Engaging State and Local Emergency Management Agencies to Improve Ability to Prepare for and Respond to All-Hazards Events

The Center for Preparedness and Response/Division of State and Local Readiness (CPR/DSLR) works through and with national partners as a matter of course to optimize coordination between state, local and territorial public health and emergency management programs. As the professional association of and for emergency management directors from all 50 states, eight U.S. territories, and the District of Columbia, the applicant’s unique ability in representing state emergency management directors will greatly assist with emergency preparedness planning and coordination efforts between state and local public health and emergency management agencies nationally by concentrating on the following strategic activities: Support and maintain a workgroup comprised of state and local emergency managers and public health directors. This workgroup should be designed to help integrate policy positions and foster practical models of collaboration between health and emergency management that further promote emergency preparedness, response and recovery coordination between public health and emergency management. Identify promising practices and opportunities that build upon existing CDC public health partnership efforts to advance the public health overall capability to prevent, protect, mitigate, respond to, and recover from all-hazards emergency incidents to include, but not limited to, interrelated efforts to coordinate the Federal Emergency Management (FEMA) Threat and Hazard Identification and Risk Assessment (THIRA) and ongoing coordination between the National Preparedness Goal Core Capabilities and the CDC Public Health Preparedness and Response Capabilities: National Standards for State, Local, Tribal and Territorial Public Health. Engage and collaborate with other DSLR or National partners to develop educational and/or training materials that promote effective preparedness planning and disaster management for the public health system, to include but not limited to, the Federal Emergency Management (FEMA) Threat and Hazard Identification and Risk Assessment (THIRA), Emergency Management Assistance Compact (EMAC) and relevant components of the Homeland Security Grant Program (HSGP).