Release Number: HQ-11-220
LAS VEGAS, Nev. -- Today the Deputy Administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), Rich Serino, announced a new online initiative to generate creativeeas for strengthening the emergency management field and improving our nation’s capacity to prepare for, respond to and recover from disasters. Serino unveiled the initiative while speaking to a group of state and local managers from around the country at the 59th annual conference of the International Association of Emergency Managers (IAEM).
“All disasters are local and more often than not, the best ways for addressing the challenges that we face every day in emergencies are found with you at the local level,” Serino said. “You are on the front lines. You know the problems. And more importantly, you know the solutions to these problems. We want to hear your creativeeas and suggestions for how, as a team, we can continue to strengthen our work as emergency managers and best serve our communities.”
As Serino explained, this new initiative, “The FEMA Think Tank,” will help engage our partners, promote innovation, and facilitate discussions on solutions in the field of emergency management. The Think Tank will include two main components: an online forum where stakeholders can submit theireas and participate in conversations about innovative solutions; and monthly discussions with stakeholders to talk about real-life solutions andeas generated by the online forum.
Anyone interested in participating in the Think Tank can do it several ways, via their smartphones or online. Visit www.fema.gov/thinktank for more information, and join the conversation on Twitter by using the hashtag #femathinktank.
During his remarks, Serino, who previously served for decades as a local emergency management official in Boston, also talked about how recent disasters, from the tornadoes in the southeast to Hurricane Irene, highlighted how communities managed their immediate response and recovery efforts using state and local teams. Serino acknowledged that state and local teams have spent years building up their capacities, from using federal grants to make key investments in preparedness and resiliency to developing and enhancing their emergency plans. He reinforced FEMA’s commitment to supporting its state and local partners and explained that the new FEMA Think Tank is another tool that will help the agency and the entire emergency management team better meet that goal.
Understanding and supporting the needs of state and local emergency management officials has been a top priority for the Obama administration. The agency’s top leadership, appointed by President Obama, all came from backgrounds in emergency management at the state and local level. Promoting and generating new and innovative ways to engage the entire community in preparing for disasters – and using new technologies to do so – has also been a top priority for FEMA under its current leadership. Under the leadership of FEMA Administrator Craig Fugate, FEMA has launched several new online tools to better support state and local emergency managers, other stakeholders and the public, including a mobile website (m.fema.gov), a blog launched last year (www.fema.gov/blog) and the first-ever FEMA App, which is now available for Android and iPhone devices.
FEMA’s mission is 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.