as the single point of reference for incident information management at the NRCS level.
• Facilitates and assists the NRCS Planning Support Section by providing critical documentation or information for developing plans.

• Leads development of a recurring National Support Plan (NSP), usually prepared daily, that tees up issues to be addressed, tasks to be accomplished, and activities that will occur during the specific period it covers.
• Develops or supports the development of functional plans that address specific requirements or issues, both large and small.

• Reviews requirements for clarity and completeness and communicates with the requester for more information if necessary.
• Fills out an action request form for those requirements that come via personal, phone, or email communications; assigns a tracking number and logs the request.
• Updates the status of the orders and responds to inquiries from incident personnel, as necessary, throughout the life cycle of order processing and management
• Serves as an interagency group of response partners including Federal, nongovernmental, and commercial entities focused on developing sourcing recommendations to fulfill disaster requests in support of RRCC and/or JFO operations.
• Processes orders based on the sourcing method identified by the Resource and Capability Branch. This is done by filling out the paperwork necessary for the sourcing method determined and acquiring the necessary approvals to execute the order.

• Ensures that the NRCC remains in an operational state for immediate activation by coordinating the maintenance and readiness of the NRCC and its environmental conditions.
• Provides support for all technology used during activation, assisting staff members with administrative- and human resources-related policies and procedures, as well as maintaining the status of staff and providing travel documentation for NRCS personnel.
• Ensures that all NRCS personnel conduct activities/operations in a safe and healthy environment by providing safety- and health-related recommendations to the NRCC Center and Staff Support Chief.
• Maintains physical security for the NRCC by including access controls and other security measures.
• Publishes and updates the operational tempo as needed and maintains the activation roster, contact information, and other pertinent information.

Before the FCO assumes control of the Federal response and the management of the incident, the RRCC will do the following:

• Establish and maintain all RRCS positions needed, including ESF coordinators.
• Contact the Emergency Operations Center (EOC) in the affected State(s) to identify capabilities and anticipate shortfalls to determine initial response and support requirements.
• Implement processes for gathering, collating, analyzing, and disseminating incident information to all appropriate parties.
• Provide the NRCC with information necessary to make critical national-level incident management decisions.
• Acquire other Federal agencies’ resources through the use of mission assignments and interagency agreements.
• Establish mobilization centers and staging areas, as needed.
• Deploy regional IMATs and incident staff.
• Request the deployment of a National IMAT(s) or additional Regional IMATs from other Regions when needed.

Once the FCO has assumed control and the JFO is established, the RRCC will:

• Maintain situational awareness of the incident to support the Regional Administrator’s incident management oversight role.
• Develop and implement Regional Support Plans to source and address identified resource shortfalls.

• Serves as the principal advisor regarding emergency management to States within his/her region.
• Collaborates with the State Emergency Management Agencies (EMAs).
• Directs activation and deployment of regional resources such as IMAT and disaster commodities.
• Communicates with the FEMA Administrator.
• Requests assistance from the NRCC Director of Disaster Operations.
• Sets regional priorities and orders Regional Operations Plans.

• Directs and leads the RRCC by providing guidance and oversight to the Support Sections within the RRCC.
• Provides direction to the team members.
• Monitors RRCC staffing levels to ensure that they are maintained at optimum levels needed for effectiveness.
• Oversees the execution of the Regional Administrator’s directions or objectives for RRCS.
• Supervises the sourcing and deployment of resources by the RRCS Resource Support Section.

• Processes requests for information.
• Collects information.
• Develops reports, briefings, and presentation products.
• Performs information analysis.
• Develops and integrates geospatial and technical information.
• Manages records.
• Develops materials that support public messaging.

• Validates, prioritizes, and sources resource requests:
  • Emergency teams or personnel, supplies, commodities, equipment.
• Coordinates activities with ESF and other Federal agency (OFA) partners.
• Provides real-time information of statuses of requests and resources.
• Manages Single Point Ordering Tracking (SPOT), Mission Assignment (MA), and Funds Control.
• Establishes, staffs, and supports Federal Staging Areas.

• Leads the development of a recurring Regional Support Plan that addresses overall incident priorities, objectives, and tasks that will occur during a specific period of time in the context of initial response support activities from the RRCS.
• Provides expertise to support the development of crisis action plans that address specific requirements or issues, both large and small.

• Provide for RRCC safety and security.
• Coordinate with facility maintenance on any issues.
• Provide administrative support to RRCS.

The RRCS and NRCS are activated to varying degrees for different disaster levels. Select each level below to learn more.

• Level I Disaster
• Level II Disaster
• Level III Disaster
• Watch Steady State

A Level I Disaster is an incident of such magnitude that the available assets that were designed and put in place for the response are completely overwhelmed or broken at the local, regional, or national level.

Due to its severity, size, location, actual or potential impact on public health, welfare, and infrastructure, a Level I Disaster requires an extreme amount of Federal assistance for response and recovery efforts for which the capabilities to support do not exist at any level of government.

A Level I Disaster requires extraordinary coordination among Federal, State, tribal, and local entities due to massive levels and breadth of damage, sever impact, or multi-State scope.

A Level I Disaster requires major involvement of FEMA—full activation of the NRCS and RRCS(s). For the NRCC, approximately 130 staff is activated. The number of staff at the RRCC will vary.

A Level II Disaster requires a high amount of direct Federal assistance for response and recovery efforts.

It requires elevated coordination among Federal, State, tribal, and local entities due to moderate level and breadth of damage.

A Level II Disaster involves significant involvement of FEMA—RRCS activation and possibly NRCS activation. For the NRCC, approximately 65 staff is activated. The number of staff at the RRCC will vary.

A Level III Disaster requires a moderate amount of direct federal assistance.

Typically, these incidents are primarily a recovery effort with minimal response requirements and existing Federal and regional resources will meet requests.

A Level III Disaster has minor-to-average levels and breadth of damage. The RRCS and NRCS are activated to support coordination among involved Federal, State, local, tribal, and territorial entities. For the NRCC, approximately 30 staff is activated. The number of staff at the RRCC will vary.

Organizational Relationships

Both NRCS and RRCS are responsible for providing incident support within the NRCC and RRCC, respectively. However, there are some differences in their responsibilities.

• Similarities in the roles of NRCS and RRCS
• Differences in the roles of NRCS and RRCS

Both entities:

• Are engaged in incident support.
• Coordinate resource deployment.
• Maintain situational awareness.
• Develop plans.

NRCS:

• The Regional Support Section coordinates deployment of national assets and/or resources:
• Mobile Emergency Response Support
• Urban Search and Rescue
• Distribution Centers
• The Situational Awareness Section develops the Senior Leader Briefings, etc. for the White House.
• The Planning Support Section develops the National Support Plan and functional plans to source and address identified resource shortfalls.

RRCS:

• The Regional Support Section works directly with the State via the UCS to:
• Acquire and deploy regional resources.
• Request national resources if local sources are not available.
• Coordinates situational awareness with the State emergency management organization.
• Collects and provides more detailed, granular data to the Regional Administrator and NRCS Situation Awareness Section.
• The Planning Support Section develops the Regional Support Plan to address incident priorities, objectives, and tasks.
• Provides expertise to support development of functional plans.

Communication and coordination at the NRCC and RRCC is facilitated by the use of WebEOC, a Web-enabled incident management system currently used in FEMA’s incident management and incident support facilities.

WebEOC enables the NRCC and RRCC to coordinate the use of FEMA assets. It allows users to have access to real-time information simultaneously.

There are a number of entities engaged in incident support other than the NRCC and the RRCC. The following are a few examples:

• The National Operations Center (NOC)
• Hurricane Liaison Team (HLT)
• Mobile Emergency Response Support (MERS)
• National Joint Terrorism Task Force (NJTTF)
• National/Regional Watch Centers

Let’s summarize what you have learned in this lesson:

• The NRCC and RRCC serve as the focal point of national and regional resource coordination, respectively.
• NRCS and RRCS share similar roles in incident support and communicate among various sections at various incident levels, but there are many differences in their responsibilities.
• FEMA doctrines such as the NISM and RISM guide the missions of response and recovery at the national and regional levels.
• There are other entities in addition to NRCC and RRCC that are engaged in incident support, such as the NOC and MERS.

Now that you have learned about the FEMA incident support, you will learn more about FEMA incident management in the next lesson.

This lesson provides an overview of FEMA incident management. Upon completion of this lesson, you will be able to:

• Distinguish among unity of purpose, unity of effort, and unified command/coordination.
• Explain how unified command/coordination is applied at the FEMA incident level.
• Describe how control of a Federal response progresses to the FEMA incident level.
• Identify the functions and primary agencies of the 15 ESFs.

Remember you can access the glossary throughout this course by selecting the Glossary button in the top right corner of each main content screen.

As you have already learned in this course, incident management occurs at the incident level. When an incident occurs (or is about to occur), FEMA deploys an IMAT to stand up incident-level response and recovery operations near the incident site at an IOF or JFO. The Regional Administrator (RA) deploys a FCO to lead the IMAT. From the JFO, the FCO and the IMAT coordinate with partners—State, local, tribal, territorial governments, private sector organizations, and NGOs—to conduct response and recovery operations.

Select the links below to learn more about incident-level facilities and staff:

• IOF
• JFO
• IMAT
• FCO

The JFO is the primary Federal incident management field structure. The JFO is a temporary Federal facility that provides a central location for the coordination of Federal, State, tribal, and local governments and private-sector and nongovernmental organizations with primary responsibility for response and recovery.

The JFO structure is organized, staffed, and managed in a manner consistent with the principles of NIMS. Although the JFO uses an ICS structure, the JFO does not manage on-scene operations. Instead, the JFO focuses on providing support to on-scene efforts and conducting broader support operations that may extend beyond the incident site.

In Lesson 2, you learned about the Incident Management Handbook (IMH) as an example of FEMA procedural doctrine. Like the NISM and RISM guide NRCC and RRCC organizational structure and activity, the IMH assists FEMA emergency management personnel in conducting their assigned missions at the incident level.

Select the links below to learn more about the IMH:

• Applicability and Scope
• Document Organization

The IMH is based on key ICS organization and management concepts that guide incident-level operations—unity of purpose, unity of effort, and unified command/coordination. The following screens describe these concepts in greater detail.

The IMH is primarily designed for FEMA personnel deployed to the incident level. However, it is also intended to educate FEMA partners providing assistance at a JFO about key incident-level emergency management functions.

The concepts in the IMH are applicable to FEMA support operations during incidents involving both Presidential declarations under the Stafford Act and non-Stafford Act incidents involving Federal-to-Federal support. (You will learn more about the disaster declaration process in Lesson 5.)

Consistent with the principles of NIMS, the NRF, and FEMA-specific doctrine such as the NISM, RISM, and IMSK, the IMH forms the basis from which FEMA personnel will execute their assigned missions in the field.

The IMH is not intended to provide direction for FEMA programs nor serve as a program reference guide. As such, program definitions are introduced as appropriate and not necessarily sequentially as anticipated in program guidance. The IMH does not replace NIMS qualifications, NIMS position training, or program training. Personnel must be able to effectively operate within the NIMS organization at their assigned positions and properly use and understand the IMH.

Unity of purpose refers to establishing a common purpose or resolution among multiple organizations. It is the foundation for unity of effort (described on the next screen) during incident management and support operations. Aspects of unity of purpose include:

• Community and partner engagement
• Measurable, collaborative performance metrics
• Stakeholder collaboration to maximize resources
• Community interface and successful coordination
• Transparency and accountability
• Priories development led by impacted communities
• Scalable and flexible organizational structures

Per NIMS and ICS, and addressed in the IMSK, unity of effort refers to harmonizing efforts among multiple organizations towards a common goal. Aspects of unity of effort include:

• Clearly defined roles and responsibilities
• Access to information
• Shared understanding of how risks are managed and prioritized
• Achievement through the UCG

Unified command/coordination brings together designated officials from the principle jurisdictions affected by the incident to coordinate an effective response, while those officials also carry out their own jurisdictional responsibilities.

It allows all agencies with jurisdictional authority or functional responsibility for the incident to jointly provide management direction to incident response through the development of a common set of incident objectives and strategies and a single IAP.

Unified command/coordination allows:

• Mutually agreed-upon objectives
• Organization at the incident level according to NIMS and ICS
• A UCG to coordinate public response

The UCG brings the principles of unified command/coordination to the JFO and the resource coordination system. It is important to remember that this group actually commands the resources that are assigned to the JFO and other FEMA operations but only coordinates the resource and support needs of the incident.

The UCG functions as a multiagency coordination entity (as defined by the NIMS) and works to establish joint priorities (single or multiple incidents) and allocate resources, resolve agency policy issues, and provide strategic guidance to support Federal incident management activities. The exact composition of the JFO is dependent on the nature and magnitude of the incident. The UCG provides strategic guidance and resolution of any conflicts in priorities for allocation of critical Federal resources. If policy issue resolution cannot be achieved among UCG members, issues can be raised to the Incident Advisory Council (IAC) or through the appropriate agency chain of command for consideration by higher authorities. Unresolved resource issues may be handled by the RRCC, the NOC-NRCC, or the IAC, or they may be forwarded through the respective agency chains of command if further deliberation is required to ensure unity of effort.

Select from the command staff positions listed below to learn more about their duties:

• External Affairs Officer (EAO)
• Safety Officer (SFO)
• Liaison Officer (LOFR)
• Chief of Staff (COS)

The EAO reports to the FCO and manages all external affairs elements. The EAO is responsible for developing and releasing information about the incident, as approved by the FCO, to the news media, elected officials, incident personnel, and other agencies and organizations. The EAO provides support to the FCO and Command and General Staff (C&GS), involving communications with external audiences in accordance with incident objectives. The EAO is responsible for the establishment and oversight of a Joint Information Center (JIC). Primary duties include the following:

• Review the IMH “Common Responsibilities” section.
• Oversee External Affairs plans.
• Participate in the incident action planning process.
• Meet with Federal and State congressional staff and State and local officials, briefing them on FEMA activities and programs.
• Direct and oversee public information, congressional, intergovernmental, private sector, and Community Relations programs.
• Review material before FCO approval for publication or release to the media.
• Oversee the development of speeches and talking points.
• Participate in all relevant National Incident Communication Conference Line and State Incident Communication Conference Line conference calls.
• Coordinate with State, local, tribal, and territorial Public Information Officers to establish the baseline for information exchange.
• Support the communication messaging requirements of emergency teams when appropriate.
• Assess the scope of responsibility outside of the assigned incident area (e.g., evacuees, media, and geographic distribution of External Affairs functions).

The SFO reports to the FCO and is responsible for developing and recommending measures to ensure the safety of personnel assigned to the incident, to assess and/or anticipate hazardous and unsafe situations, and to activate the Interagency Agreement (IAA) with Federal Occupational Health (FOH) when needed. Primary duties include the following:

• Review the IMH “Common Responsibilities” section.
• Establish and manage the Safety function.
• Serve as the senior safety official at the disaster.
• Ensure that safety, health, and environmental (Safety) hazard assessments are completed, including all incident facilities, buildings and workplace job hazard analyses, and safety and health checklists.
• Exercise emergency authority to stop and prevent unsafe acts and activities when necessary.
• Review proposed corrective actions to remediate, abate, and/or substitute the hazard.
• Review, approve, and submit Safety plans, messages, and programs.
• Ensure the implementation of Safety plans and programs in accordance with all applicable regulations (Federal, State, and local), standards, and guidelines.
• Provide situational awareness to immediate supervisor on any changes that could affect disaster-wide operations.
• Prepare or review, approve, and submit all safety plans (such as the Disaster Hazard Assessment Plan, Occupant Emergency Plan, or Hazard Communication Plan) and safety messages, including those messages needed for inclusion in the IAP.
• Prepare the Incident Action Plan Safety Analysis Worksheet (FEMA ICS Form 215A) in conjunction with the Operational Planning Worksheet (FEMA ICS Form 215) to assess health and safety issues, and to propose mitigation measures.
• Prepare or review and approve the Medical Plan (FEMA ICS Form 206) for the IAP.
• Participate in incident action planning meetings.
• Chair and coordinate the Interagency Safety Committee.
• Manage the Safety function’s responsibilities for accident/incident investigations and documentation.
• Provide medical capabilities at incident facilities as needed, usually by activating the IAA with FOH for clinics. (The Safety function will provide oversight and logistics will provide space and logistical support.)
• Review and approve Safety-related purchase requests to ensure that the Safety function’s procurement requirements are achieved.
• Coordinate and communicate with the NRCS Safety Coordinator to ensure the proper reporting of events and hazards when applicable.
• Coordinate activities with safety and health representatives.
• Contribute the Safety function’s input to the Incident Demobilization Plan.

The LOFR reports to the FCO and is the point of contact (POC) for supporting and cooperating Agency Representatives (AREPs). The LOFR may have assistants, who may represent assisting agencies or jurisdictions. Primary duties include the following:

• Review the IMH “Common Responsibilities” section.
• Serve as the POC for ESF representatives and other AREPs.
• Establish and maintain interagency contacts.
• Maintain a list of assisting and cooperating agencies and AREPs.
• Keep the assisting and cooperating agencies aware of the incident status.
• Monitor incident operations to identify current or potential interagency problems.
• Participate in planning meetings and provide limitations and capabilities of the assisting and cooperating agency resources on the incident.
• Ensure that all required agency forms, reports, and documents are completed before demobilization.
• Ensure that all documentation to support MA reimbursements is provided by the tasked agency to the FEMA Regional Office.
• Debrief AREPs before their departure.

The COS monitors morale and discipline and has direct responsibility for the Executive Assistant, advisors, special assistants, and technical specialists as assigned. Primary duties include the following:

• Review the IMH “Common Responsibilities” section.
• Delegate authority using the appropriate forms (FEMA Form 093-3-1, Delegation of Signature Authority, Delegation of Authority Matrix, Demobilization, Rotation, and Overtime justification).
• Recommend changes to the Staffing Plan based on staff input and analysis.
• Verify through daily reports that all assigned staff members are accounted for.
• Review documents and correspondence for accuracy and completeness for FCO approval.
• Monitor the implementation of administrative policies and programs.
• Oversee the coordination of “very important person” visits with input from multiple stakeholders.
• Ensure that the facility is functional during hours of operation.
• Orchestrate the sequence of daily activities to maximize productivity.
• Monitor incident activities to identify current or potential problems.
• Represent the FCO in briefings, meetings, and conferences with Federal, State, and local officials, as directed.
• Coordinate the physical layout of the JFO and act as the final decision maker (when required).
• Develop and communicate guidance and procedures that adhere to FCO and agency policy.
• Coordinate employee assistance services to ensure that needs are met for individuals within the incident management organization.
• Contribute to the development of a Demobilization or Transition Plan that supports the mission and addresses stakeholder needs.
• Ensure that incident-status information is up-to-date.
• Oversee all required incident documentation, to ensure that it is completed.
• Ensure that appropriate financial records are maintained and submitted to the FCO.

The Operations Section is responsible for all tactical activities focused on reducing the immediate hazard, saving lives and property, establishing situational control, and restoring normal operations. Lifesaving and responder safety will always be the highest priorities and the first objectives in the IAP. You will learn more about key programs in the Operations Section later in this course.

Select the below image of the Operations Section to learn more.

The Operations Section coordinates the delivery of Federal assistance programs and services, including:

• Lifesaving assistance (urban search and rescue, medical, evacuation support, etc.);
• Life-sustaining assistance (shelter, water, food, etc.);
• Assistance to individuals;
• Public assistance; and

Hazard mitigation assistance to supplement State and local government efforts.

Mission Assignment Manager

The Mission Assignment Manager is responsible for preparing, tracking, and monitoring MAs that task ESFs and other agencies to provide resources, services, and equipment.

Disaster Survivor Assistance Branch

The Disaster Survivor Assistance Branch expedites the recovery process of disaster survivors by providing them in-person, tailored guidance and services to resolve their immediate and emerging needs, and identifies the needs of the whole community. The branch will have multi-functional teams that will play a key role in reducing the need for disaster survivors to connect with FEMA on multiple occasions to obtain critical assistance.

Geographic Operations Branch

The Geographic Operations Branch is responsible for the implementation of the IAP pertaining to that specific geographic branch.

Emergency Services Branch

The Emergency Services Branch is the focal point for tasking, the coordination of plans, and the special considerations of each ESF assigned to the Branch.

Air Operations Branch

The Air Operations Branch is responsible for providing air operations support in compliance with Federal Aviation Regulations and standard operating procedures to disaster field operations, including ground-based logistical support.

Infrastructure Branch

The Infrastructure Branch is responsible for providing technical and repair assistance for essential facilities, and for providing interim supplementary financial assistance to public entities. This Branch implements and administers the PA program to deliver disaster aid to repair, replace, or supplement parts of a community’s infrastructure.

Staging Area Branch

The Staging Area Branch manages any staging areas—temporary on-incident locations to which incident personnel, equipment, and commodities are assigned awaiting tactical assignment.

Individual Assistance Branch

The Individual Assistance Branch is responsible for implementation and management of the IA Branch or Group that delivers FEMA programs to individuals and families affected by disasters.

Hazard Mitigation Branch

The Hazard Mitigation Branch is responsible for:

• Managing, coordinating, and implementing HM and flood insurance statutory requirements.
• Providing leadership to support effective planning and rebuilding strategies and actions.
• Providing information and resources to communications staff and the public—to reduce or eliminate their risks from future natural hazards.

Disaster Emergency Communications Group

The Disaster Emergency Communications Group is responsible for assisting offices of emergency communications, coordinating the restoration of public safety and first responder networks, assisting in restoring communications infrastructure, and ensuring a smooth transition to long-term restoration efforts.

ESF #1: Transportation

ESF Coordinator: Department of Transportation

Coordinates the support of management of transportation systems and infrastructure, the regulation of transportation, management of the Nation’s airspace, and ensuring the safety and security of the national transportation system. Functions include but are not limited to:

• Transportation modes management and control;
• Transportation safety;
• Stabilization and reestablishment of transportation infrastructure;
• Movement restrictions; and
• Damage and impact assessment.

ESF #2: Communications

ESF Coordinator: DHS/National Communications System

Coordinates the reestablishment of the critical communications infrastructure, facilitates the stabilization of systems and applications from cyber attacks, and coordinates communications support to response efforts. Functions include but are not limited to:

• Coordination with telecommunications and information technology industries;
• Reestablishment and repair of telecommunications infrastructure
• Protection, reestablishment, and sustainment of national cyber and information technology resources; and
• Oversight of communications within the Federal response structures.

ESF #3: Public Works & Engineering

ESF Coordinator: Department of Defense/U.S. Army Corps of Engineers

Coordinates the capabilities and resources to facilitate the delivery of services, technical assistance, engineering expertise, construction management, and other support to prepare for, respond to, and/or recover from a disaster or an incident. Functions include but are not limited to:

• Infrastructure protection and emergency repair;
• Critical infrastructure reestablishment;
• Engineering services and construction management; and
• Emergency contracting support for lifesaving and life-sustaining services.

ESF #4: Firefighting

ESF Coordinator: Department of Agriculture/U.S. Forest Service and DHS/FEMA/U.S. Fire Administration

Coordinates the support for the detection and suppression of fires. Functions include but are not limited to supporting wildland, rural, and urban firefighting operations.

ESF #5: Information and Planning ESF

Coordinator: DHS/FEMA Supports and facilitates multiagency planning and coordination for operations involving incidents requiring Federal coordination. Functions include but are not limited to:

• Incident action planning; and
• Information collection, analysis, and dissemination.

ESF #6: Mass Care, Emergency Assistance, Temporary Housing, & Human Services

ESF Coordinator: DHS/FEMA Coordinates the delivery of mass care and emergency assistance, including:

• Mass care;
• Emergency assistance;
• Disaster housing; and Human services

ESF #7: Logistics

ESF Coordinator: General Services Administration and DHS/FEMA

Coordinates comprehensive incident resource planning, management, and sustainment capability to meet the needs of disaster survivors and responders. Functions include but are not limited to:

• Comprehensive, national incident logistics planning, management, and sustainment capability; and
• Resource support (e.g., facility space, office equipment and supplies, contracting services).

ESF #8: Public Health & Medical Services ESF

Coordinator: Department of Health and Human Services

Coordinates the mechanisms for assistance in response to an actual or potential public health and medical disaster or incident. Functions include but are not limited to:

• Medical surge support including patient movement;
• Behavioral health services; and
• Mass fatality management.

ESF #9: Search & Rescue ESF

Coordinator: DHS/FEMA

Coordinates the rapid deployment of search and rescue resources to provide specialized lifesaving assistance. Functions include but are not limited to:

• Structural collapse (urban) search and rescue;
• Maritime, coastal, and waterborne search and rescue; and
• Land search and rescue.

ESF #10: Oil & Hazardous Materials Response

ESF Coordinator: Environmental Protection Agency

Coordinates support in response to an actual or potential discharge and/or release of oil or hazardous materials. Functions include but are not limited to:

• Environmental assessment of the nature and extent of oil and hazardous materials contamination; and
• Environmental decontamination and cleanup.

ESF #11: Agriculture & Natural Resources

ESF Coordinator: Department of Agriculture

Coordinates a variety of functions designed to protect the Nation’s food supply, respond to plant and animal pest and disease outbreaks, and protect natural and cultural resources. Functions include but are not limited to:

• Nutrition assistance;
• Animal and agricultural health issue response;
• Technical expertise, coordination, and support of animal and agricultural emergency management;
• Meat, poultry, and processed egg products safety and defense; and
• Natural and cultural resources and historic properties protection.

ESF #12: Energy

ESF Coordinator: Department of Energy

Facilitates the reestablishment of damaged energy systems and components and provides technical expertise during an incident involving radiological/nuclear materials. Functions include but are not limited to:

• Energy infrastructure assessment, repair, and reestablishment;
• Energy industry utilities coordination; and
• Energy forecast.

ESF #13: Public Safety & Security

ESF Coordinator: Department of Justice/Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives

Coordinates the integration of public safety and security capabilities and resources to support the full range of incident management activities. Functions include but are not limited to:

• Facility and resource security;
• Security planning and technical resource assistance;
• Public safety and security support; and
• Support to access, traffic, and crowd control.

ESF #14: Superseded by NDRF

In the most recent version of the NRF, ESF #14 has been superseded by the National Disaster Recovery Framework (NDRF).

ESF #15: External Affairs

ESF Coordinator: DHS

Coordinates the release of accurate, coordinated, timely, and accessible public information to affected audiences, including the government, media, NGOs, and the private sector. Works closely with State and local officials to ensure outreach to the whole community. Functions include, but are not limited to:

• Public affairs and the Joint Information Center;
• Intergovernmental (local, State, tribal, and territorial) affairs;
• Congressional affairs;
• Private sector outreach; and
• Community relations.

The Planning Section is normally responsible for gathering and disseminating information and intelligence critical to the incident, unless the IC/UC places this function elsewhere. The Planning Section is also responsible for assembling the IAP, which includes the overall incident objectives and strategies established by Incident Command. In the case of a UC, the IAP must adequately address the mission and policy needs of each jurisdictional agency, as well as interaction between jurisdictions, functional agencies, and private organizations. The IAP also addresses tactics and support activities required for the planned operational period, generally 12 to 24 hours.

Situation Unit

The Situation Unit is responsible for the collection, organization, and analysis of incident-status information, and for analysis of the situation as it progresses.

Resources Unit

The Resources Unit is responsible for recording the status of resources committed to the incident. This unit also evaluates resources committed currently to the incident, the effects additional responding resources will have on the incident, and anticipated resource needs.

Demobilization Unit

The Demobilization Unit is responsible for ensuring orderly, safe, and efficient demobilization of incident resources.

Planning Support Unit

The Planning Support Unit is responsible for preparing plans (e.g., the IAP; contingency, transition, and long-range plans) related to the incident.

Documentation Unit

The Documentation Unit is responsible for collecting, recording, and safeguarding all documents relevant to the incident.

Geospatial Information System (GIS) Unit

The Geospatial Information System (GIS) Unit is responsible for the application and coordination of incident-specific geospatial activities, including the production of spatial products, the collection and dissemination of spatial data and analysis, Global Positioning System support, and the acquisition, exploitation, and dissemination of remote sensing data.

The Logistics Section is responsible for all service support requirements needed to facilitate effective and efficient incident management, including ordering resources from off-incident locations. This Section also provides facilities, security (of incident command facilities and personnel), transportation, supplies, equipment maintenance and fuel, food services, communications and information technology support, and emergency responder medical services, including inoculations, as required. Within the Logistics Section, three Branches and 11 Units fulfill functional requirements. You will learn more about resource ordering—a function of the Logistics Section—later in this course.

Select the Logistics Section image below to learn more.

The Logistics Section is responsible for all service support requirements needed to facilitate effective and efficient incident management, including ordering resources from off-incident locations. This Section also provides facilities, security (of incident command facilities and personnel), transportation, supplies, equipment maintenance and fuel, food services, communications and information technology support, and emergency responder medical services, including inoculations, as required. Within the Logistics Section, three Branches and 11 Units fulfill functional requirements. You will learn more about resource ordering—a function of the Logistics Section—later in this course.

Service Branch

The Service Branch is responsible for the management of all service activities at the incident.

Facilities Unit

The Facilities Unit is responsible for the layout and activation of incident facilities. It provides sleeping and sanitation facilities when needed for incident personnel.

Communications Unit

The Communications Unit is responsible for effective communications planning as well as acquiring, setting up, maintaining, and accounting for communications equipment.

Support Branch

The Support Branch is responsible for providing logistical support for all FEMA operations.

Ordering Unit

The Ordering Unit is responsible for establishing a single-point ordering system for ordering all resources (personnel, teams, equipment, and Initial Response Resources) and supplies for the incident and ensures the implementation and maintenance of the standard order tracking system and database.

Supply Unit

The Supply Unit orders, receives, stores, and processes all incident-related resources, personnel, and supplies.

External Support Branch

The External Support Branch is responsible for providing logistical support for all external operations.

External Facilities Unit

The External Facilities Unit is responsible for the establishment and support of external facilities, including Disaster Recovery Centers, and oversight of the Mobile Communications Office Vehicle fleet assigned to the incident.

Ground Support Unit

The Ground Support Unit provides all ground transportation during an incident. In conjunction with providing transportation, the Unit is also responsible for maintaining and supplying vehicles, keeping usage records, and developing incident Traffic Plans.

Camp Unit

The Camp Unit is responsible for determining, managing, delivering, and supporting facilities, ground support, equipment, and associated services for non-voluntary Response Worker billeting, feeding, and hygiene support in support of the IAP.

Mass Care Support Unit

The Mass Care Support Unit is responsible for determining, managing, delivering, and supporting facilities, ground support, equipment, and associated services for ESF 6 – Mass Care Missions in support of the IAP.

Federal Staging Area Unit

The Federal Staging Area Unit is responsible for establishing and managing a staging area.

Temporary Housing Support Unit

The Temporary Housing Support Unit is responsible for determining, delivering, and supporting facilities, ground support, equipment, and associated services for Direct Housing Missions in support of the IAP.

The Finance/Administration Section is established when the incident management activities require on-scene or incident-specific finance and other administrative support services. Some of the functions that fall within the scope of this Section are recording personnel time, maintaining vendor contracts, administering compensation and claims, and conducting an overall cost analysis for the incident. If a separate Section is established, close coordination with the Planning and Logistics Sections is also essential so that operational records can be reconciled with financial documents.

Select the Finance/Administration Section image below to learn more.

The Finance/Administration Section is established when the incident management activities require on-scene or incident-specific finance and other administrative support services. Some of the functions that fall within the scope of this Section are recording personnel time, maintaining vendor contracts, administering compensation and claims, and conducting an overall cost analysis for the incident. If a separate Section is established, close coordination with the Planning and Logistics Sections is also essential so that operational records can be reconciled with financial documents.

Human Resources Unit

The Human Resources Unit is responsible for payroll, local hiring, employee relations, and services.

Training Unit

The Training Unit is responsible for developing and implementing incident training.

Procurement Unit

The Procurement Unit is responsible for financial matters concerning vendor contracts, leases, and fiscal agreements.

Cost Unit

The Cost Unit is responsible for tracking costs, analyzing cost data, making estimates, and recommending cost-savings measures.

Lets summarize what you have learned in this lesson:

• Unity of purpose, unity of effort, and unified command/coordination allow various agencies and stakeholders to work together and share information during an incident.
• The Unified Coordination Group brings the principles of unified command/coordination to the FEMA incident level.
• The Federal response progresses from the formation of the UCG, establishment of the JFO and General Staff, and then assignment of ESF resources to Command and General Staff.
• There are 14 active ESFs numbered 1-13 and 15. ESF 14 is superseded by the National Disaster Recovery Framework

Now that you have learned about FEMA incident management, you will learn more about FEMA-s disaster declaration process in the next lesson.

This lesson provides an overview of the disaster declaration process. Upon completion of this lesson, you will be able to:

• Describe the disaster declaration process.
• Differentiate between the different types of declarations and assistance provided by FEMA and other Federal agencies.
• Explain the relationships and responsibilities of Federal, State, local, tribal, and territorial partners in the disaster declaration process.
• Given an incident scenario, identify the appropriate sequence of declaration events and actions.

Remember you can access the glossary by selecting the Glossary button in the top right corner of each main content screen.

As you learned earlier in this course, the Stafford Act allows Federal assistance for major disasters and emergencies upon a declaration by the President. However, even when the President does not issue a declaration, FEMA may perform certain activities to support the State, tribal, and territorial planning and preparedness functions. FEMA may also be tasked for response activities that are not declared but require the agency’s expertise in disaster response, recovery, and mitigation.

• Select to learn more about the most frequently used types of declarations
• Select to learn more about the ways FEMA can provide assistance

Note that an emergency or major disaster declaration request may be denied or partially denied for a portion of the requested geographic area or specific recovery programs. If this is the case, the decision may be appealed. The appeal process is described in 44 CFR.

• Emergencies: Any occasion or instance for which, in the determination of the President, Federal assistance is needed to supplement State and local efforts and capabilities to save lives and to protect property, public health, and safety, or to lessen or avert the threat of a catastrophe in any part of the United States.
• Major Disasters: Any natural or manmade catastrophe—including those caused by hurricane, tornado, storm, high water, wind-driven water, tidal wave, tsunami, earthquake, volcanic eruption, landslide, mudslide, snowstorm, or drought—or, regardless of the cause, any fire, flood, or explosion in any part of the United States, for which the President determines Federal assistance is required to alleviate damage, loss, hardship, and suffering.
• Fire Management Assistance: Warranted when wildfire is threatening habitation.
• Pre-Declaration Activities: When a declaration is reasonably likely and imminent, FEMA has limited authority to assess the impact of an event through PDAs and prepare and pre-position Federal resources. An example is as preparing for a hurricane to make landfall.

• Federal to Federal: FEMA can provide assistance to other Federal agencies, upon request.
• National Special Security Events: FEMA may also provide assistance for non-emergency events, such as political conventions.

Surge activities are authorized activities undertaken when an incident is imminent, or has occurred but has not been declared, and resources and assets are required to prepare for, be positioned for, or assess the effects of such imminent incident or declaration. Select the links below to learn more.

• Primary authorized pre-declaration activities
• Other examples of pre-declaration activities
• A partial list of some FEMA assets that could be deployed pre-declaration

• Preliminary damage assessments (PDAs)
• Activating the NRCC and RRCC

• Deploying response teams to the impacted areas; for example, Urban Search and Rescue (USAR)
• Prepositioning assets or commodities to enable the more rapid engagement of those resources during or after the event
• Activating Federal operational support for pre-event deployment or readiness through the use of MAs
• Activating, preparing, or staging resources to respond to impending events

• FEMA Liaison Officers serve as a point of contact for representatives of assigned and cooperating agencies and organizations—usually to a State EOC.
• IMATs that respond to Level 1, 2, and 3 incidents. As you learned in previous lessons, the IMAT is a highly mobile, scalable, responsive force of qualified and experienced Federal emergency management personnel and resources that FEMA can immediately deploy to support any all-hazard incident response in the Nation. These teams make preliminary arrangements to set up Federal field facilities and initiate the establishment of JFO.
• FEMA will “push” resources and supplies regularly needed during a response—including food, water, medical supplies, and generators.

1. Incident
2. State or tribal government collects initial damage estimates
3. Governor or Tribal Chief Executive requests Joint Preliminary Damage Assessments from FEMA ’s Regional Office
4. Joint Federal/State/local/tribal PDAs are conducted in the areas requested by the State or tribal government
5. Governor or Tribal Chief Executive submits a request to the President through FEMA’ s Regional Administrator for a major disaster or emergency declaration the request is based on PDA findings and specifies programs and areas for designation
6. The Regional Office reviews the declaration request and sends its recommendations to FEMA Headquarters
7. FEMA Headquarters reviews the State or tribal governments request and the Regional Office ’s recommendations the Declarations Unit prepares a White House package containing FEMA ’s recommendation to the President for the Administrator ’s signature
8. A draft White House package is emailed to the Department of Homeland Security Secretary for review and approval for transmission to the White House
9. FEMA forwards the White House package to the President for decision.

When disasters are clearly catastrophic, there may be an expedited request from the Governor or Tribal Chief Executive. This request follows the same process; however, the request may be submitted before formal joint PDAs are conducted. Limited forms of assistance are usually provided until the joint PDAs can be completed. Accelerated Federal assistance and support may be provided to save lives, prevent human suffering, or mitigate severe damage.

FEMA leads and coordinates the Federal response for disasters in support of States, tribes, and territories. Response to disasters is always a tiered process and involves the whole community—the people and the commercial, economic, governmental, infrastructural, and social systems that make up a jurisdiction. The response starts at the local level with citizens and businesses. FEMA sponsors programs for these elements as part of the preparedness and mitigation process of emergency management. There is then a tiered response from the various levels of government.

Select the first three elements in the diagram below to learn more.

Click this link to access all information presented.

As you learned earlier in this course, tribal groups were previously treated as local governments and thus not permitted to directly request disaster declarations from the Federal Government. However, SRIA amends the Stafford Act to authorize tribal governments to request a declaration of an emergency or major disaster.

This policy helps eliminate or diminish procedural impediments to working directly and effectively with tribal governments and reinforces that tribal governments are sovereign nations. The SRIA also authorizes the President to establish criteria to adjust the non-Federal cost share for a tribal government to the extent allowed by current authorities.

Under this change, FEMA is required to consider the unique circumstances of tribes when it develops regulations to implement the provision. The SRIA also amends the Stafford Act to include federally recognized tribal governments in numerous references to State and local governments within the Stafford Act.

• Select this link to review the Stafford Act (https://www.fema.gov/disasters/stafford-act)
• Select this link to review the SRIA Fact Sheet (www.fema.gov/media-library-data/1394805512529-69dda27af3e128a1406387d288fd162c/SRIA+Overview+Fact+Sheet+and+Status+Updated+03042014_508.pdf)
• Select this link to review a list of Federally Recognized Tribes and Territories (www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2013-05-06/pdf/2013-10649.pdf)

Remember that key operational components that may be activated to respond to an incident include the NRCC, RRCC, and JFO, representing the national, regional, and incident levels of Federal incident response.

When a State, tribe, or territory requests Federal assistance from the FEMA Regional Office, that office will:

• Activate the RRCC.
• Notify national leadership.
• Deploy an IMAT in support of disaster response operations and to lay the foundation for establishing a JFO.
• Operate under the direction of the FEMA Regional Administrator.
• Direct the RRCC to coordinate Federal regional response efforts until the JFO is established.

When the JFO is established, its primary function is coordinating the resource needs of the State, tribe, territory, and local community through the Federal response and recovery system. However, FEMA also has a control and coordinating role in managing Federal resources using an ICS structure and practicing the ICS principles at the incident level. You learned about this in Lesson 4.

Let-s summarize what you have learned in this lesson:

• Response to disasters is always a tiered response process. The response starts at the local level, with the citizens and businesses. Then the response moves to the various levels of government.
• FEMA can provide assistance to other Federal agencies, and for non-emergency events.
• Federal, State, tribal, territorial, and local governments and the private sector work together to support disaster response and share resources and capabilities.

Now that you have learned about the disaster declaration process, you will learn more about key FEMA programs in the next lesson.

As you learned in Lesson 4, the Operations Section coordinates the delivery of Federal assistance programs and services. This lesson provides an overview of the key FEMA programs in the Operations Section. These programs are part of the whole community response and recovery effort.

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

• Describe the programs and processes associated with the Individual Assistance (IA), Public Assistance (PA), Hazard Mitigation (HM), and Disaster Survivor Assistance (DSA) programs.
• Remember you can access the glossary throughout this course by selecting the glossary button in the top right corner of each main content screen.

As the IA, PA, HM, and DSA programs are critical to FEMA-s mission, there are considerable details associated with each program. Access these other FEMA courses, also available through the Emergency Management Institute, to learn more about these programs:

• IS-0403: Introduction to Individual Assistance (IA) (https://training.fema.gov/is/courseoverview.aspx?code=IS-403)
• IS-0393.B: Introduction to Hazard Mitigation (https://training.fema.gov/is/courseoverview.aspx?code=IS-393.b)

Purpose: To help individual disaster survivors recover from a declared disaster.

Once the President has declared a Federal disaster (that includes IA), individuals and households may start to apply for IA. These programs are designed to help meet disaster applicants- sustenance, shelter, and medical needs during their path to recovery. This includes:

• Individuals and Households Program (IHP)
• Crisis Counseling
• Disaster Case Management
• Small Business Administration (SBA) and Department of Agriculture (USDA) Programs
• Disaster Unemployment Assistance (DUA)
• Veterans Assistance
• Disaster Legal Services (DLS)

A certain sequence of delivery must be followed following an incident to ensure that disaster survivors receive all the assistance to which they are legally entitled. The sequence order determines what other resources the agency or organization must consider before FEMA provides assistance. It also prevents duplication of benefits from multiple sources. The steps below outline the IA sequence of delivery in a declared disaster. Select each step to learn more.

• Step 1: Voluntary agencies provide mass care and emergency assistance
• Step 2: Individuals confirm insurance coverage
• Step 3: FEMA provides housing assistance
• Step 4: FEMA and State(s) provide Other Needs Assistance (ONA)
• Step 5: U.S. Small Business Association (SBA) approves loans
• Step 6: If ineligible for SBA loans, FEMA/State(s) provide ONA
• Step 7: Voluntary agencies meet unmet needs

Insurance, such as homeowners’ or NFIP insurance, is the second step in the sequence of delivery and pays claims for damages. Disaster victims who have filed for assistance with FEMA and who have real or personal property insurance must submit documentation of their insurance settlement or denial before FEMA assistance is considered for these items.

Once an applicant submits the appropriate insurance documents, FEMA will evaluate the submitted paperwork. If partial or no coverage was provided, the application will continue and progress through processing for possible disaster assistance. If full coverage was received from the insurance company, FEMA may not provide any funding for the insured item(s).

When insurance coverage is delayed, FEMA may award advance assistance. Advances must be repaid to FEMA once the applicant’s insurance settlement is received if the insurance provides full coverage. If the insurance does not provide full coverage, the applicant may not be required to repay the advance. Applicants have 12 months following the disaster to submit their insurance documentation.

Housing Assistance (HA) awards from FEMA are not income dependent, which means the awards are available to all without regard to economic status.

The first step when applying for HA is for disaster survivors to register with FEMA and have an application for disaster assistance completed. This may be done online or over the phone. At that time, applicants are asked if their home was damaged. If their home was damaged, an inspector goes out to look at the home, determines whether the home is habitable, and records the damages to both real and personal property.

Habitability involves making the home (primary residence) safe, sanitary and functional. If the home is not habitable and the applicant does not have insurance, the application is sent for housing assistance processing. Thereby, the applicant may be found eligible for home repairs, as well as temporary assistance, such as Rental Assistance (RA) and Lodging Expense Reimbursement (LER).

Small Business Administration (SBA) disaster loans may be made available immediately following a disaster. When applicants fill out the FEMA registration for disaster assistance, they report their annual income. The income amount is compared to income tables referenced by the National Emergency Management Information System (NEMIS), and if the household income is greater than the income table in NEMIS, the applicant is referred to SBA. The applicant will automatically be sent an SBA packet to complete.

An applicant who is referred to SBA must fill out the packet and return it to the SBA if seeking assistance for repairing or replacing personal property items. If the application for a loan is turned down by SBA, FEMA will route the application to be considered for ONA grants, the next step in the sequence of delivery.

Applicants may receive a greater dollar amount of financial assistance through low-interest loans than through the award money from FEMA. In fact, some charitable groups may even refuse to provide them with financial assistance if they have not completed the SBA loan process. The applicants may be asked for SBA information upon requesting assistance from charitable groups.

Note that if the applicant has received the maximum amount of assistance from FEMA, State, and/or other Federal assistance programs and needs are still unmet, FEMA may refer the applicant back to voluntary agencies.

Remember that voluntary agencies emergency services provide emergency food, shelter, clothing, and medical needs. In the sequence of delivery of disaster assistance, the role of voluntary organizations is prominent in both the early stages of disaster response and in the later stages of disaster recovery.

Voluntary organizations are among the very first emergency response organizations that arrive on a disaster scene and provide emergency response assistance to affected communities. They are also often among the very last organizations involved in providing long-term recovery support to communities.

These private non-profit organizations provide a wide array of disaster response and recovery services to help address, in particular, the unmet needs of disaster survivors after they have received the governmental disaster assistance services for which they are eligible. Some common services provided by voluntary organizations include providing shelter, food, clothing, child care, financial assistance, and financial counseling, as well as conducting or coordinating debris removal, disaster clean-up, home repair, and reconstruction.

You just learned how FEMA is not typically the first source of IA to disaster survivors—the sequence of delivery illustrates how FEMA coordinates with partner entities to ensure aid is provided without duplication of benefits.

Select each of the following categories of IA to learn more about FEMA’s disaster aid program for individuals:

• Disaster Housing
• Disaster Grants
• Low-Interest Disaster Loans
• Other Disaster Aid Programs

Select this link to learn more about the IA assistance process associated with these categories of aid.

After the application is taken, the damaged property is inspected to verify the loss. If approved, an applicant will soon receive a check for rental assistance or a grant. Loan applications require more information and approval may take several weeks after application. The deadline for most IA programs is 60 days following the President's major disaster declaration.

Audits are done later to ensure that aid went to only those who were eligible and that disaster aid funds were used only for their intended purposes. These Federal program funds cannot duplicate assistance provided by other sources such as insurance.

After a major disaster, FEMA tries to notify all disaster victims about the available aid programs and urge them to apply. The news media are encouraged to visit a Disaster Recovery Center (which you will learn more about later in this lesson), meet with disaster officials, and help publicize the disaster aid programs and the toll-free teleregistration number.

In addition to FEMA’s IA programs, disaster survivors may receive additional support through programs managed by the State or other Federal agencies.

Some of these additional programs include:

• State Disaster Unemployment Assistance
• Disaster Legal Services
• USDA Disaster Assistance Programs
• Veterans Affairs Disaster Programs

State Disaster Unemployment Assistance (DUA) is available for those who have become unemployed as a result of the disaster and covers individuals who are not included in regular State unemployment programs, such as:

• Self-employed persons
• Farm and ranch owners
• Migrant and seasonal workers
• Those who have insufficient quarters to qualify for other unemployment compensation

The 30-day application period for DUA begins the first day following the date of the public announcement of DUA availability. Payment will be made to an unemployed worker, who as a direct result of a Presidentially declared major disaster:

• No longer has a job;
• Is unable to reach the place of work (including those who live outside the disaster area but whose place of employment was affected);
• Was to commence work and does not have a job or is unable to reach the job;
• Has become the breadwinner for the household because the head of the household died as a direct result of the disaster; or
• Cannot work because of a disaster-incurred injury.

All unemployed individuals must register with the State’s employment services office before they can receive DUA benefits. However, although most States have a provision that an individual must be able and available to accept employment opportunities comparable to the employment the individual held before the disaster, not all States require an individual to search for work.

With exceptions for persons with an injury and for self-employed individuals performing activities to return to self-employment, individuals must be able to work and available for work, which are the same requirements to be eligible for regular State unemployment insurance benefits.

DUA is 100% funded by FEMA, through the U.S. Department of Labor, and is administered by the State’s employment agency.

Often, people make it through a disaster only to be faced with other struggles such as landlords who refuse to make repairs to their homes or to waive their leases even though the homes are not safe to inhabit. When you encounter applicants seeking legal help to handle situations such as these, you can refer them to Disaster Legal Services (DLS).

DLS, through an agreement with the Young Lawyers Division of the American Bar Association, provides free legal help for low-income disaster survivors. Disaster survivors may access this legal assistance through a toll-free Legal Hotline and/or at Disaster Recovery Centers

In order to qualify for this benefit program, the individual must be a disaster survivor within a Presidentially declared major disaster area.

DLS can help with such issues as:

• Insurance claims (life, medical, property, etc.)
• Landlord/tenant problems
• Home repair contracts
• Consumer protection matters, remedies, and procedures
• Replacement of wills and other important legal documents destroyed in a major disaster
• Powers of attorney
• Guardianships and conservatorships

However, DLS MAY NOT be used to sue or recover funds from an entity.

U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) disaster assistance programs include:

• Disaster Loans: Disaster loans may be offered to farmers and ranchers (owners or tenants) who were operating and managing a farm or ranch at the time of the disaster and who are temporarily unable to obtain private, commercial credit. These loans are limited to the amount necessary to compensate for actual losses to essential property and/or production capacity.
• Crop Insurance: Crop insurance protects agricultural producers against crop losses resulting from natural causes. The program, which is administered by USDA’s Risk Management Agency, offers several different plans for crops and livestock. Availability of these crop policy plans varies by State and county.
• Operating Loans: Operating loans may be used to purchase items needed for a successful farm operation. These items include livestock, farm equipment, feed, seed, fuel, farm chemicals, repairs, insurance, and other operating expenses.
• Rural Housing Repair Loans and Grants: The Rural Housing Repair Loans and Grants program provides loans and grants to very low-income homeowners to repair, improve, modernize, or remove health and safety hazards in their rural dwellings.

Veteran’s Affairs (VA) also provides several types of disaster assistance, including:

• Death benefits
• Pensions
• Insurance settlements
• Adjustments to VA home mortgages

A key feature of the IA programs is the Disaster Recovery Center (DRC). The DRC is a readily accessible facility or mobile office where applicants may go for information about disaster assistance programs. It serves as the -face- of FEMA to many disaster survivors.

Some of the services that a DRC may provide include:

• Guidance regarding disaster recovery
• Clarification of any written correspondence received
• Answers to questions, resolution of problems, and referrals to agencies that may provide further assistance
• Status of applications being processed by FEMA
• Assistance with SBA applications

DRCs are established close to the disaster area, often in schools or armories, and are jointly operated by the State and FEMA. The number of DRCs open in a disaster depends on the magnitude of the disaster and the size of the area included in the declaration. DRC locations are usually announced in local newspapers and on local television and radio stations. The local emergency management office also may provide information on DRC locations.

• Removing debris
• Repairing public buildings, roads, bridges, and other infrastructure
• Performing certain emergency protective measures

Eligible applicants include:

• Local governments
• State agencies
• Tribal governments and organizations
• Private non-profit organizations (www.fema.gov/public-assistance-local-state-tribal-and-non-profit)

Note that PA program funding is a cost share program-a minimum of 75% of the cost is Federal, and 25% is funded by the State, tribal, or local government.

Private nonprofit organizations or institutions that own or operate facilities that are open to the general public and that provide certain services otherwise performed by a government agency are eligible to apply for public assistance. These services include:

• Education: Colleges and universities; parochial and other private schools.
• Utility: Systems of energy, communication, water supply, sewage collection and treatment, or other similar public service facilities.
• Emergency: Fire protection, ambulance, rescue, and similar emergency services.
• Medical: Hospital, outpatient facility, rehabilitation facility, or facility for long-term care for mental or physical injury or disease.
• Custodial Care: Homes for the elderly and similar facilities that provide institutional care for persons who require close supervision, but do not require day-to-day medical care.
• Other Essential Governmental Services: Museums, zoos, community centers, libraries, homeless shelters, senior citizen centers, rehabilitation facilities, shelter workshops, and facilities that provide health and safety services of a governmental nature. Health and safety services are essential services that are commonly provided by all local governments and directly affect the health and safety of individuals. Low-income housing, alcohol and drug rehabilitation, programs for battered spouses, transportation to medical facilities, and food programs are examples of health services.

Under the PA program, eligible facilities must:

• Be the responsibility of an eligible applicant
• Be located in a designated disaster area
• Not be under the specific authority of another Federal agency
• Be in active use at the time of the disaster

To be eligible for funding, the work performed by an eligible applicant, on an eligible facility, must:

• Be required as the result of a major disaster event
• Be located within a designated disaster area
• Be the legal responsibility of an eligible applicant
• Not be fundable by another Federal agency

FEMA has divided disaster-related work into two broad categories: emergency and permanent work. These categories are further divided into the seven categories listed below:

Emergency Work

• Debris removal
• Emergency protective measures

Permanent Work

• Roads and bridge systems
• Water control facilities
• Public buildings and equipment
• Public utilities
• Other (such as parks and recreation)

• Clearance of trees and woody debris
• Certain building wreckage
• Damaged or destroyed building contents
• Sand, mud, silt, and gravel
• Vehicles
• Other disaster-related material deposited on public and, in very limited cases, private property.

• Measures taken before, during, and after a disaster to eliminate or reduce an immediate threat to life, public health, or safety, or
• Measures taken to eliminate or reduce an immediate threat of significant damage to improved public and private property through cost-effective measures

Generally, eligible costs are those that can be tied to the performance of eligible work. These costs must:

• Be reasonable and necessary to accomplish eligible work
• Comply with Federal, state, and local laws and regulations
• Include deductions of insurance proceeds, salvage value, and purchase discounts

Purpose: To help states and local governments implement hazard mitigation measures after a major disaster declaration.

FEMA’s hazard mitigation programs provide funding for eligible mitigation activities that reduce disaster losses and protect life and property from future disaster damages. These programs include:

• 406 mitigation under PA
• Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP), also known as 404 mitigation
• Pre-Disaster Mitigation (PDM)
• Flood Mitigation Assistance (FMA)

Under the PA Program, Section 406 hazard mitigation is a funding source for cost-effective measures that would reduce or eliminate the threat of future damage to a facility damaged during the disaster. The measures must apply only to the damaged elements of a facility rather than to other, undamaged parts of the facility, or to the entire system.

406 mitigation-thus named since it is authorized under Section 406 of the Stafford Act-is managed by the PA branch after a major disaster declaration.

For example, if flooding inundates a sanitary sewer and blocks the manholes with sediment, mitigation to prevent the blockage of the damaged manholes in a future event may be considered eligible. However, work to improve undamaged manholes using the same method would not be eligible, even though the manholes are part of the same system.

Hazard mitigation measures are intended to restore a facility beyond its pre-disaster design. 406 mitigation measures are considered part of the total eligible cost of repair, restoration, reconstruction, or replacement of a facility. They are limited to measures of permanent work, and the applicant may not apply mitigation funding to alternate projects or improved projects if a new replacement facility is involved. Upgrades required to meet applicable codes and standards are not "mitigation measures" because these measures are part of eligible restoration work.

Select this link to review the requirements for 406 mitigation projects.

Section 406 mitigation projects must be:

• Cost effective
• Technically feasible
• Compliant with statutes, regulations, and Executive Orders
• Performed on damaged components of the facility

FEMA also provides mitigation assistance through the Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP). The HMGP provides grants to States and local governments to implement long-term hazard mitigation measures after a major disaster declaration.

The purpose of the HMGP is to reduce the loss of life and property due to natural disasters and to enable mitigation measures to be implemented during the immediate recovery from a disaster. The HMGP is often referred to as 404 mitigation. It is authorized under Section 404 of the Stafford Act.

Select this link to review examples of 404 mitigation funded projects.

• Acquisitions
• Building elevations
• Drainage upgrades
• Education and training
• Engineering studies
• Flood-proofing
• Hazard mitigation planning
• Slope stabilization
• Storm shutters
• Window film
• Zoning and building code ordinance development and strengthening

Pre-Disaster Mitigation (PDM) provides funds to states, territories, tribal governments, communities, and universities for hazard mitigation planning and the implementation of mitigation projects prior to a disaster. The goal of the PDM program is to reduce overall risk to the population and structures, while at the same time, reducing reliance on Federal funding from actual disaster declarations.

PDM grants are to be awarded on a competitive basis and without reference to state allocations, quotas, or other formula-based allocation of funds.

The Flood Mitigation Assistance (FMA) program was created as part of the National Flood Insurance Reform Act (NFIRA) of 1994 (42 U.S.C. 4101) with the goal of reducing or eliminating claims under the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP).

FEMA provides FMA funds to assist State, local, and tribal governments in implementing measures that reduce or eliminate the long-term risk of flood damage to buildings, manufactured homes, and other structures insured under NFIP.

Functions of a DSA Team (DSAT) include:

• Supporting AIR mission
• Providing on-site registration
• Providing updates on status of the survivor-s case
• Performing on-the-spot needs assessment
• Making referrals to OFAs and whole community partners
• Identifying critical messaging needs and coordinating with External Affairs

Let’s summarize what you have learned in this lesson:

• Individual Assistance (IA) programs help individual disaster survivors recover from a declared disaster.
• Public Assistance (PA) programs help State, Tribal, and local governments recover from a declared disaster.
• Hazard Mitigation (HM) programs, Section 404 and 406, help reduce or eliminate long-term risk to human life or property from hazards and their effects.
• The Disaster Survivor Assistance (DSA) program supports the AIR mission and expedites the recovery process by providing survivors in-person, tailored guidance and services to resolve immediate and emerging needs, and identifying the needs of the whole community.

Now that you have learned about key FEMA programs, in the next lesson you will learn about incident planning.

This lesson provides an overview of the planning aspects of incident operations.

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

• Identify the concepts of planning.
• Differentiate between deliberate and crisis action planning.
• Identify the phases of the FEMA incident action planning process.
• Identify the role of the incident action plan (IAP).
• Describe how an Incident Management Assistance Team (IMAT) supports incident response.
• Describe the importance of incident objectives.
• Discuss the specifics of planning utilizing the Planning “P” process.

Remember you can access the glossary throughout this course by selecting the glossary button in the top right corner of each main content screen.

The goal of all planning efforts is maintaining situational awareness and a common operating picture. Both individuals and organizations at all levels of response have a responsibility to contribute to and use reliable information as a part of the incident response efforts.

The specific concepts of planning are based on the principles and tenets of National Incident Management System (NIMS), National Response Framework (NRF), and the Incident Management and Support Keystone (IMSK)-and addressed at a tactical level in the FEMA IAP Guide.

As you previously learned in this course, FEMA doctrine is designed to guide and standardize FEMA activities. The IMSK guides the development of procedural documents for FEMA incident action planning in FEMA-coordinated incidents.

Planning is a key concept of the IMSK, specifically concepts 14, 16, 17, 18, 19, and 20.

Select the image above to review the FEMA IMSK Concepts.

FEMA recognizes two primary categories of operational planning:

• Deliberate planning
• Crisis action planning

You will learn more about each of these types of planning in this lesson.

Deliberate planning is planning accomplished under nonemergency conditions and involves developing general procedures for mitigating, responding to, and recovering from future threats or hazards.

Examples of deliberate planning products include:

• National Hurricane Concept of Operations Plan
• Regional Catastrophic Plan
• Improvised Nuclear Device Concept Plan

Crisis action planning is the time-sensitive development of plans, in response to an imminent incident, for the deployment, employment, and sustainment of Federal resources in support of State, tribal, territorial, or local needs. Crisis action planners base their plan on the circumstances that exist at the time planning occurs.

Examples of crisis action planning products include:

• Incident Action Plans
• National Support Plans
• Recovery Support Strategy
• Housing Plan
• Power Restoration Plan
• Search and Rescue

Crisis action planners can accomplish their efforts by adapting existing deliberate plans to meet specific incident conditions.

Functional plans are important crisis action planning products. Functional plans address particular operational or functional issues, such as interim housing, power restoration, demobilization, and continuity of operations. These plans are not confined to the current operational period, but may address a single operational period or multiple operational periods.

A functional plan typically includes six sections:

• Situation
• Mission
• Execution
• Administration
• Resources and funding
• Oversight, coordinating instructions, and communications

Incident action planning is a step-by-step progressive procedure to develop an Incident Action Plan (IAP) at the incident level. This process requires collaboration and participation among all incident management leaders and their staffs from across the whole community.

The IAP contains general objectives reflecting the strategy for managing an incident, which may include the identification of operational resources and assignments, attachments that provide direction, and important information for management of the incident for the operational period.

The incident action planning process is often depicted as the -Planning P- which is depicted here. Note at the center of the process is ongoing situational awareness. You will learn more about the Planning P on the next screen.

The incident action planning process is built on the following phases:

• Phase 1: Understand the Situation
• Phase 2: Establish Incident Objectives
• Phase 3: Develop the Plan
• Phase 4: Prepare and Disseminate the Plan
• Phase 5: Execute, Evaluate, and Revise the Plan

Effective actions during Phase 1 may mean the difference between a successfully managed incident and one in which effective incident management is achieved slowly or not at all. Phase 1 focuses on initial actions that must take place prior to the first operational period.

While many important tasks must be accomplished during this initial period, efforts focus on gaining an understanding of the situation and establishing initial incident priorities. Gaining an understanding of the situation includes gathering, recording, analyzing, and displaying information regarding the magnitude, complexity, and potential impact of the incident. This is essential to develop and implement an effective IAP.

This is also when the initial IMAT meeting is conducted to ensure that incident management personnel understand Unified Coordination Group (UCG) expectations for the incident and initial strategies, and plans for integrating other UCG members into the IMAT.

Establishing initial incident priorities is generally done by high level authorities such as the Governor of the affected State and the FEMA Regional Administrator (RA).

During Phase 2, the UCG establishes incident objectives and provides the guidance necessary to achieve these objectives.

Incident objectives drive the incident organization as it conducts response, recovery, and mitigation activities. The UCG establishes these objectives based on incident priorities, informed by situational awareness, leader’s intent, and delegations of authority.

The IAP is a written plan that sets forth the incident objectives and reflects the tactics necessary to manage an incident during an operational period. It addresses many critical areas across the whole community. The IAP provides essential information regarding incident organization, work assignments, resources, and safety-all of which are driven by the incident objectives.

Incident objectives drive response and recovery activities and answer the question of what must be accomplished. Good incident objectives:

• Are concise and stated in the form of a command
• Begin with an action verb (but not -continue- or -maintain-)
• Provide actionable guidance for the Operations Section
• Address incident operations not administrative and internal support activities

Because Incident Command System (ICS) is the basis for managing FEMA incident-level activities, all incidents to which FEMA responds require the use of the ICS incident action planning process. All members of the UCG and the command and general staff on FEMA incidents play specific and essential parts in the process. This includes not just FEMA staff, but also State and Federal interagency partners who are active in incident management.

Those involved in FEMA response and recovery must recognize that it will, in all probability, not be the only incident action planning process being executed. As illustrated below, FEMA and the State jointly develop one IAP at the incident level but FEMA’s other partners—local and municipal organizations—will develop their own IAPs to guide the actions of their first responders. For a catastrophic incident there could be hundreds of concurrent incident action planning processes taking place. The joint IAP that the State and Federal incident management personnel develop must support all local IAPs and synchronize all of those at the State and Federal level.

Another product of crisis action planning is the Incident Strategic Plan (ISP)-a written document that provides overall direction for incident management and specifies milestones to be accomplished over time. It outlines the goals, operational priorities, and desired end-state that enable the UCG to determine where they are in the life cycle of the incident and when goals have been achieved.

Longer-term goals form the foundation of the ISP, laying out where the UCG wants response and recovery operations to be at selected times along a complete incident timeline. The UCG develops and approves these goals that are based on input from the command and general staff. The command and general staff then develop the milestones and estimated workload and staffing requirements.

An Advanced Operational Plan (AOP), another crisis action planning product, estimates requirements and anticipates activities over multiple operational periods (typically three to seven days beyond the current operational period). An AOP also identifies and quantifies anticipated short-term critical resource requirements for operations (such as initial response resources, specialized teams, and aviation assets).

The AOP is based on and supports incident objectives and priorities, and complements incident action planning. It includes short-term milestones that facilitate timely ordering to ensure that resources are available when needed. Additionally, the AOP provides a mechanism to synchronize other planning efforts beyond the current operational period, captures procedures derived from deliberate plans, and identifies future resource requirements that may take longer to provide-or that will not be needed until later in the incident.

This lesson has described deliberate planning and the many forms of crisis action planning that occur at the incident level. Parallel to those incident level planning activities, the National Response Coordination Center (NRCC) and Regional Response Coordination Center (RRCC) engage in incident-specific planning in the form of the National Support Plan (NSP) and the Regional Support Plan (RSP).

NSP

• What is the NSP?
• What are the characteristics of the NSP?

RSP

• What is the RSP?
• What are the characteristics of the RSP?
• Who is the intended audience for the RSP?

The NSP helps to integrate incident support efforts at the national-level including response, recovery, and mitigation activities. The NSP provides a snapshot of the NRCS objectives and activities for the day. The NSP is developed each day to aid in:

• Jointly developing a single NRCS understanding of incident objectives, requirements, and constraints as well as leadership priorities and other national-level considerations.
• Integrating all stakeholders’ capabilities and expertise to address incident objectives, requirements, constraints, leadership priorities, and other national-level considerations.
• Proposing NRCS objectives (and tasks, if appropriate) for the next day.
• Tracking and updating the status of the objectives and tasks from the previous NSP.
• Identifying and providing information on other pertinent activities by NRCS elements.

For leadership, it provides a to-do list of what must get accomplished that day. It also helps to ensure national-level efforts address incident objectives and the priorities of leadership at all levels. The NSP’s iterative process provides the NRCS with an operational tempo.

The NSP:

• Is primarily intended to inform the individuals assigned to the NRCS.
• Is a tool that shows the who, what, when and where of NRCS activities.
• Is not a situation report.
• Describes specific, measurable, achievable, realistic, and time-bound objectives and leadership priorities for the NRCS.
• May include specific supporting tasks—if included, tasks map back to NSP objectives and priorities.
• Describes significant constraints, and functional plans that address constraints and support NRCS objectives and priorities.

The RSP describes the mobilization of Federal resources to support the incident from the regional level, as needed.

It provides a concise and coherent means of capturing and communicating the overall incident priorities, objectives, and tasks that will occur during a specific period of time in the context of response support activities from the RRCS.

The RSP:

• Is a forward-looking document intended to provide decision makers and RRCS with a snapshot of the coming operational period.
• Includes a summary of the objectives for the RRCS and incidents being supported.
• Lists non-routine or “by exception” tasks the RRCS must accomplish.
• Includes a daily schedule.

The intended audience for the RSP includes:

• Individuals working in the NRCC, RRCC, State EOCs, and the Regional Watch Center.
• Unified coordination staff.
• Other planning partners.

Let’s summarize what you have learned in this lesson:

• The concepts of planning are based on the principles and tenets of the NIMS, NRF, and FEMA’s IMSK and IAP Manual.
• Deliberate planning is accomplished under non-emergency conditions, whereas crisis action planning is associated with an actual or potential accident.
• IAPs, ISPs, NSPs, RSPs, and functional plans are all types of incident planning.
• The IAP is a written plan that sets forth the incident objectives and reflects the tactics necessary to manage an incident during an operational period.
• There are five phases in the planning process.
• The initial IMAT meeting is conducted during the first phase in order to set expectations and plans for the incident.

Now that you have learned about the types of planning and the planning process, you will learn about the resource requirements process and management in the next lesson.

This lesson provides an overview of the resource request process and management.

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

• Identify the concepts of resource management.
• Describe effective management of resources.
• Distinguish between “push” and “pull” of resource management.
• Describe an Emergency Management Assistance Compact (EMAC).
• Describe the Mission Assignment (MA) process.
• Describe the resource request process.

Remember you can access the glossary throughout this course by selecting the glossary button in the top right hand corner of each main content screen.

The underlying concepts of resource management include:

• Consistency
• Standardization
• Coordination
• Information management
• Credentialing

These concepts adhere to NIMS requirements for resource management.

Effective management of resources (personnel, teams, facilities, equipment, and/or supplies) demands that certain protocols be developed. Resource management includes coordination, oversight, resource tracking, inventory, and other processes that provide the right resources when and where they are needed.

Typing, inventorying, organizing, and tracking facilitate the procedures for:

• Requesting resources
• Prioritizing resource requests
• Activating and dispatching/deploying resources to incidents
• Demobilizing resources and returning them to normal status

By developing these protocols and procedures, a response or support organization will produce predictable outcomes to requests from client entities. Protocol development is a method of standardizing a process; standardization sets a level of expectation for process outcomes. This confidence is necessary for fully effective emergency management.

This process involves:

• Identifying what and how much is needed
• Where and when it is needed
• Who will be receiving or using it

Those with management responsibilities should provide technical advice to requesters without a resource type or classification of an item. Coordination among all emergency management/response personnel and their affiliated organizations is important throughout this process, and should begin as early as possible.

The resource-tracking and mobilization processes are directly linked. When resources arrive on scene, they must be formally checked in, which starts the on-scene check-in process and validates the order requirements.

The mobilization process may include:

• Deployment planning
• Equipping
• Training
• Designating assembly points with suitable facilities
• Obtaining transportation to deliver resources

Equipment and personnel can then be deployed out into the field or placed in Staging for assignment. Mobilization planning should recognize that some resources are fixed facilities (laboratories, hospitals, EOCs, etc.)

The demobilization process should be planned concurrently with mobilization, as early planning for demobilization facilitates accountability and efficiency in both costs and time.

This process is conducted prior to, during, and after an incident by all emergency management/response personnel and their affiliated organizations.

Tracking and reporting:

• Provides a clear picture of where resources are located
• Helps staff prepare to receive resources
• Protects the safety and security of equipment, supplies, and personnel
• Enables their coordination and movement

During this process both nonexpendable and expendable resources are rehabilitated, replenished, disposed of, and/or retrograded. This process should begin as soon as possible to facilitate accountability, and should coordinate between incident(s) and Multiagency Coordination System (MACS) to reassign/prioritize resources.

The Incident Demobilization Plan, developed by the Demobilization Unit in the Planning Section, contains specific demobilization instructions, as part of the IAP.

This process should include provisions and processes for:

• Addressing the safe return of resources to their original location and status
• Tracking resources
• Addressing applicable reimbursement
• Transporting resources

The process includes collecting bills and validating costs against the scope of work. The OFAs are reimbursed for eligible costs only, but not reimbursed for expenditures if they are under their own authority or for items previously appropriated by Congress.

The process serves as a mechanism to recoup funds expended for incident-specific activities.

Organizations should inventory and maintain current data on their available resources, and make the data available to communications/dispatch centers, EOCs, and organizations within MACS.

However, the jurisdiction and/or owner of the resources makes the final determination on availability. Keep in mind that inventory systems for resource management should be adaptable and scalable, and should account for the potential of double-counting personnel and/or equipment.

Deployable resources have different inventory, ordering, and response profiles depending on their primary use during the response or recovery phases of an incident.

• Credentialing: The credentialing process entails the objective evaluation and documentation of an individual’s current certification, license, or degree; training and experience; and competence or proficiency to meet nationally accepted standards, provide particular services and/or functions, or perform specific tasks under specific conditions during an incident. The credentialing process serves to validate personnel qualifications; and provide authorization to perform specific functions and have specific access to an incident involving mutual aid.
• Resource Typing: Resource typing is categorizing, by capability, the resources requested, deployed, and used in incidents. Measurable standards identifying resource capabilities and performance levels serve as the basis for categories. Resource kinds may be divided into subcategories to define more precisely the capabilities needed to meet specific requirements.

Before requesting resources from FEMA, States, territories, and tribes should use pre-existing agreements such as mutual aid, memorandums of understanding, contracts, and other pre-existing agreements to attain needed resources.

The use of pre-existing agreements facilitates effective, efficient resource management. It will ensure the deployment of standardized, interoperable resources as identified by the Unified Coordination Group (UCG). In addition, the use of pre-existing agreements saves time when acquiring resources from other jurisdictions or levels of government.

These agreements are developed between jurisdictions, private-sector entities, and NGOs. States also may have state-to-state agreements as well.

The Emergency Management Assistance Compact (EMAC) is an interstate mutual aid agreement that allows States to assist one another in responding to all kinds of natural and manmade disasters. It is administered by the National Emergency Management Association (NEMA).

Through EMAC, a State may request assistance from other States, when it determines additional assistance is required.

Push Concept: Resources are pushed into the impact area based on models or incident specific plans, pre-event or immediately post event, without clear requirements to establish a 48 hour supply. When the push concept is utilized, it’s essential for the Division/Group Supervisor (DIVS) to have clear communications with upper Operational levels to ensure there are sufficient teams, resources, and facilities to receive and support the push. The “push” concept transitions to a “pull” approach immediately upon establishment of operational control at the field.

Pull Concept: The Regional Response Coordination Center (RRCC) and/or UCG at the Joint Field Office (JFO) will establish resource requirements in coordination with State, territorial, and/or tribal counterparts and validated by the UCG Operations Section based on actual “burn rates.” The initial commodity projections will be for two days, driving towards a one day supply as the response concludes. The RRCC and/or UCG at the JFO will communicate these requirements to the Logistics Management Center (LMC), thus ensuring that the National Logistics Coordinator can effectively fulfill requirements.

Requests for Federal assistance, which could include resources, are documented by States, territories, tribes, and then submitted to FEMA.

To streamline the resource request process, FEMA enters and processes these requests in WebEOC.

A Mission Assignment (MA) is a work order issued by FEMA to another Federal agency directing completion of a specific task, and citing funding, other managerial controls, and guidance. It is given in anticipation of, or response to, a Presidential Declaration of an Emergency (EM), Major Disaster (DR), or National Special Security Event (NSSE).

There are two types of MAs:

• Federal Operations Support (FOS)
• Direct Federal Assistance (DFA)

FEMA also uses Pre-Scripted Mission Assignments (PSMAs)—templates for regularly requested support—to facilitate rapid response and standardize MAs. FEMA uses these templates as a base, customizing them to fit specific incident requirements. PSMAs are not pre-approved MAs—the regular request and approval process must be followed to receive a MA.

Federal Operations Support (FOS) is requested by the Federal Government to support Federal operations, and consists of any resource provided to FEMA or responding Federal agencies when logistical or technical support/assistance is needed for their operations. FOS MAs are 100% federally funded and can be requested either before or after a declaration. FOS is “Federal to Federal” support.

FOS MA examples:

• A MA to the US Coast Guard (USCG) to transport FEMA assets to X location
• A MA to General Services Administration (GSA) to find and lease a location for a JFO
• A MA to US Geological Service (USGS) for remote sensing to support situational awareness for Federal agencies

Direct Federal Assistance (DFA) is the goods and services such as technical assistance requested by and provided to the affected State and local jurisdictions when they lack the resources to provide specific types of disaster assistance either because of the specialized nature of the assistance, or because of resource shortfalls. The State has the legal responsibility to provide vital goods and services to its citizens, but asks the Federal Government to meet disaster-related needs until the State can perform or contract for the work. DFA must be requested by the State, Tribe, or Territory.

DFA is also subject to a State, Tribe, or Territory cost share. DFA MAs are subject to the cost-share provisions of the declaration, normally 75% Federal share, 25% State share, though the President may waive the cost share or change the cost share amounts i.e. 90% Federal share, 10% State share.

States may request direct Federal assistance resulting in a DFA MA after a declaration.

DFA example:

• A MA to the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to establish temporary medical facilities for disaster survivors within the affected disaster area

Operations Section Chief and Logistics Section Chief review the request in the JFO. The Resource Capability Branch Director (RCBD) reviews the request in the RRCC (or NRCC) to determine if it:

• Is eligible for Federal funding
• Is beyond State or local capability
• Constitutes emergency work (not permanent restorative work or long term studies)
• Clearly states resource requirements
• Is not within the statutory authority of another Federal agency

If the request meets the criteria AND can be fulfilled internally by FEMA, FEMA Logistics reviews the request to determine whether to obtain the resource by:

• Initiating a contract or procurement action (via FEMA Form 40-1, credit card); or
• Directing the use of FEMA assets/commodities from FEMA facilities.

If the request meets the criteria, BUT cannot be fulfilled with FEMA resources through FEMA Logistics, the OSC/RCBD sources the request to determine if the request should be fulfilled through:

• Donations
• New MA, amendment to existing MA, or MA Task Order

The Ordering Unit processes the request by the following means:

• Procurement Unit: Will process requests that are over $3,000 or requests that are reoccurring services by soliciting bids for the product or service and will award a contract to the successful bidder. A contract is a mutually binding legal agreement for goods and/or services between a vendor and purchaser.
• Micro-purchase: One-time purchases under $3,000 made locally through the use of a micro-purchase card
• Mission assignments
• Human resources for attaining FEMA personnel

Let’s summarize what you have learned in this lesson:

• The concepts of resource management include consistency, standardization, coordination, information management, and credentialing.
• Effective management of resources requires a standardized process for requesting resources; prioritizing requests; activating and dispatching resources; and demobilizing resources.
• The use of pre-existing agreements facilitates effective resource management by ensuring standardized resources and saving time.
• The EMAC is an interstate mutual aid agreement that allows States to assist one another in responding to disasters.
• Pushing resources occurs when dispatching resources to non-intrusive locations of an incident without a specific request, and this process transitions to a pull process when the operational control is established at the incident level.
• A MA is a work order issued by FEMA to another Federal agency directing completion of a specific task, and citing funding, other managerial controls, and guidance.
• The process of requesting and using resources involves setting an objective, identifying the resource, and determining if the source can or should be obtained internally through FEMA, once approved by the Operations Section Chief at the JFO/Resource Capability Branch Director at the RRCC or NRCC.

Now that you have learned about the resource requirements process and management, you will review what you have learned in this course in the next lesson.

This lesson provides a summary of the lessons in this course.

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

• Identify key points from each lesson of the course

Remember you can access the glossary throughout this course by selecting the glossary button in the top right hand corner of each main content screen.

In Lesson 1, you learned about the key legal authorities that guide FEMA-s actions. Lesson 1 provided you with an overview of:

• The Stafford Act
• 44 CFR
• Homeland Security Act
• Home Security Presidential Directive 5
• Post-Katrina Emergency Management Reform Act
• Presidential Policy Directive-8
• Sandy Recovery Improvement Act

Lesson 2 provided an overview of current FEMA doctrine. You learned about the hierarchy of FEMA doctrine and the alignment of doctrine to FEMA-s mission. You learned about:

• The importance of doctrine
• Capstone: FEMA Publication 1 (Pub 1)
• Keystone: Incident Management and Support and Support Keystone (IMSK)
• Operational manuals
• Procedures
• Incident management vs. support

Lesson 3 discussed how FEMA doctrine guides the missions of response and recovery at the National and Regional levels. You learned about:

• Incident management vs. incident support
• National Response Coordination Center (NRCC)
• Regional Response Coordination Center (RRCC)
• National Incident Support Manual (NISM) and Regional Incident Support Manual (RIMS)

In Lesson 4, you learned about the FEMA incident management. This lesson discussed:

• Unified Coordination Group (UCG)
• The Federal response process
• The Command and General Staff
• Emergency Support Functions (ESFs)

In Lesson 5, you learned about the FEMA disaster declaration process and the different components involved within the process. Lesson 5 discussed:

• The types of declaration and assistance provided by FEMA and other Federal agencies
• Doctrine authorities
• Pre-declaration declaration/surge
• FEMA-s disaster declaration process
• Tiered response
• Tribal disaster declarations
• NRCC, RRCC, and Joint Field Office (JFO)

Lesson 6 focused on the key FEMA programs and processes associated with them. The programs presented in this lesson included:

• Individuals Assistance (IA)
• Public Assistance (PA)
• Hazard Mitigation
• Disaster Survivor Assistance (DSA)

In Lesson 7, you learned about the planning aspect of incident operations. The topics in this lesson included:

• Concepts of planning
• Deliberate vs. incident planning
• Incident-level plans
• Incident Action Plan (IAP)
• Planning process
• Support plans

Lesson 8 provided you with the overview of resource requirements process and management. You learned about:

• Resource Management Cycle
• Concepts of Resource Management
• EMAC
• MAs and PSMAs
• Requesting and Using Resources

Let’s review the topics of each lesson in this course:

• Lesson 1: FEMA Authorities
• Lesson 2: FEMA Doctrine
• Lesson 3: FEMA Incident Support
• Lesson 4: FEMA Incident Management
• Lesson 5: Disaster Declaration Process
• Lesson 6: Key FEMA Programs
• Lesson 7: Planning
• Lesson 8: Resource Request Process and Management