1. Disaster Response Overview for NSARC and SSARCC Meetings
January 25, 2017
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2. Overview Key Disaster Response Authorities Organization Structure
Directorate Snapshot
Response Divisions: Goals & Objectives
Response Divisions' Assets

3. Key Disaster Response Authorities
Stafford Act
Homeland Security Act
PKEMRA
SRIA
Stafford Act: gives FEMA responsibility for coordinating Federal government disaster response.
Homeland Security Act: The Homeland Security Act of 2002 created the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) as an executive department of the United States. The Homeland Security Act consolidated component agencies, including FEMA, into the Department.
Post Katrina Emergency Management Reform Act (PKEMRA): Gives FEMA the authority to lean forward and leverage the entire emergency management team in disaster response and recovery efforts.
PKEMRA also requires that each federal agency with responsibilities under the National Response Framework (NRF) develop operational plans to ensure a coordinated federal response.
Sandy Recovery Improvement Act: The law authorizes several significant changes to the way FEMA may deliver federal disaster assistance to survivors.
Presidential Policy Directive (PPD) - 8
PPD-8: defines five preparedness mission areas, including: prevention, protection, mitigation, response and recovery. It mandates the development of policy and planning documents to guide the nation’s approach for ensuring and enhancing national preparedness.
The National Planning Frameworks, which are part of the National Preparedness System, set the strategy and doctrine for building, sustaining, and delivering the core capabilities identified in the National Preparedness Goal.
National Response Framework (NRF)
NRF: a guide to how the nation responds to all types of disasters and emergencies. It is built on scalable, flexible and adaptable concepts identified in the National Incident Management System (NIMS) to align key roles and responsibilities across the nation. 2

4. Where Does Response Fit In?
DHS
FEMA
Mission Support Bureau
U.S. Fire Administration
Office of Response and Recovery
Response Directorate
Recovery Directorate
Logistics Directorate
Field Operations Directorate
Federal Insurance and Mitigation
National Preparedness Directorate

5. Response Directorate Structure
Assistant Administrator
Disaster Emergency Communications Division
Chemical, Biological, Radiological, & Nuclear Office
Policy Office
Planning and Exercise Division
Operations Division
Deputy Assistant Administrator

6. Response Directorate
Vision
Delivering coordinated and successful response operations in any environment across the nation.
Mission
Leading and coordinating efforts to maintain capabilities to respond to and stabilize effects of incidents regardless of hazard.

7. Response Major Divisions
Operations
Planning
Disaster Emergency Communications
Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear
Ops
Plan
DEC
CBRN

8. Operations Goals & Objectives
Stabilize – Provide the core Federal operational capabilities needed to stabilize a jurisdiction within 72 hours to save lives, minimize suffering, and protect property.
Identify and Alert – Enhance FEMA’s ability to provide National warnings, notifications, activations, situational information and analyses to our partners and citizens to ensure effective response operations.
Professionalize – Ensure the operational readiness of the operations cadre Operations Division teams, Watchstanders and the National Response Coordination Staff (NRCS) to support the whole community in response to all-hazard incidents through training, exercises, staffing, and equipping of personnel.
Validate – Ensure key Headquarters planning efforts are achievable, in alignment with, and supported by current operational capabilities.
Stabilize: Operations provides leadership, situational awareness, federal response capabilities, resource coordination and support to program offices at FEMA HQ and the regions.
Identify & Alert: The division ensures the readiness of operations centers, National and Regional Response Coordination Centers, and National and Regional Watches to execute their missions.

9. Response Divisions’ Assets
Mobile Emergency Response Support (MERS) – Provides self-sufficient, mobile communications, logistics, and operations capabilities required for the on-scene management of all-hazard disaster response activities.
The National Urban Search & Rescue (US&R) Response System (The System) – Framework for organizing federal, state and local emergency responders into an integrated federal disaster response resource.
Compromised of 28 US&R task forces and three Incident Support Teams
A type 1 task force is made up of 70 multi-faceted, cross-trained personnel who serve in six major functional areas: search, rescue, medical, hazardous materials, logistics, planning.
Domestic Emergency Support Team (DEST) & Consequence Management Coordination Unit (CMCU)
DEST is a specialized, rapidly deployable interagency team providing expert guidance to the FBI and FEMA regarding crisis management.
CMCU is a FEMA-led incident support team responsible for providing National-level consequence management expertise and decision support.
US&R: The National US&R Response System (the System) is a framework for organizing federal, state and local emergency responders into an integrated federal disaster response resource. The System is deployed by FEMA to a disaster area to provide assistance in structural collapse rescue.
There are 28 US&R task forces, and three Incident Support Teams located throughout the continental U.S.
A type 1 task force is made up of 70 multi-faceted, cross-trained personnel who serve in six major functional areas: search, rescue, medical, hazardous materials (including Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear, Explosives), logistics and planning.
The System’s US&R task forces are capable of conducting search and rescue operations in all environments.
DEST & CMCU: PPD-25 directs FEMA to establish policies, plans, exercises, and procedures through the DEST and CMCU.
The DEST is a specialized, rapidly deployable interagency team providing expert guidance to the FBI and FEMA regarding crisis and consequence management capabilities during a credible threat of national significance; and,
CMCU is FEMA-led incident support team responsible for providing national level consequence management expertise and decision support to the FEMA Administrator, the FBI’s Weapons of Mass Destruction Strategic Group, and the DEST during a PPD-25 credible threat or incident.

10. Led by the Unified Coordination Group
Incident Management in the Field State & Federal Coordination through a Unified Coordination Group
Joint Field Office
Led by the Unified Coordination Group
Operations Section
Planning Section
Logistics Section
Finance and Administration Section
Joint Field Office (JFO)
Primary Federal incident management facility
Unified Coordination Group (UCG)
Federal and State representatives that lead JFO
Federal Coordinating Officer (FCO)
Appointed by President to coordinate Federal support, member of the UCG
State Coordinating Officer (SCO)
Works with FCO to establish response priorities, member of the UCG
Emergency Support Functions (ESF)
Coordinate response support from across Federal government

11. Incident Management Assistance Teams (IMATs)
Initial Federal presence; begin flow of Federal resources
Liaison to State/local emergency managers
Provide situational awareness and needs assessment
Plan, train, and exercise with States
IMAT Operational Concepts
Arrive within 18-hrs of notice; self-sufficient for 48-hrs
Permanent team members
National IMAT (3 Total Type I Teams):*
IMAT-East I & IMAT-East II (Herndon, VA)
IMAT-West (Sacramento, CA)
Regional IMAT (13 Total Type 2 Teams):
1 per region / 2x in regions IV, VI, IX
IMAT Mission:
Support local governments in all-hazards planning and incident action planning
Provide expertise in all emergency management functional areas
Support states and other response organizations in an incident by establishing command, coordination, and communications
Provide real-time situational awareness
Establish initial FEMA presence and form nucleus of joint field office
NATIONAL TEAMS:
Response Directorate maintains Program Management and Operational Control of teams
Teams are deployed via the NRCC
REGIONAL TEAMS:
Response Directorate maintains Program Management to ensure consistency in qualifications, equipment, training, typing, and credentialing of teams
Regional Administrator maintains Operational Control and Day-to-Day Oversight
Situations may require that OPCON revert to Headquarters
Teams are deployed via the RRCC
Goal:
Once operational, Regional IMATs may be required to be deployed outside of their respective Region independently or to augment National team 10 11

12. Transition to New Administration
Appointment of “Acting” personnel
Estimated Timeline for full transition
Operational expectations / “Steady State”
Unified Coordination Group and complex response

13. Summary Think Smart...Think Big…Go Big…Go Fast
Saving and sustaining lives is our number one priority, no matter the scale and magnitude of the crisis. We must stabilize the event within the first 72 hours. A catastrophic event requires that we are prepared to respond in non- traditional ways, well beyond current Federal and State planning. Objectives must be focused on outcomes versus outputs. Time is our biggest enemy, and our approach must focus on preparing and fully empowering impacted emergency managers communities, survivors, and all of society-NGOs, FBOs, social & fraternal organizations. It is the coordinated actions of the entire response community, not the effects of any single organization, that determine the success or failure of response operations.
Think Smart...Think Big…Go Big…Go Fast