**April 25, 2008 FEMA Emergency Management Higher Education Program
Report**

**(1) Collaboration in Times of Crisis -- New Partnership for Public
Service Document:**

Partnership for Public Service. *Collaboration in Times of Crisis*. NY &
DC: PPS, April 2008, 5 pages. At:
<http://www.ourpublicservice.org/OPS/publications/viewcontentdetails.php?id=127>

From Executive Summary:

> The challenges facing our nation in the 21st century transcend the
> traditional societal partitions we build in organizations, levels of
> government and sectors. So should our solutions. This is particularly
> true in emergency management....
>
> The Partnership for Public Service explored ways to enhance
> coordination across sectors through its *Collaboration in Times of
> Crisis* series. This effort included three half-day sessions to focus
> on three specific types of partnerships:
>
> • Collaboration Across Federal Agencies
>
> • Collaboration Between Levels of Government --- Federal, State and
> Local
>
> • Collaboration Across Sectors
>
> The sessions consisted of roundtable discussions with subject-matter
> experts from the public and private sectors, who shared key lessons
> and strategies from their experiences responding to crises.
>
> There was broad consensus among participants that increased
> collaboration was necessary for our government to fulfill its
> responsibilities to keep Americans safe. But most panelists believe
> that more time has been spent talking about enhanced collaboration
> than actually doing the hard work necessary to ensure a seamless,
> coordinated response the next time disaster strikes.
>
> The following summaries memorialize the discussions and offer
> practical lessons to improve collaborative capacity

A Few Selected Lessons:

> CREATE OPPORTUNITIES FOR SHARED LEARNING: Learning together is a
> practical and effective way to build collaborative capacity. While
> joint **exercises** can be valuable, first responders can be
> "exercised" to death. Meaningful training experiences with the right
> people in attendance and scenarios where there is a chance for failure
> are essential. Moreover, exercises should be followed up with
> efficient methods of sharing lessons learned. Participants remarked
> that lessons learned are not always communicated to those who
> participated in the exercise....
>
> BUILD MUTUAL RESPECT: Effective collaboration begins with respect for
> potential partners and the value they bring to the table.
> Historically, there has been some arrogance or even animosity between
> people across levels of government --- a feeling that one level of
> government, or jurisdiction, is superior to another. This perspective
> must be replaced with mutual respect and appreciation for different
> roles and responsibilities. Local representatives expressed concern
> that their federal counterparts lack a basic understanding of how
> local government operates. We need to understand not just how our own
> organizations work, but how other jurisdictions operate --- their
> mission, strengths and resource constraints....
>
> COLLABORATION ACROSS SECTORS: No one sector is equipped with all the
> resources, knowledge and expertise necessary to respond to large scale
> disasters. Public, private and nonprofit entities must work together
> to ensure safe communities when preparing for and responding to
> emergencies.... The FBI and other federal agencies historically kept
> their distance from the private sector. Now, emergency responders and
> policy makers are realizing that information sharing and working
> across sectors is essential to effective disaster response. The public
> sector needs the unique resources owned by the private sector. The
> private sector, which controls 85 percent of our nation's
> infrastructure, is hugely affected by disasters. Companies want to
> contribute to response efforts and need information from the public
> sector. Nonprofits, like the Red Cross, coordinate tens of thousands
> of volunteers who respond to emergencies. We can't do it alone. Crisis
> requires broad public assistance. While there are different roles that
> each sector takes in preparing for and responding to disasters, it is
> only by working together that public, private and nonprofit
> organizations can save lives and property during disasters of all
> scales.

\[Note: "Collaboration" is one of the Principles of Emergency
Management, developed by the Emergency Management Roundtable in
2006/2007 -- accessible at:
<http://training.fema.gov/EMIWeb/edu/emprinciples.asp> \-- see 2nd
bullet.\]

**(2) DHS Secretary Michael Chertoff Remarks at SAIS Strategy Forum**

Received today a DHS Press Release on the availability of the following:

Department of Homeland Security. *Remarks by Secretary of Homeland
Security at the Center for Strategic and International Studies' Homeland
Security Strategy Forum*. Washington, DC: DHS, March 20, 2008. At:
<http://www.dhs.gov/xnews/speeches/sp_1209147825509.shtm>

Excerpt:

> **Secretary Chertoff:**  I\'m sure what I said and what I\'m going to
> say will not be a surprise to anybody.  I\'m like everybody else,
> I\'ve come to Washington in a policy-making job, and I discovered what
> everybody else in these jobs has also discovered about structural
> problems. Thinking back over the experience over the last three years,
> I saw three major problems to getting the government to move forward
> on difficult, long-term, somewhat inconvenient measures that would
> raise our level of protection against either natural disasters or
> terrorism. 
>
> And in ascending order of difficulty, the first is anecdotalism.  An
> anecdote always trumps a policy.  When you, you know, are dealing with
> a complicated policy like immigration, like, say, with economics, or
> \-- and security all wound up, and you\'re trying to put together a
> complicated package, as we did when we tried to get the immigration
> bill passed last year, all you need to do is get an anecdote and that
> dominates the story.  The anecdote is either the illegal alien who,
> you know, killed a bunch of schoolchildren \-- that\'s one anecdote. 
> Or on the other side it\'s the poor family that\'s divided because
> we\'re enforcing the law and they have to go back to a place that they
> haven\'t been in for 20 years.  You know, it\'s important to be aware
> that these policies have an impact on real people, but when
> anecdotalism dominates the discussion, then you can\'t actually begin
> to look at the policy because you become overwhelmed with a series of
> individual stories.
>
> The second is commonplace, is \"Not in My Backyard.\"  Everybody wants
> fence, but they don\'t want it in their backyard, they want it in the
> other guy\'s backyard.  Actually, they don\'t even want it in the
> other guy\'s backyard.  I got sued by a guy in the Southwest border
> not because we wanted to build fence on this land, but because we were
> building fence in the adjoining property, and that was causing the
> illegal aliens to come onto his property.  And he wanted us to tear
> that down because by protecting his neighbor, we were disadvantaging
> him.  So, you know, that is a \-- and frankly, members of Congress who
> represent constituencies are acutely sensitive to that \"Not in My
> Backyard\" issue, and you get pulled in all kinds of different ways.
>
> The hardest one is \"Not in My Term of Office,\" which you probably
> know I accredited Howard Kunreuther of University of Pennsylvania
> for.  And that is the idea that we should not do anything hard if the
> pay-off does not come during my term of office.  This is the musical
> chairs theory of government, which is, as long as I\'m out of the
> (inaudible) when the music stops, it\'s not my problem. 
>
> And that\'s why, for example, we don\'t \-- I mean, that\'s to me
> really the lesson of Katrina.  It was decades during which the levees
> degraded, the wetlands degraded.  And no one invested in that because
> there were other things people wanted to put the money in, some of
> which actually made it worse, and that\'s because no one knew when, if
> ever, the levee would break.  It was a classical musical-chairs
> moment.  And I think that\'s the third structural problem.

**(3) DOE Emergency Management for Higher Education NEW Grant Program:**

Received today the following solicitation which may be of interest to
more than just a few of the EM Hi-Ed Report readers:

> The U.S. Department of Education\'s Office of Safe and Drug-Free
> Schools, in partnership with our colleagues at Health and Human
> Services\' Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration
> (SAMHSA), is delighted to announce the release of a new grant
> competition in FY 2008 to support emergency preparedness planning for
> higher education institutions. We are sharing this information with
> you so that you may share it with any higher education colleagues in
> your communities or States that may be interested.
>
> This new competition, Emergency Management for Higher Education (EMHE)
> grant program (CFDA #84.184T), is designed to fund higher education
> institution projects to develop, or review and improve, and fully
> integrate, campus-based all-hazards emergency management planning
> efforts within the framework of the four phases of emergency
> management \[Prevention-Mitigation, Preparedness, Response, and
> Recovery\].
>
> The Notice Inviting Applications for the EMHE grant program was
> published in the Federal Register on April 24, 2008. To access the
> application package and instructions for how to apply for the EMHE
> grant competition, individuals can follow these steps:
>
> 1\) Visit: <http://www.grants.gov/>
>
> 2\) Click on the \"Apply for Grants\" link on the left-hand side of
> the screen
>
> 3\) Click on \"Download a Grant Application Package\"
>
> 4\) In the box labeled \"Funding Opportunity Number\" that appears,
> please write:
>
> ED-GRANTS-042408-001 (NOTE: You may leave the other two boxes blank.)
>
> 5\) Click the button labeled \"Download Package\"
>
> 6\) When the next screen appears, scroll to the bottom and select the
> hyperlink for \"download\" (the EMHE Grant should be listed in this
> row)
>
> 7\) This will take you to the page that will allow you to download the
> complete
>
> application package and instructions for the EMHE grant competition
>
> Applications for this competition are due on May 27, 2008. We
> anticipate making approximately 18 awards under this grant program in
> FY 2008 and award announcements will be made no later than September
> 30, 2008.
>
> Additional questions about this grant competition can be directed to
> Tara Hill at: Tara.Hill@Ed.gov. Thank you again for your interest in
> preparedness funding for our nation\'s higher education institutions.

**(4) Department of Education New Guide on People With Disabilities and
Emer. Mgmt:**

Received today an announcement from the National Council on Disabilities
(via Mark Quigley):

> The National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research is
> pleased to announce the release of a new online publication: Emergency
> Management Research and People With Disabilities: A Resource Guide.
> This resource guide is the culmination of cooperative efforts by
> NIDRR, the Department of Education, the Research Subcommittee of the
> Interagency Coordinating Council on Emergency Preparedness and\
> Individuals with Disabilities (ICC), and the New Freedom Initiative
> Subcommittee of the Interagency Committee on Disability Research. \
> \
> The guide provides a listing and description of research projects
> funded by the federal government and nonfederal entities, research
> recommendations that have come out of conferences on emergency
> management and disability, and a bibliography of relevant research
> publications.  It is our hope that this guide will facilitate the
> development and implementation of a nationwide research agenda on
> emergency management and people with disabilities, so that we can
> develop a strong evidence base about the best ways to ensure the
> safety and security of people with disabilities in emergency and
> disaster\
> situations. \
> \
> This report is available on the U.S. Department of Education\'s Web
> site\
> at: <http://www.ed.gov/rschstat/research/pubs>, the National Center
> for\
> the Dissemination of Disability Research Web site at\
> <http://www.ncddr.org/new/announcements.html> the National
> Rehabilitation\
> Information Center (NARIC) Web site at\
> <http://www.naric.com/public/pubs.cfm>, and the Interagency Committee
> on\
> Disability Research Web site at <http://www.icdr.us/>.

After receiving this notice and taking a quick look at the material, we
spoke with Bonnie Gracer at the Department of Education, who is the
primary point of contact at ED for this project. We noted the potential
of the EM Hi-Ed Conference as a venue (never miss an opportunity) to get
their message out. She replied that she would like to attend and would
investigate this possibility.

**(5) Emergency Mgmt. Student Testimonials -- Univ. of North Texas
Alumni Amy Lackey:**

Today another testimonial from a graduate of the Emergency
Administration and Planning Program at the University of North Texas,
from Newport News, VA Emergency Planner, Amy M. Lackey -- Class of 2003.

> The EADP Program at University of North Texas was the best decision I
> made both professionally and personally.  The program combined both
> theoretical training as well as practical.   The EADP Program is one
> of the oldest programs for Emergency Management Professionals in the
> country.    When I graduated I did not start out on the bottom of the
> job market; I got my first position with a regional government in
> Texas.  Two years later I became an Assistant Emergency Management
> Coordinator for one of the wealthiest cities in America.   Personally
> the people I hung out with in class are the people I compete against
> for employment.  Which is a plus when you go to a conference and it's
> a class reunion.  I did not realize it at the time but I was
> pre-networked into my field before I ever graduated. 

Amy M. Lackey

Emergency Planner, OEM

Newport News, VA

<alackey@nngov.com>

**(6) FEMA Emergency Management Higher Education Conference, June 2-5,
2008:**

**Dorm Rooms:** Administrative Support tells us today that 240
applications have been accepted. This means that we are getting close to
the end of free dorm rooms available to support conference participants.
After the last of the dorm rooms are spoken for (via acceptance of a
conference application/registration form -- found on the EM Hi-Ed
Program Website) then additional applications can still be accepted but
the applicant would not be able to stay here on campus and would need to
make other housing arrangements -- such as booking at a nearby motel or
hotel -- listings up on the website). We are anxious that those on the
agenda as presenters who plan to stay on campus but have not yet
submitted an application, do so now -- for it is first come first
served!

**(7) Flu Pandemic and Antiviral Drugs -- National Discussion Needed
--National Academies:**

News Release received today from The National Academies:

"Date: April 25, 2008

Contacts: Christine Stencel, Senior Media Relations Officer

Luwam Yeibio, Media Relations Assistant

Office of News and Public Information

202-334-2138; e-mail \<news@nas.edu\>

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

National Discussion Needed on Antiviral Drug Distribution During a Flu
Pandemic\
\
WASHINGTON \-- Uncertainties about the availability and effectiveness of
antiviral drugs during a flu pandemic require federal and state
officials to begin a national discussion about the difficult choices
they may be forced to make about the drugs\' distribution, says a new
report from the Institute of Medicine. Medications such as oseltamivir
(Tamiflu^®^) and zanamivir (Relenza^®^) are expected to play a key role
in the early stages of a pandemic, helping to treat illness and slow its
spread during the several months it takes to develop a vaccine. But it
is impossible to know in advance how severe the next pandemic will be
and what mix of treatment and prophylaxis will be optimal.\
\
\"We need to engage the public in a discussion about the use and
distribution of antiviral drugs in advance of a pandemic when there will
be limited time for deliberations because large numbers of people will
be getting sick,\" said committee chair June Osborn, president emerita,
Josiah Macy Foundation, Falls Church, Va. \"Through a similar public
dialogue, state and federal officials already have effectively built
broad understanding of how a pandemic vaccine would be allocated.\"\
\
Federal and state agencies have been building stockpiles of antiviral
medications, which would be one of the few tools available against the
virus during the early stages of a pandemic. Public health officials
expect to use them to treat infected people and to prevent illness in
those at risk of infection during the several months it takes to develop
a vaccine. However, it is difficult to know whether the specific
pandemic strain could rapidly become resistant to the drugs. And the
stockpiles may not contain sufficient doses to allow broad prophylaxis
as well as treatment in the event of a particularly lethal or
fast-spreading virus, the report notes. Officials therefore need to
develop in advance a set of priorities outlining the order in which
different groups of people should receive the drugs. Establishing the
parameters of an ethical framework for making such decisions ahead of a
crisis would help officials to better make tough choices at the onset.

The prioritization scheme should have the flexibility to adjust for the
particular circumstances of an actual outbreak, including how quickly
the virus spreads, which population groups it affects most severely, and
how readily it responds to drugs, the report says. The committee
recommended that a scientific advisory body be established now, to be
ready to advise the government in the midst of a pandemic.

In addition to engaging the public in prioritization planning,
government officials also should connect with the corporations and other
private entities that are building stockpiles of antiviral drugs for
their employees, the report says. Efforts to establish agreements and
understanding between the public and private sectors could lead to
collaboration in an actual outbreak and reduce confusion and
inefficiencies during a pandemic.

The committee noted that the federal Shelf Life Extension Program that
covers antiviral drugs in stockpiles managed by the U.S. departments of
Defense and Health and Human Services should include the antivirals in
state and other stockpiles. Like all medications, antiviral drugs carry
expiration dates. Under this program, drugs are tested periodically to
see if they continue to show potency beyond the manufacturer\'s
expiration date. Extending the program to cover additional stockpiles
could prevent the discarding of viable medications.

The study was sponsored by the U.S. Department of Health and Human
Services. Established in 1970 under the charter of the National Academy
of Sciences, the Institute of Medicine provides independent, objective,
evidence-based advice to policymakers, health professionals, the private
sector, and the public. The National Academy of Sciences, National
Academy of Engineering, Institute of Medicine, and National Research
Council make up the National Academies. A committee roster follows.

Pre-publication copies of [Antivirals for Pandemic Influenza: Guidance
for Developing a Distribution and Dispensing
Program](http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=12170) are available
from the National Academies Press; tel. 202-334-3313 or 1-800-624-6242
or on the Internet at http://www.nap.edu. Reporters may obtain a copy
from the Office of News and Public Information (contacts listed above)."

**(8) India Delegation -- EM Hi-Ed Program Briefing:**

Briefed three members of a delegation from India today. The delegation
was at EMI to try to get a better understanding of EMI training, and how
the EMI EM Hi-Ed Program works. According to the delegation only one
university in India has an emergency management program -- an MBA
Concentration in "Emergency Management" in New Delhi. Met with Dr.
Chandan Ghosh, Professor and Head of the Geohazards Division, National
Institute of Disaster Management, Ministry of Home Affairs, Government
of India, and with Dr. Indrajit Pal, Associate Professor, Centre for
Disaster Management, Lal Hahadur Shasttri National Academy of
Administration, Government of India. We were told that the Government of
India is investigating the development of an Emergency Management Higher
Education type project/program in India. Answered many questions in
addition to the briefing, and loaded them up with take-away materials.
Seemed to be a very responsive group and a very good meeting.

**(9) Nova Southeastern University, Ft. Lauderdale, FL -- Looking for
Few Good EM Faculty:**

Received today from Kevin L. McCarthy, program Manager, MPA/MIBA, Nova
Southeastern a request to post the following "Request for Letters of
Interest."

MASTER OF PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION, ADJUNCT FACULTY POSITION(S)

SUMMER 2008 \-- H. Wayne Huizenga School of Business & Entrepreneurship
\--

Nova Southeastern University, Ft. Lauderdale, FL. 33014

**POSITION:** NSU is looking for adjunct professors beginning summer
2008 to teach graduate courses in **Emergency Management** for the
Master of Public Administration program. Instruction delivery locations
include the 300-acre main campus in Davie Florida, our South Miami
campus, and several off campus locations throughout Florida. Travel
expenses for adjunct teaching assignments are paid for and arranged by
the university from the faculty's home base to the assigned classes.
Courses are scheduled on Friday evenings and Saturdays, on an
alternating weekend schedule.

**QUALIFICATIONS:** (1) A Ph.D. / D.P.A. from a regionally accredited
university; (2) demonstrated relevant scholarly research; (3)
demonstrated relevant teaching experience and a commitment to high
concern for student achievement; and (4) demonstrated record of
accomplishment in a professional career. The Huizenga School has always
valued practitioner experience in the classroom.

**UNIVERSITY:** Nova Southeastern University is the 6^th^ largest
private university in the US, with an enrollment of over 26,000
students, offering both undergraduate and graduate degrees in business,
education, law, medicine, psychology and liberal arts. The Huizenga
School offers various masters degrees in that are campus, field, and
online based and doctoral programs, serving a diverse student population
of predominantly adult learners.

**LETTERS OF INTEREST:** Prospective candidates are invited to email,
with Adjunct Faculty LOI in the subject line, Kevin McCarthy;
<kevimcca@huizenga.nova.edu> . Please include in the LOI your
qualifications, teaching and research interests, and a copy of your
curriculum vitae.

Nova Southeastern University admits students of any race, color, sex,
age, non-disqualifying disability, religion or creed, sexual
orientation, or national or ethnic origin to all the rights, privileges,
programs, and activities generally accorded or made available to
students at the school, and does not discriminate in administration of
its educational policies, admissions policies, scholarship and loan
programs, and athletic and other school-administered programs.

NSU is accredited by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern
Association of Colleges and School, 1866 Southern Lane, Decatur, GA
30033-4501 to award associate's, bachelor's, master's, educational
specialist, and doctoral degrees.

**(10) Email Backlog:** 507 in the am; 495 in pm.

The End

Hope that all have, or had, a good Spring weekend

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\
<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."**

EMI, the nation's pre-eminent emergency management training
organization, offers training at no charge to emergency managers and
allied professions through its resident classes in Emmitsburg, MD, its
online courses <http://training.fema.gov/IS/> and through development of
hands-off training courses.  To access upcoming resident courses with
vacancies <http://training.fema.gov/EMICCourses/>. 

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