Wireless RERC Comments on Test of National EAS System

The Wireless RERC filed ex parte comments with the FCC regarding the national test of the Emergency Alert System (EAS) conducted on November 9, 2011.  The comments were submitted in the form of the Wireless RERC's Report on the National EAS Test On-line Survey and Focus Group Findings.

From November 2, 2011 through November 18, 2011, the Wireless RERC conducted two surveys, one prior to the November 9th national EAS test and the other following the test.  Four hundred and three (403) people responded to the pre and post-EAS test surveys.  The surveys evaluated responses from people who are deaf, hard of hearing, blind or have low vision in order to understand the effectiveness of EAS for people with sensory disabilities.  In addition, on November 9th during the actual tests, 22 people with sensory disabilities participated in focus groups held at Public Broadcasting Atlanta (PBA). 

The ex parte comments reported the data, analyses and findings from the surveys and focus groups. The nationwide test of EAS revealed technical, policy and practice related challenges.  The focus groups and surveys showed a number of access barriers including inconsistent use of audio, a lack of a visual alert mechanism and text crawl that was difficult to read due to size and speed.  Respondents and participants with hearing loss found that the national EAS test message was not fully accessible, reporting problems with the attention signal and audio quality.  

Regarding policy and practice, the voluntary nature of the system resulted in the inconsistent implementation of the rules and regulations regarding state and local participation in EAS.  Some recommendations for improving the accessibility of EAS delivered over television and radio include:

• Always provide audio and visual formats of alert content for all types of alerts (weather, Amber, presidential, free text).
• Standardize the appearance of EAS messages.
• Incorporate pre-recorded or rapidly assembled ASL video translation of message content; and
• Include a visual alert mechanism such as a screen flash.

FEMA Think Tank - March 22nd, 2012 - 3:00pm to 5:00pm

Last November, I launched the FEMA Think Tank - a forum to engage our partners, promote innovation, and facilitate discussions in the field of emergency management. There are two components to the FEMA Think Tank: 1) An online forum that encourages discussion on a variety of emergency management issues, which can be found at www.fema.gov/thinktank; and 2) monthly conference calls to further discuss submissions to the online forum.

During February’s FEMA Think Tank conference call, over 500 individuals participated in a discussion on technology in emergency management with featured topics on smart phone apps and amateur radio.  Participants on the call ranged from State, Local, Tribal, and Federal emergency managers, first responders, and others concerned about helping our communities prepare for, respond to, and recover from disasters. It was a productive and informative discussion of ideas, which reinforced the importance of bringing the whole community together to develop ideas and best practices.

I am pleased to announce the next FEMA Think Tank conference call will take place on March 22^nd, 2012 and I would like to invite you to join me as I conduct the call from the Centergy Building - 3^rd Floor, Hodges Room, 75 Fifth Street, NW, Atlanta, GA  30308. The call will take place from 3:00 pm to 5:00 pm and it will be open to a national audience of State, Local and Tribal government officials, and all members of the public including the private sector, the functional needs community, and volunteer community, who share an interest in emergency management.

The focus of this month’s conference call will be on Strategies and Approaches for Incorporating and Integrating Disability Related Access and Functional Needs Issues and Concerns into Emergency Management Actions/Activities.  Please check the Think Tank website for more information on the specific ideas to be discussed.

Kindly RSVP by Wednesday, March 21^st, 2012, to Nancy Mize at FEMA Region IV

External Affairs on (770)-220-5211 or by email: nancy.mize@dhs.gov.  Should you require disability accommodations, please let us know your specific needs when you RSVP.

If you cannot attend in person but wish to join the discussion, please see conference information below:

Call-In Number: 800-593-0692

Pass Code: Think Tank March

Individuals who would like to access the captioning for this event may do so by clicking the following link at the start of the event: http://www.fedrcc.us//Enter.aspx?EventID=1920179&CustomerID=321.

Until then, I encourage you to visit the online forum at www.fema.gov/thinktank to comment on the ideas we will be discussing this month or submit your own ideas and comment on others.

See you in Atlanta!

Sincerely,

Rich Serino

Deputy Administrator

Federal Emergency Management Agency

New FEMA, CNCS Partnership Strengthens Response, Recovery Efforts Following Disasters

The Department of Homeland Security's Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) with the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS) today announced an innovative new partnership designed to strengthen the nation’s ability to respond to and recover from disasters.

 

FEMA Corps is an historic collaboration between a federal agency and a national service organization and will create a new unit of AmeriCorps’ National Civilian Community Corps (NCCC) whose members will be devoted solely to FEMA disaster response and recovery efforts. The five-year agreement provides for a full service corps of 1,600 members annually who will be an additional workforce in support of FEMA’s current disaster reserve workforce.

This new partnership is important for many reasons but none more important than the positive impact it will have on disaster survivors.  NCCC FEMA Corps will strengthen the nation’s disaster response by providing a dedicated, trained and reliable workforce to support disaster survivors and impacted communities during their greatest time of need.  

The NCCC members will increase diversity of the disaster workforce, while providing educational and economic opportunities for young people as they consider their future careers. The FEMA Corps members will serve for a 10 month term with an option to extend for a second year. The program will prepare thousands of young people for careers in emergency management and related fields. During their service, they will gain significant training and experience in disaster services and will provide important support to disaster survivors. 

This new effort will promote an ethos of national service and civic engagement by mobilizing corps members and community volunteers to provide critical disaster services. Once trained by FEMA and, CNCS,  members will provide support in areas ranging from Community Relations to Disaster Recovery Centers . The first members will begin serving in September 2012 and the program will reach full capacity within 18 months.

To learn more about FEMA Corps please see the AmeriCorps website http://www.americorps.gov/about/programs/nccc.asp or FEMA’s website at www.fema.gov.

Google Maps, Warning Alerts about Emergency Situations

Whether you're unaware that an earthquake warning has been issued for the area you are visiting later or whether you desperately need more information about the hurricane headed your way, Google Maps should be able to help! Why? Because the popular mapping service now incorporates emergency alerts from several public safety organizations.
http://technolog.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/01/26/10241717-google-maps-will-now-warn-you-about-emergency-situations
If you'd rather see all active alerts in one spot instead, you can do so on the main Google Public Alerts page.

My Safety, My Responsibility, My Plan - serving those with Cognitive disAbilities

My Safety, My Responsibility, My Plan
http://www.wihd.org/EmergencyPreparedness/index.


My Safety, My Responsibility, My Plan is an emergency preparedness program aimed at helping individuals with intellectual disabilities to become more independent in their homes. Knowing what to do in an emergency fosters self-determination. Individuals learn about different types of emergency situations and how to be prepared.  My Safety, My Responsibility, My Plan uses a step-by-step approach to creating a Personal Emergency Plan. The program includes a full curriculum, a trainer’s manual, and an exciting new web version with 8 informative and interactive videos. A supplemental Family Guide on Emergency Preparedness provides steps for individuals with disabilities living with their families to create a Family Emergency Plan together. The project was developed at the Westchester Institute for Human Development, Valhalla, NY.

FEMA February 17th Think Tank Conference Call

Please join FEMA’s Deputy Administrator Richard Serino as he hosts the next FEMA Think Tank conference call on February 17th from San Francisco, CA.
Friday, February 17, 2012
1:00 pm – 3:00 P.M. Eastern (10:00 A.M. – 12:00 P.M. Pacific)          
Call in number: 1-800-369-1986 
Passcode: Think Tank February  
Individuals who would like to access the captioning for this event may do so by following the link below: http://fedrcc.us//Enter.aspx?EventID=1904972&CustomerID=321  
The focus of this month’s Think Tank conference call will be the use of technology and social media in emergency management. The two specific topics that will be discussed on the call are:
1.      How to communicate with disaster survivors and distribute information to mass audiences if cellular and on-line communications are unavailable immediately following a catastrophic disaster. In particular, we will discuss how existing communications tools, such as amateur (ham) radio operators, can be leveraged and linked to other forms of mass communications following a disaster. We’d also like to hear your ideas on how we can ensure these communications are accessible to the whole community.  
2.      How mobile applications can help emergency managers and individuals prepare for, respond to, and quickly recover from disasters. We will talk about two specific ideas for mobile apps that were submitted to the online forum, and then open the discussion to other ideas for apps related to emergency management and preparedness.

What's your State's "Awareness" week?

Wondering about good opportunities to increase awareness among people with disabilities on weather related emergencies and how to prepare?
Consider using an "awareness" week for these activities - find your state's scheduled 'week" at:
http://www.nws.noaa.gov/om/severeweather/severewxcal.shtml