**February 4, 2008 FEMA Emergency Management Higher Education Program
Report**

**(1) FEMA Press Release on FY 2009 DHS Appropriation Request:**
"President Bush's fiscal year 2009 budget request for the Department of
Homeland Security (DHS) represents \$50.5 billion in funding, which is
an increase of 6.8 percent over the 2008 fiscal year level -- excluding
funds provided in emergency supplemental funding. The request targets
five areas that are essential to preserving freedom and privacy, meeting
future challenges, and fulfilling our mission of securing America,
including:

**Build a Nimble and Effective Emergency Response System and Culture of
Preparedness**

"Improving the nation's ability to respond to disasters, man-made or
natural, is a top priority for the Department. The Department is
improving its capabilities and preparing those who respond to acts of
terror and other emergencies by incorporating lessons learned from
Hurricane Katrina, other disasters, and the 9-11 Commission
Recommendations. The President's Budget requests funding for the
following initiatives that support strengthening the department's
ability to build an effective emergency response system and culture of
preparedness:

-   An increase of \$64.5 million in funding to support the Federal
    Emergency Management Agency's (FEMA) Vision- Shape the Workforce
    program. Phase II of FEMA's transformation will strengthen FEMA's
    ability to marshal an effective national response, deliver service
    of value to the public, reduce vulnerability to life and property,
    and instill public confidence.  

-   Total funding of \$2.2 billion will support FEMA's state and local
    assistance programs, which prepares state and local governments to
    prevent or respond to threats or incidents of terrorism and other
    catastrophic events....

-   Total funding of \$209 million will support FEMA's disaster
    workforce, which will transition 4-year Cadre On-Call Response
    Employees from temporary to permanent full-time personnel. This
    transition will achieve the level of readiness and response
    capability required in response to major disasters and emergencies
    declared by the president. An additional \$200 million is provided
    in a new Disaster Readiness and Support Activities account to assist
    FEMA in working with state and local partners in preparing for
    future disasters and institutionalizing logistical and other
    capabilities in support of state disaster readiness leadership."

For more info., see DHS Fact Sheet:
<http://www.dhs.gov/xnews/releases/pr_1202151112290.shtm>.

\[Note: The request for the Emergency Management Performance Grant
program, which helps sustain the State and local emergency management
governmental community through a contributing funds element for
personnel and administrative expenses, went from this year's \$300
million budget to a request for \$200 million for fiscal year 2009.\]

**(2) Government of India Presentation on the FEMA EM Hi-Ed Program:**
Spent two hours in the afternoon discussing the EM Hi-Ed Project with a
delegation from India. The delegation included P.G. Dhar Chakrabarti,
Executive Director of the National Institute of Disaster Management,
Ministry of Home Affairs. Also present was N. M. Prusty, Chief of Party,
Disaster Management Support Project, International Resources Group. The
representatives of the national government of India are investigating
the creation of an Indian Government version of the FEMA EM Hi-Ed
Project -- thus many questions on the who, what, when, how, where and
how much variety. It was clear from the questions though \-- only ended
by the intervention of one of the delegation escorts because the meeting
had gone over schedule \-- that someone had really done their homework.
Thus it this was a very good meeting from our point of view -- an
opportunity to seriously engage in the discussion of how best to
encourage and support the development of an emergency management higher
education community within a country, and from that perspective, how
best to contribute to an ever-evolving profession of emergency
management.

**(3) Move Hazards Mitigation and Prevention Out of FEMA:**

Fowler, Daniel. "Witt Disciples Envision a New Path for Federal
Emergency Management." *CQ Homeland Security*, February 1, 2008.

\[That is the bottom line conclusion reached by "two former senior
Federal Emergency Management officials" in an interview with *CQ
Homeland Security*, noted just above The "non-anonymous" officials are
"Jane Bullock, chief of staff under FEMA Director James Lee Witt in the
Clinton administration, and George Haddow, the deputy chief of staff..."

"**Bullock**: ... the system is broken right now. There is really no
strong system between the federal, state and local, and I can guarantee
you the National Response Framework that was just announced is not going
to cure that problem. The state directors of emergency management, which
were once in a very prominent position with their governors, are now
subsumed under departments of homeland security. There is very little
contact with locals. If there was a disaster tomorrow, and I was mayor
of a city, I wouldn't count on FEMA or the federal government to be
there for anything. This administration doesn't seem to understand that
emergency management is really a partnership of the federal, state and
local level....

**"Haddow**: One thing to keep in mind is that when FEMA became a part
of the Department of Homeland Security, look what happened. Its response
capabilities deteriorated. Similar to what happened in the 1980s when
FEMA became the national security interest agency planning for the next
nuclear attack. . . . So, FEMA in 1993 was in the same place it is in
2008. But if that focus on a single hazard can push response to where it
becomes something that doesn't work, where does mitigation and long-term
recovery come in? . . .So why not separate the two and still maintain
this extraordinary capability that we used to have that we no longer
have. We have to rebuild. And, at the same time, build up this other
capability that is more in tune with what the realities are in this
world today.... take the mitigation and long-term recovery functions and
put them in another organization, entity  . . ."

**"Q.** You are proposing creating this separate entity that is not
under DHS, but basically takes some of the responsibility that FEMA has
now. Do you support FEMA remaining part of DHS?

**Haddow**: It has to be moved out because there is not that
relationship with the president, that direct link with the president.
And if that person is going to turn to the head of DHS and say what's
going on in my disasters, who's the head of DHS?\... They're not going
to be emergency managers."\]

**(4) Continuing the Communication on Homeland Security and Emergency
Management -- Another Commentary on the quote below from an unidentified
"Former Senior DHS Official"**

**The Quote:**

 

> "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."
> ("Changing Homeland Security: The Year In Review -- 2007," *Homeland
> Security Affairs*, V. 4, Is. 1, Jan 2008, Christopher Bellavita. 
> <http://www.hsaj.org/pages/volume4/issue1/pdfs/4.1.1.pdf> )

**The Commentary:**

"When I read Christopher Bellavita's article "Changing Homeland
Security: The Year in Review -- 2007" in Homeland Security Affairs, at
first I wasn't sure how to react to the quote from a "Former Senior DHS
Official." While I wasn't surprised that, despite the evidence to the
contrary, someone might characterize emergency management as essentially
the greatest hindrance to disaster preparedness and response, I was a
bit shocked that they would do so publicly. The most reasonable
explanation that I could think of for this is that the former official
is not very familiar with emergency management and the principles and
practices upon which it is founded. Were it otherwise, he or she never
would have made this statement. Had this former official visited the
principles and practices section of the Higher Education website
(<http://training.fema.gov/EMIWeb/edu/emprinciples.asp>), or read some
of the excellent texts and histories available on emergency management,
he or she would realize that the fundamental reason behind emergency
management is to take a holistic approach, include all of the
disciplines with responsibility for managing some aspect of disasters
and emergencies, and bring them together to create a comprehensive
approach to management of emergencies and disasters.

Furthermore, the former official would realize that emergency management
considers all of the hazards, both natural and human caused,
unintentional and intentional, with which society must contend, unlike
homeland security which only considers a small number of hazards. If
anything, emergency management is and has been working to bring the
various disciplines together, despite the focus of homeland security on
a narrow field of intentional hazards almost to the exclusion of all
else. This narrow focus contributed to the flawed response to both the
2004 and 2005 hurricane seasons, the assault on privacy and
constitutional rights over the past few years, and the frenetic and
often flawed attempts to secure transportation, critical infrastructure,
and the nation's borders.

I've long believed that we mixed things up when we consolidated agencies
into DHS after 9/11. Had the all-hazards approach had been considered,
FEMA would have been the lead agency. DHS would serve as a sub-agency,
as terrorism is but one aspect of all-hazards rather than its raison
d'être. Emergency management's skills and history of coordinating and
building consensus between multiple professions and disciplines would
provide a solid foundation upon which the nation's homeland security
concerns could be effectively addressed. Were this the case, it is
probable that our emergency preparedness and response and our efforts to
protect our citizens from natural and human caused disasters over the
past few years would even serve as a positive example to the rest of the
world."

Drew Bumbak, Director, The Center for Emergency Education & Disaster
Research, University of Maryland, Baltimore County, Baltimore, MD

The End.

B. Wayne Blanchard, Ph.D., CEM\
Higher Education Project 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>

**"Please note: Some of the Web sites linked to in this document are not
federal government Web sites, and may not necessarily operate under the
same laws, regulations, and policies as federal Web sites."**

Update your subscriptions, modify your password or e-mail address, or
stop subscriptions at any time on your [Subscriber Preferences
Page](https://service.govdelivery.com/service/user.html?code=USDHSFEMA).
You will need to use your e-mail address to log in. If you have
questions or problems with the subscription service, please contact
<support@govdelivery.com>.

This service is provided to you at no charge by
[FEMA](http://www.fema.gov/index.shtm).

[Privacy Policy](http://www.dhs.gov/xutil/gc_1157139158971.shtm) \|
GovDelivery is providing this information on behalf of U.S. Department
of Homeland Security, and may not use the information for any other
purposes.

FEMA · U.S. Department of Homeland Security · Washington, DC 20472 · 1
(800) 621-FEMA (3362)