By Shiho Ochiai Thompson

The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA)¹, the professional association of state-level emergency management directors, held its mid-year conference on February 23-27, 2002 in Washington, D.C. FKA staff attended the February 25 session. The conference highlighted the September 11 terrorist attacks in New York and Washington, D.C. (Northern Virginia); speakers included the New York State Emergency Management Office Director Ed Jacoby, Jr. and Virginia Division of Emergency Services Director Michael Cline. Other presenters included Anita Knight, representing the Institute for Business and Home Safety (IBHS), who discussed ways in which New York benefited from the partnership formed between the insurance industry and the government four months prior to September 11. Peter LaPorte, Director of the District of Columbia Emergency Management Agency, reported on the recent update of the Washington, D.C. emergency operations plan. Jerry Hauer, Senior Advisor to the Secretary for National Security and Emergency Management at the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), spoke about the anti-bioterrorism program managed by HHS. Keynote speakers –– U.S. Attorney General John Ashcroft and Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Director Joe Allbaugh –– outlined the U.S. government’s recent initiatives aimed to combat potential future acts of terrorism.

Among the many critical issues reviewed at the conference, two key elements that pose potential for additional work include the 1) management of volunteer services and goods, and 2) training of personnel.

Management of Volunteer Services and Goods
Acts of good will and the spirit of volunteerism underscored the reaction of the public as people in the U.S. and around the world demonstrated solidarity against the acts of terrorism and provided support to the victims and their families. Donations of materials and money from all over the world poured into funds set up by various non-profit organizations, governments, and private-sector corporations. According to Ed Jacoby, New York State Emergency Management Director, five warehouses (693,000 square feet) in New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut quickly filled up with donated goods. Thousands of volunteers traveled to New York City seeking to help with the disaster response and recovery operations. However, the overwhelming response of the public in responding to the crisis became difficult to manage. According to Jacoby, the management of volunteer services, as well as equitable distribution of donations, was one of the most challenging aspects of responding to the September 11 disaster.

The development of a program, entitled the Citizen Corps, is one of many efforts intended to channel the public’s overwhelming interest in volunteerism. President Bush proposed a budget of $230 million for the Citizen Corps volunteer training program for FY2003. Administered by FEMA, the initiative features training programs for approximately 200,000 volunteers in activities such as Operation TIPS (Terrorist Information and Prevention System) and Community Emergency Response Teams (CERT).

Training of Personnel
In order to mitigate potential acts of terrorism in the future, federal and state government agencies are focusing on the training of frontline personnel. Attorney General John Ashcroft stated that 96,600 state and local emergency responders have been trained, and that cooperation among state and federal agencies is key to counteracting terrorism. In the context of his remarks, FEMA Director Joe Allbaugh stated that FEMA is “redefining” its entire mission in the aftermath of September 11. FEMA’s responsibilities may be expanded to include the management of the First Responder Initiative that would, if approved and funded by Congress, provide funding to local and state emergency personnel responding to acts of terrorism. The budget for the program, which President Bush included in his proposal for FY2003, totals $3.5 billion for planning, training, equipment purchase, and exercises. Although Congress has not yet acted on the proposal, FEMA is already preparing for the design of the program by soliciting written comments and holding hearing sessions.² Such an increase in funding would generate greater management responsibilities for FEMA. Allbaugh indicated that currently the agency lacks manpower to handle the proposed added tasks and stressed the importance of additional hiring and passing the FY2003 budget legislation.

The importance of training, exercises, evaluations and corrective action –– all crucial functions of emergency management –– was underscored at the February conference. The Emergency Management Accreditation Program (EMAP) is a voluntary accreditation process for state and local emergency management programs. Modeled after the National Fire Protection Association’s 1600 Standard on Disaster/Emergency Management and Business Continuity Programs, EMAP has created a standard for the assessment and documentation of state and local emergency operations. Program participants completed two state-level pilot tests and are now testing two local-level programs.

Regardless of whether a disaster is small-scale or catastrophic, man-made or caused by nature, the responsibilities of rebuilding affected communities fall on the stakeholders themselves. Disaster preparedness, including training, coordination and communication among government emergency personnel, relief organizations, as well as with the general public, is crucial in determining the effectiveness of emergency management. It was apparent during the conference that members of NEMA and FEMA recognize the critical nature of communication and are focusing increasingly on strengthening local and state preparedness and response capabilities.

¹NEMA is based in Lexington, Kentucky.
²“FEMA Seeks Input on First Responder Grants Program.” Federal Emergency Management Agency Internet Website. April 23, 2002.