Emergency Services Leadership Institute (ESLI)
Emergency Management

COURSE OUTLINE: This module will target Emergency Management best practices and the tools necessary for participants to build an effective and efficient Emergency Management program as an integrated division of the modern, comprehensive fire department as it relates to the governing agency, the private sector, and the public.  Some emphasis will be placed on legislative directives at the Federal and State levels that affect local jurisdictions and can create compliance issues, some tied to funding.  This module will also focus on the major tenets of Emergency Management with regard to standards and ethics, roles and responsibilities of key stakeholders and participants, the Disaster Life Cycle, and an integrated approach beyond the daily operations of the fire rescue department.  This will not include instruction or discussion on NIMS or the ICS, beyond tertiary mention if and when appropriate to the overarching material included in the curriculum.  The topics and core competencies listed will be delivered for the purpose, among others, of designing and developing an integrated, comprehensive and cost-effective Emergency Management Program within the fire and emergency services.  Given that most firefighters and mid-level officers have had little, if any, specialized education or experience in Emergency Management elements or issues, and few have had direct disaster experience beyond the daily operations within their jurisdiction, this module will provide a detailed set of core competencies, resources, and information that will assist the fire service leader in achieving stakeholder support toward implementation of the program. 

It is important to understand that fire service leaders are best aligned to meet the myriad challenges in the formal Emergency Management arena, a theory based on the daily response capabilities intrinsic to the service, the use of an Incident Command Structure, an understanding of the most austere, real world environments, and the sheer number and variety of training subject matter that the fire service leader has experienced that the lay person has not.  The very nature of fire rescue operations best lends itself to leadership in the Emergency Management program across the entire governing agency and its departmental boundaries and lends credibility to the program in the private sector and throughout the public community due mostly to the fire service’s ownership of the public trust.

It is vital for fire service personnel at all levels to understand that a Comprehensive Emergency Management Program reaches far beyond the fire department or the fire service leader’s scope of experience as a career firefighter.  It will be critical for the participant to take away a mission and vision that is based on the foundation of an “all-hazards, all phases, all actors” approach with a particular focus on the most vulnerable populations in the community.  Whereby command and control may be the governing methodology throughout the history of the fire service, the comprehensive Emergency Management methodology focuses more on communication and coordination, a difference that the career fire service leader may find challenging.  This module is designed to overcome such barriers and to deliver the core competencies that will broaden the perspective of the participant toward a more integrated, inclusive and cooperative vision of the Emergency Management landscape.

The topics and core competencies listed represent some of the top issues being discussed and implemented in Emergency Management today.  While these lists seem quite exhaustive, each issue will be discussed to the appropriate level to deliver the fundamental competencies for leaders to engage in the design, development and implementation of an Emergency Management program within their department and for their jurisdiction.  This module, however, should not be construed to be a certification or any other credentialing offering in the field of Emergency Management.  Participants will be strongly encouraged to engage in, at minimum, an accredited certificate or higher education Emergency Management curriculum following completion of the module.  The subject matter will include information from top leaders in the field of Emergency Management, open discussion among participants, experience(s) and idea sharing, and other materials.

Topics:

• History and Vision of Emergency Management
• Comprehensive Emergency Management Standards and Ethics
• Selling Emergency Management to Key Stakeholders
• Budgeting for Emergency Management Programs
• Stafford Disaster Relief Act and other Federal Legislation
• National Response Framework
• National Recovery Framework
• Federal Continuity Directives
• FEMA Disaster Management Framework
• FEMA Fire Management Assistance Grant program (FMAGP)
• Disaster Recovery Assistance and Reimbursement
• Risk/Hazard/Vulnerability Assessments
• State Emergency Response Plan (SERP)
• Emergency Mutual Aid Compacts (EMAC)
• Florida Statutes Chapter 252
• State Warning Point
• Emergency Management Grants
• Disaster Life Cycle—Four Phases          
• Integrated Emergency Management beyond Emergency Services
• Key Stakeholders in Emergency Management--Roles and Responsibilities
• Emergency Operations Center Activation and Operation
• Critical Information & Open Communication—the 3 ‘E’s’, and ‘The Public’s Right to Know’
• Technologies and Software – WebEOC©
• Effective Community Warning Systems
• Social Media in Crisis Response and Recovery
• COOP, COG, CEMP, Pandemic COOP Plans
• HSEEP—Homeland Security Exercise & Evaluation Program
• Public-Private Partnerships and the Power of Networking
• Social Dimensions of Disaster on Organizations and Individuals
• Social Vulnerability Reduction—Not “the most”, “the most vulnerable”
• Expectations Management
• Disaster ‘Mythology’ and Disaster Fraud
• Emergency Management as part of your Public Education Program
• Diversity Planning for Vulnerable and Ethnically Diverse Populations
• Thinking Beyond Command & Control to Communication & Coordination