2011 Community Specific Integrated Emergency Management Course

APPLICATIONS DUE:  January 11, 2011 to the state's Division of Emergency Management
Contact:  Robyn Knappe - robyn.knappe@state.co.us or (720) 852-6617 
(download the announcement flyer)

The week long exercise based training “Integrated Emergency Management Course (IEMC)” is designed to take the whole team of professionals (up to 70) from a city or county to the National Emergency Training Center, Emmitsburg, MD for resident training working closely as a team to accomplish community emergency management objectives.

The IEMC program has been conducted for cities, counties, states and regions since 1982.  The IEMC is an exceptional training program held at the National Emergency Training Center.  For the 2012 fiscal year: the deadline for application is late January but to allow for state and FEMA review – all Colorado applications should be submitted to DEM by 1/11/2011. 

Applications are extensive and the chief elected official of the jurisdiction submits a letter of request, addressing the specific criteria to the State of Colorado, Robyn Knappe, State Training Officer, Division of Emergency Management.  The applications will be reviewed and prioritized for inclusion and forwarding to the FEMA Regional office for review.  For more information, contact Robyn Knappe, robyn.knappe@state.co.us or 720-852-6617.  Please notify Robyn of your intent to submit a package so she can make sure the package is complete.

Communities must include the following in the letter of application:
- Application package for a Community Specific IEMC
- Population of jurisdiction
- Brief description of government structure (include organizational chart) clarify if the request is for a single county, city(ies) or both
- Narrative that includes the status of emergency management in the community, including the past disaster history
- Emergency management training and exercise history
- Specific hazards facing the jurisdiction and/or specific hazards addressed in the EOP
- Any major national events or special events planned for the jurisdiction
- The community emergency management objective(s) that will be accomplished through participation in the EIMC program

What does it cost?
Travel and lodging is reimbursable by FEMA if you fit the criteria (see website www.fema.gov). Lodging is dorm style and shuttles are generally available from the airport to Emmitsburg. Participants are required to purchase a meal ticket at EMI, which covers meals during the training event for 4.5 days.  Meals are NOT reimbursable by FEMA.

Commitment
It is important to assemble a multidisciplinary team of individuals from the same jurisdiction who are committed to the training.

Who should attend?
Elected officials are an important audience.  The IEMC is also designed for management and operations personnel from:
- Fire service
- Law enforcement
- Public works
- Emergency medical
- Business and industry
- Emergency management
- Military
- Government
- Coroner
- Public affairs
- Public health
- Other partners/stakeholders such as: transportation, schools, social service, volunteer agencies, finance, planning, water, parks and recreation, other

Who has attended from Colorado in recent years?
- Adams County
- Arapahoe County
- Colorado Springs
- Boulder
- Denver
- Ft. Collins
- El Paso County
- Jefferson
- Larimer County
- Westminster

Emergency personnel can attain readiness either through managing emergencies or through participating in exercises. Clearly, exercises are the preferred method of gaining the necessary expertise. The Integrated Emergency Management Course, offered by the Emergency Management Institute of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), places public officials and emergency personnel in a realistic crisis situation within a structured learning environment. Early in the course, an emergency scenario begins to unfold in sequence with classroom-style lectures, discussions and small-group workshops. As the course progresses, scenario-related events of increasing complexity, threat, and pressure occur. Participants develop emergency policies, plans, and procedures to ensure an effective response. The course culminates in an emergency exercise designed to test participant knowledge, awareness, flexibility, leadership, and interpersonal skills under extreme pressure. Participants are challenged to use the new ideas, skills, and abilities in addition to their own knowledge and experience. In this way, the Integrated Emergency Management Course allows individuals to rehearse their real-life roles in a realistic emergency situation, while at the same time identifying additional planning needs.

Each year various States, counties, cities, and Indian communities throughout the United States express an interest in FEMA/EMI conducting an IEMC for their jurisdictions emergency management officials and responders. Community specific IEMC's require a major commitment from both the community and FEMA, as well as from the FEMA regional office and State office of emergency management involved. Because the demand for community specific IEMC's exceeds the resources to deliver them, application criteria and a formal selection process have been established as follows: 
- Steps in the Application/Selection Process http://training.fema.gov/EMIWeb/iemc/selprocess.asp
- The chief elected official of the jurisdiction submits a letter of request, addressing the specified criteria, to his/her respective State office of emergency management.
- If the State office of emergency management supports the request, it should attach a letter of endorsement outlining how acceptance of this request will meet State emergency management objectives. Note: At this stage in the request, the State may elect not to forward the request but, instead, work with the community (especially if the community is under 100,000 in population) to conduct the G110 Emergency Management Operations Course (EMOC) for the community.
- If approved by the State office, the request should be forwarded to FEMA Region VIII Training for review. The FEMA Regional office, if it supports the application, should include an endorsement for each community it recommends. If more than one jurisdiction is submitted, the FEMA region should prioritize its recommendations.

Applications should be received at the FEMA Regional Headquarters and forwarded to FEMA National Headquarters. EMI staff and FEMA program office representatives will review the applications and rank them based on regional priority and information provided in the requests. Acceptance will be made by Spring 2011 for the year 2012. Jurisdictions can set the dates they want to attend.

Communities that have been accepted will be notified, as will communities that were not accepted. Appropriate FEMA regional offices and State emergency management offices also will be notified.
Communities that were not selected and that want to be reconsidered for the following year must re-apply. Applications will not automatically be considered for the following year.
Communities must include the following in their letter of application:
- A letter of support signed by the highest official in the jurisdiction.
- Population of jurisdiction.
- A brief description of the government structure (include organizational chart if possible); clarify if the request is for a single county or city or a combination of both.
- A narrative that includes the status of emergency management in the community, including past disaster history.
- Emergency management training and exercise history.
- Specific hazards facing the jurisdiction and/or specific hazards requested to be addressed in the IEMC.
- Any major national events or special events planned for the jurisdiction, such as sporting events, conventions, etc.
- The community emergency management objective(s) that will be accomplished.
- Types of Community Specific Programs

The following types of community specific programs are available to federal, state, local, and tribal communities:
- IEMC All Hazards Response and Recovery
- IEMC All Hazards Preparedness and Response
- IEMC All Hazards Recovery and Mitigation
- IEMC Earthquake Response and Recovery
- IEMC Earthquake Preparedness and Response
- IEMC Earthquake Recovery and Mitigation
- IEMC Hurricane Response and Recovery
- IEMC Hurricane Preparedness and Response
- IEMC Hurricane Recovery and Mitigation
- IEMC Hazardous Materials Preparedness and Response
- IEMC Consequences of Terrorism
- IEMC Special Events (For local and State emergency management)
- IEMC State Government (For State Emergency Management Agencies)

If you cannot assemble a team from an entitiy individuals can take many of the IEMC’s at EMI with a team of individuals from around the country. Call or email Robyn Knappe 720-852-6617 or at robyn.knappe@state.co.us for more information.

Website:  www.fema.gov  Training and Education – Community Specific IEMC