**February 5, 2008 FEMA Emergency Management Higher Education Program
Report**

**(1) Homeland Security Grant Funding:**

Margetta, Rob. "Debate Over Grant Funding Is Over, and Congress Has
Won." *CQ Homeland Security*, February 4, 2008.

\[Excerpt: According to the Department of Homeland Security, the
proposed cuts to grant money in its 2009 budget request would make sure
that leftovers from previous years are spent wisely.  According to some
in the emergency management community, those same cuts would keep
funding from those who need it for critical security issues. And
according to Congress, the requests for less grant funding are almost
certainly moot --- representatives on both sides of the aisle have
already vowed to oppose them, just as they largely ignored them last
year, a fact DHS Secretary Michael Chertoff acknowledged even as he
rolled out the budget Monday."\]

**(2) National Response Framework Independent Study Course Released**

Received FEMA Press Release today (anyone can sign up by-the-way),
noting the following:

"...the on-line IS-800.B National Response Framework (NRF), An
Introduction training course" is now available. "The NRF, which focuses
on response and short-term recovery, articulates the doctrine,
principles and architecture by which our nation prepares for and
responds to all-hazard disasters across all levels of government and all
sectors of communities.

 

*Course Information:* The course introduces participants to...concepts
and principles of the NRF.

 

*Course Objectives:* At the end of this course, students will be able to
describe:

 

The purpose of the National Response Framework.

The response doctrine established by the National Response Framework.

The roles and responsibilities of entities as specified in the National
Response Framework.

The actions that support national response.

The response organizations used for multi-agency coordination.

How planning relates to national preparedness.

 

*Audience:* This course is intended for government executives,
private-sector and non-governmental organization (NGO) leaders, and
emergency management practitioners. This includes senior elected and
appointed leaders, such as Federal department or agency heads, State
Governors, mayors, tribal leaders, and city or county officials, and
those who have a responsibility to provide for effective response.
Senior leaders, emergency management practitioners, disaster workers,
and first responders who have previously completed IS-800 or IS-800A are
not required to complete IS-800B as part of NIMS compliance activities.
However, FEMA strongly urges emergency management professionals across
the nation to complete this new independent study course on the NRF.

 

Additional information on the NRF can be obtained from the NRF Resource
Center at [www.fema.gov/nrf](http://www.fema.gov/nrf)

Course Completion: This course is available at
<http://www.training.fema.gov/EMIWeb/IS/IS800b.asp>. When individuals
complete the course, they should take the online test, fill out the
student information and submit the test for scoring. FEMA's Emergency
Management Institute's Independent Study office will notify individuals
via email of their successful completion of the course and a link will
be included to access and print a course certificate. *Questions:*
Individuals may contact the Independent Study office via email
<Independent.Study@dhs.gov> or contact the call center at 301-447-1200
or toll free at 1-800-238-3358, extension 1200. Independent Study
Program office hours are 7:30a.m.-7:30p.m. (EDT).

**(3) Southeast Arkansas College, Pine Bluff Arkansas -- Emergency
Management Associate of Applied Science Degree Implemented:**

News from Steven S. Sumner, Criminal Justice, SEARK College: "The degree
is designed to prepare students for careers in the public or private
sector in disaster and emergency preparedness within law enforcement,
government, fire science, and private industry. The program is 62
semester credit hours and includes a minimum of 18 hours in emergency
administration and management, covering topics in crisis management,
criminal justice, terrorism, and emergency medical
technology....Fifty-one agencies in the state were surveyed about the
need for employee training in emergency management... Based on their
responses, over 100 employers were interested in more training in
emergency management for their current employees, and desire more job
applicants with at least a two-year degree in the field." SEARK College
has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Arkansas Tech University
that would allow program graduates to pursue a bachelor's in emergency
administration and management. We will soon be posting a description of
this new college program on the EM Hi-Ed Program website -- The College
List Section \-- <http://training.fema.gov/EMIWeb/edu/collegelist/>

In the meantime, for additional information, Steven Sumner can be
reached at: <ssumner@seark.edu>

**(4) Bellavita Article Commentary, Continued:**

During the last several days we have been posting comments received here
on a statement in an article published recently by Chris Bellavita in
*Homeland Security Affairs*). In the article, titled "Changing Homeland
Security: The Year In Review -- 2007" (*Homeland Security Affairs*, Vol.
4, Issue 1, Jan 2008. 
<http://www.hsaj.org/pages/volume4/issue1/pdfs/4.1.1.pdf> ) a "senior"
homeland security official is quoted thusly:

> "The biggest issue in Homeland Security in FY \'07 was the reemergence
> of Emergency Management and the subsequent subjugation of homeland
> security.  The idea of homeland security as a discipline, that it is a
> system of systems, responsible for risk management in a jurisdiction,
> was greatly set back. The resurgence of emergency management has
> greatly slowed the progress that was made on getting the individual
> disciplines (fire, law enforcement, public health, infrastructure
> protection, EMS, public works, medical (physicians, nurses and
> hospitals), communications, intelligence, agriculture etc.) involved
> in homeland security to look at themselves as a part of a greater
> whole. Homeland Security appears to have regressed back to its
> previous 9/11 state of stove piped planning and possibly response."

Today we post an excerpt, with approval, from an email to one of the
commentators, Carol Cwiak (with the emergency management program at
North Dakota State University).

**Comment on Commentary**

"I read the article by Mr. Bellavita and your commentary in Homeland
Security Affairs. I must say, I am truly grateful that you were willing
to set the record straight. I have been in Emergency Management for 10
years. Before accepting my current position as Emergency Management
Director for a regional public health agency, I served as the Chief of
Planning for Memphis/Shelby County EMA in Memphis, Tennessee. I have
been waging a constant war of ideologies with...homeland security
\"experts\" for many years now. Your commentary strikes to the heart of
the issue. I truly hope more people will come to understand that
Emergency Management is not a by-gone practice, but an essential
discipline in our country. I also greatly appreciated your emphasis on
LOCAL government and Emergency Management..."

Randall Roby

 

The End.

 

B.Wayne Blanchard, Ph.D., CEM\
Higher Education Program Manager\
Emergency Management Institute\
National Emergency Training Center\
Federal Emergency Management Agency\
Department of Homeland Security\
16825 S. Seton, K-011\
Emmitsburg, MD 21727\
<wayne.blanchard@dhs.gov>\
<http://training.fema.gov/EMIWeb/edu>

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federal government Web sites, and may not necessarily operate under the
same laws, regulations, and policies as federal Web sites."**

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