City of Alexandria, Virginia
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MEMORANDUM
DATE: OCTOBER 3, 2012
TO: THE HONORABLE MAYOR AND MEMBERS OF CITY COUNCIL
FROM: RASHAD M. YOUNG, CITY MANAGER /s/
DOCKET TITLE:
TITLE
Consideration of Acceptance of a Funding Allocation From the National Capital Region (NCR), Urban Area Security Initiative (UASI) in the Amount of $487,000 for City of Alexandria Emergency Management Programs.
BODY
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ISSUE: City Council consideration of acceptance of a grant allocation in the amount of $487,000 from the District of Columbia Homeland Security and Emergency Management Agency (DCHSEMA), on behalf of the National Capital Region (NCR), from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). These funds will continue to support the City's involvement in regional exercises, volunteer recruitment, management and training, regional planning, and National Incident Management Compliance.
RECOMMENDATION: That City Council:
(1) Authorize the City Manager to accept the funding from the Urban Area Security Initiative grant program in the amount of $487,000; and
(2) Authorize the City Manager to execute all the necessary documents that may be required.
BACKGROUND: The National Capital Region (NCR) received $51,839,027 in 2012 Urban Area Security Grant Funds from the United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to support regional efforts to prepare for and respond to disasters including terrorism. These funds were allocated by the NCR Chief Administrative Officers (CAOs) and the Senior Policy Group (SPG). The investment-area justifications were sent to DHS as a grant application on behalf of the entire NCR.
DISCUSSION: The City was notified on August 24, 2012 by DCHSEMA that the City is eligible to receive a total of $487,000, to be made available over a one year period, for four separate activities: volunteer recruitment and outreach, regional and local training and exercises, National Incident Management System (NIMS) compliance, and regional and local planning. These grants are a continuation of a series of grants that the City has received in 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, and 2011. The period of performance for the 2012 grants ends on May 31, 2014.
The 2012 grants will be used to continue funding three positions in the Fire Department's Office of Emergency Management, volunteer recruitment and coordination, and emergency preparedness outreach. Each of the positions is funded at $125,000, which covers salaries, equipment, and necessary travel. The volunteer recruitment program is allocated $102,000; this is used to fund the City's Community Emergency Response Team program and a full-time contractor provided by Volunteer Alexandria to perform volunteer recruitment, training, management activities including regional volunteer coordination. Additionally the City received an additional allocation of $10,000 for the purchase of course materials for incident command training.
These 2011 grants currently support three positions in the Fire Department's Office of Emergency Management including $125,000 for exercise and training, $125,000 for NIMS compliance activities, and $125,000 for regional planning. Additionally the 2011 grant provides $30,184 for volunteer recruitment and emergency preparedness outreach.
Utilizing the previous allocations, the City has continued to maintain its NIMS compliance, has conducted many training activities, has held numerous exercises, has participated in regional planning activities, and has recruited and trained volunteers for disaster response.
NIMS compliance involves adopting the Incident Command System (ICS) for use at all complex emergencies and special events, obtaining and maintaining training on the ICS, creating and maintaining a system for credentialing responders, creating and maintaining resource inventories for use during emergencies, and ensuring interoperable communications for emergencies.
Regional planning activities include planning for inaugurals, regional evacuations, and many emergencies which affect the region as a whole.
Regional training and exercise activities are held to prepare the NCR leaders and first responders for NCR-wide emergencies. Each year a Senior Leader Seminar is conducted as well as numerous other exercises and drills planned by the NCR to meet the challenges identified by first responders.
Volunteer initiatives in the NCR include planning for the use of volunteers at large scale disasters, maintaining a data base of qualified volunteers, recruiting and training volunteers for various responder activities, and coordinating volunteer activities in support of the NCR.
These grants have supported several City volunteer programs including the Medical Reserve Corps (MRC), the Community Emergency Response Teams (CERT), Volunteers in Police Service, and Neighborhood Watch. Over the years the City has utilized disaster volunteers for many activities including supporting City sponsored special events, sand bag distribution during flood operations, damage assessment in neighborhoods following major storms, emergency preparedness outreach activities, installation of smoke detectors, supporting Fire Department outreach activities, H1N1 response support, EOC support during the 2009 Presidential Inaugural, as well as door to door distribution on emergency information during a public health event.
FISCAL IMPACT: The City is responsible for the normal administrative costs associated with this grant, including financial and reporting oversight provided by the Fire Department, as well as the Office of Management and Budget, and the Finance Department. There is no cash match requirement.
ATTACHMENTS:
None
STAFF:
Adam K. Thiel, Fire Chief
Mark Penn, Emergency Management Coordinator