Interesting FEMA press release

[julialnyc]

http://www.fema.gov/news/newsrelease.fema?id=18470

Interesting Press release. I wonder what they changed (at the bottom of the page it says updated on September 2)

[elehhhhna]

1. Here's a link to the p0ress release of 8/29 which was repro'd on another

site...looks the same to me.

http://www.iafc.org/news/article.asp?id=279

[spuddonna]

2. What the heck is the Emergency Management Assistance Compact?

Is this their 'out'? We couldn't go in because they didn't request via the EMAC? (no computer jokes, please!:) )

Michael D. Brown, Under Secretary of Homeland Security for Emergency Preparedness and Response and head of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), today urged all fire and emergency services departments not to respond to counties and states affected by Hurricane Katrina without being requested and lawfully dispatched by state and local authorities under mutual aid agreements and the Emergency Management Assistance Compact.

What happened to the fed cavalry?They were supposed to assume responsibility? sigh...

[cynatnite]

4. It almost sounds like they have to ask permission from FEMA...

to respond to anything?

[Spazito]

5. Here is what I have found:

National Incident Management System


Developed by the Secretary of Homeland Security at the request of the President, the National Incident Management System (NIMS) integrates effective practices in emergency preparedness and response into a comprehensive national framework for incident management. The NIMS will enable responders at all levels to work together more effectively to manage domestic incidents no matter what the cause, size or complexity. The benefits of the NIMS system will be significant:

Standardized organizational structures, processes and procedures;
Standards for planning, training and exercising, and personnel qualification standards;
Equipment acquisition and certification standards;
Interoperable communications processes, procedures and systems;
Information management systems; and
Supporting technologies – voice and data communications systems, information systems, data display systems and specialized technologies.

http://www.fema.gov/nims/

Here is the link to EMAC which was set up in 1996

http://www.emacweb.org/?9

In looking at these two organizations it seems to me that EMAC was emasculated when the National Incident Management System was put into place in 2003. The question to ask is does NIMS supercede EMAC and that was why FEMA was refusing help instead of it being State and Local officials being the ones to respond to those attempts to help?

[napi21]

3. I agree with "must be co-ordinated" but those doing the coordinating

have to know what they're doing too! I don't think these guys do! Something is very wrong when the Drs in the emergency area are asking their peers to come help, but FEMA turns them away when they get there!

I'm with the crowd that's calling for the heads of Brown an Cherkoff!