The Emergency Management Institute is offering two courses for professionals and volunteers who are interested in being a local Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) Program Manager.
Although recovery begins after disaster strikes, planning must begin well before community members realize the approach of any potential or impending threat. The Federal Emergency Management Agency offers many tools and guides to assist communities in planning now for recovery that is more rapid after a devastating incident.
The constantly changing natural and societal environments create an ongoing challenge to design and maintain current and relevant emergency management plans. Exercises, in particular national level exercises, are an effective way to identify capability strengths and areas for improvement as well as to amend existing plans.
When a tornado touches down, a school is under fire, or another disaster strikes, patrol officers often are the first response personnel at the scene. In addition to their traditional crime-fighting roles, patrol officers must be able to manage an incident until more support arrives, which requires additional training for these officers and more collaboration within the community.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is pleased to announce a training opportunity on Residential Coastal Construction designed to train participants to effectively use the Coastal Construction Manual (FEMA P-55). Course E0386 provides a comprehensive approach to planning, siting, designing, constructing, and maintaining homes in the coastal environment.
Two new guidance documents further integrate emergency management planning efforts at the regional and national levels. The Federal Emergency Management Agency sets the stage for integrated planning and builds a coherent planning system by integrating the Threat and Hazard Identification and Risk Assessment and providing valuable resources for national preparedness professionals.
Law enforcement and emergency management planning actions for active shooter incidents can have large payoffs for communities. For example, emergency managers can assist law enforcement officers in using resources that emergency operations centers can provide, developing training exercises, and securing grant funding for mitigation efforts, training, and equipment.
The "us versus them" mentality that has surfaced in recent news reports - in Ferguson, Missouri, New York City, and other U.S. communities - arises from the human relations divide between citizens and law enforcement officers. A simple solution exists, but it requires both "us" and "them" to redefine the social construction within communities.
As contradictory witness reports of police actions surface in law enforcement incidents across the United States, the White House proposes equipping all police officers with body-worn cameras. However, before implementing such programs, agencies first must examine related benefits and challenges, and evaluate and review the effectiveness of these cameras as law enforcement tools.
As Ebola traveled across borders to countries not previously affected, the need for comprehensive preparedness plans became obvious. However, such cases are not simply public health threats, but whole-community incidents. As such, emergency managers must assess emerging infectious disease threats and prepare to manage a multiagency response to these slow onset disasters.
