FEMA Strategic Plan: Fiscal Years 2011-2014This plan continues the strategic direction as described in the Administrator's Intent 2012 - 2016. It identifies specific initiatives that we will accomplish over the next several years that will significantly enhance the Nation's security and resilience and our ability to serve our vital role as a member of the Nation's emergency management team. FEMA's strategic plan is consistent with the Agency's history and culture, as described in our capstone doctrine, FEMA Publication 1. We have been, and will continue to be, an organization that is growing, evolving, and adapting to changing conditions and demands on our services. This plan recognizes that FEMA will need to remain a flexible organization that continues to adapt to the future environment, while at the same time remaining faithful to our ethos of "serving the Nation by helping its people and first responders, especially when they are most in need." This plan demonstrates the application of our ethos and core values and, as such, it is an important statement about who we are as an agency and our mission focus. Federal Emergency Management AgencyFEMA_f3aea7da-0276-40be-8963-931fdd9d37afCitizensFirst RespondersW. Craig FugateAdministratorNational Emergency Management TeamFEMA is only one member of the broad national emergency management team -- one that includes Federal, state, local, tribal, and territorial governments, private sector, non-governmental organizations, faith-based and community-based organizations, and the American public.Federal AgenciesState GovernmentsLocal GovernmentsTribal GovernmentsTerritorial GovernmentsPrivate SectorNon-Governmental OrganizationsFaith-Based OrganizationsCommunity-Based OrganizationsAmerican PublicWe know that the rapid pace of change in the world provides opportunities to strengthen emergency management, and that conditions will continuously evolve and affect every aspect of society. These factors mean FEMA must work with the public, our most important partner, as well as our traditional and many new partners, to innovate and test new ways to achieve critical outcomes. To support our citizens and first responders to ensure that as a nation we work together to build, sustain, and improve our capability to prepare for, protect against, respond to, recover from, and mitigate all hazards. ID-aa9ba144-e09d-4a7e-a8cf-c27c2a722ba9Contemporary PracticesThis strategic plan was developed with an understanding of contemporary practices, lessons from past experience, and an appreciation for what the future may bring. FlexibilityThe FEMA 2011 - 2014 initiatives will make FEMA a more flexible and adaptive organization capable of responding to new situations, capitalizing on opportunities, and quickly adjusting to changing environments. AdapabilityCommunity EngagementThe initiatives will foster greater community engagement, and unity of effort and purpose among all members of the emergency management team, with the goal of achieving more effective emergency management outcomes for the Nation.Unity of EffortUnity of PurposeEffectivenessWhole Community ApproachFoster a Whole Community Approach to Emergency Management Nationally ID-11f19d48-9800-4f2a-99e6-10076775bd8d1Emergency ManagersEmergency managers have historically focused on managing the impacts of disasters, both before and after they occur. While these efforts are essential, they represent only one end of a broad continuum of actions that build sustainable and resilient communities. At the other end of this continuum are activities that focus on the development, health, and long-term success of those communities. For example, by strengthening underlying community conditions disaster resilience can be improved. Activities that aim to provide good jobs, expand housing and transportation choices, plan for future community development, or improve energy sustainability can also provide direct and indirect benefits that enhance disaster resilience. Applying the core competencies of emergency management -- communicating, coordinating, and collaborating -- to engaging with the many groups and organizations that are already working in these and other areas is key to building the capacity of American society to be resilient. CommunitiesCommunities will organize themselves to deal with crises in much the same way as they organize to deal with daily challenges. By working together with new partners and focusing on strengthening what works well in communities on a daily basis, we can advance creative solutions that build collective Whole Community disaster management capabilities and help strengthen the Nation's resilience.IndividualsThe ways in which individuals and communities engage with each other and with government are changing. The NSS and the QHSR recognize community engagement as a foundational principle for strengthening national preparedness and resilience. This will require emergency managers at all levels to engage proactively with businesses, neighborhood associations, community groups, faith-based and community-based organizations, ethnic centers, and other civic-minded organizations that have routine, direct ties and established trust with the individuals who live in their communities, and that can mobilize their networks to build community resilience and support local emergency management needs. GovernmentsFEMA's approach seeks to work with the state, local, tribal, and territorial governments to encourage emergency managers at all levels to engage more effectively with and support local communities in activities that, directly or indirectly, build preparedness and resilience. CommunitiesThe aim is to foster development of a community-oriented model for emergency management that emphasizes understanding community complexity and how social activity is organized on a "normal" basis and planning for the actual makeup of our communities. FEMA PartnersThis means building partnerships to engage effectively with the full spectrum of community residents and members (including but not limited to people speaking diverse languages or from diverse cultures or economic backgrounds, all ages from children and youth to seniors, people with disabilities, others with access and functional needs, and populations traditionally underrepresented in civic governance), realigning emergency management practices to support local needs, and working to strengthen the institutions, assets, and networks that work well in communities on a daily basis. The core proposition underlying this approach is that resilience depends on the success of collective action and local institutions before an incident. ChildrenYouthSeniorsPeople with DisabilitiesUnderrepresented PopulationsNeighborhood InstitutionsA Whole Community model that works to strengthen local collective action, public engagement, and neighborhood institutions offers an effective path not only to building resilience, but to helping local communities become integral members of the emergency management team. FoundationsAdditionally, FEMA will establish partnerships with foundations and community-based organizations that can act as third-party intermediaries and encourage local communities to engage in creative activities that enhance disaster resilience by building on and addressing local needs. Working through these partnerships, FEMA will assist in the implementation of programs designed to stimulate, support, and expand the scale of existing, successful community activities and to encourage local residents to design new collaborative initiatives that will enhance community resilience. Community-Based OrganizationsFEMA recognizes that it takes all aspects of a community (volunteer, faith, and community-based organizations, the private sector, and the public, including survivors themselves) -- not just the government -- to effectively prepare for, protect against, respond to, recover from, and mitigate against any disaster. It is therefore critical that we work together to enable communities to develop collective, mutually supporting local capabilities to withstand the potential initial impacts of these events, respond quickly, and recover in a way that sustains or improves the community's overall well-being. How communities achieve this collective capacity calls for innovative approaches -- from across the full spectrum of community actors, including emergency management -- to expand and enhance existing practices, institutions, and organizations that help make local communities successful every day, under normal conditions, and leverage this social infrastructure to help meet community needs when an incident occurs... Through these activities, FEMA seeks to spark dramatic expansion and transformation of current community engagement strategies in the field of emergency management, promoting approaches that position local residents in leadership roles in planning, organizing, and sharing accountability for the success of local disaster management efforts. We believe that Whole Community Emergency Management is a philosophy that should be applied to everything we do as an agency and as a field of practice. To that end, FEMA will lead the development of guidance, tools, training, and educational programs to enable effective engagement and integration of the entire community into local emergency management activities to strengthen resilience and improve outcomes. Emergency Management Practices Institutionalize mainstream emergency management practices nationally that focus on strengthening local institutions, assets, and social networks as a path to building resilience ID-d79f1734-bc5a-434f-8e6c-cce4704d2ded 1.1 Emergency Management Practices Institutionalization Strengthen local institutions, assets, and social networks as a path to building resilience 2010-10-01 2014-09-30 TBD 2010-10-01 2014-09-30 Body of Knowledge Create a collective body of knowledge among the emergency management team nationally that supports a Whole Community approach to emergency management ID-0162227b-1924-4f42-b1d8-4b39c4f2e6cc 1.2 Body of Knowledge Creation Support a Whole Community approach to emergency management 2010-10-01 2014-09-30 TBD 2010-10-01 2014-09-30 Activities Successfully seed innovative, grassroots resilience-building activities in communities across the country ID-61e402a6-da4d-4588-a0e8-b2086bcd2340 1.3 Resilience-Building Activity Seeding innovative, grassroots resilience-building activities 2010-10-01 2014-09-30 TBD 2010-10-01 2014-09-30 CapacityBuild the Nation's Capacity to Stabilize and Recover From a Catastrophic Event ID-58ac76c2-8a67-47f3-a441-fa256dff4d322The Nation's emergency management system works well for small- to moderate-scale disasters; but the real challenges lie in preparing for an unprecedented catastrophic event where the human, materiel, and financial effects exceed current response and recovery capabilities. If the emergency management community cannot mobilize governmental, private, and civic sector resources within and outside of the affected area in a coordinated and timely manner, then the nation cannot hope to respond effectively. The first 72 hours following a catastrophe are critical, and our ability, as a Nation, to stabilize the affected area is key to saving and sustaining lives, and enabling delivery of an effective response. Once life-saving and life-sustaining operations have ceased, it is equally important to rapidly restore basic services and community functionality. As the stabilization process unfolds, and communities seek to recover and help build a more resilient nation, all recovery partners must operate in a unified and collaborative manner to restore, redevelop and revitalize the social, structural, economic, and natural environment and systems... Casualties Establish a national capability to treat, stabilize, and provide care for 265,000 casualties following a catastrophic event ID-1fc4be29-10e1-4e90-acd1-8594690475f4 2.1 Casualty Care Number Capability to treat, stabilize, and provide care for 265,000 casualties 265,000 2010-10-01 2014-09-30 TBD 2010-10-01 2014-09-30 Materiel & Supplies Establish a national capability to move and distribute materiel and supplies to meet the needs of 1.5 million disaster survivors within 72 hours ID-60e077e5-0064-49b8-b501-997f7577f979 2.2 Distribution Hours Eapability to move and distribute materiel and supplies to meet the needs of 1.5 million disaster survivors within 72 hours 72 2010-10-01 2014-09-30 TBD 2010-10-01 2014-09-30 Basic Services & Community Functionality Establish a national capability to restore and sustain basic services and community functionality for an affected area of seven million people within 60 days ID-7b7b3e06-b9af-4599-a33f-0c9ab2750272 2.3 Service Restoration Days Capability to restore and sustain basic services and community functionality for an affected area of seven million people within 60 days 60 2010-10-01 2014-09-30 TBD 2010-10-01 2014-09-30 Survivor RecoveryEstablish a national capability to recover the communities of 1.5 million disaster survivors within 5 years of the event ID-b5894eac-6eca-4b81-9e8f-66b5993ba6e22.4 Qualification Requirements Implement a performance-based qualification requirements system for all FEMA personnel participating in disaster response and recovery activities and a dynamic readiness measurement system for FEMA teams and deployable assets. ID-9799fcfa-470c-4794-9d42-a61288b18f4f 2.5 FEMA Personnel Qualification Requirements System Implementation Implement a performance-based qualification requirements system for all FEMA personnel participating in disaster response and recovery activities. 2010-10-01 2014-09-30 TBD 2010-10-01 2014-09-30 Readiness Measurement System Implementation Implement a dynamic readiness measurement system for FEMA teams and deployable assets 2010-10-01 2014-09-30 TBD 2010-10-01 2014-09-30 Strategic UnderstandingBuild Unity of Effort and Common Strategic Understanding Among the Emergency Management Team ID-6ebd40f3-db9e-4d75-9b63-ebe461bb48a63Emergency Management TeamThe Nation must prepare for, protect against, respond to, recover from, and mitigate numerous risks to the health and welfare of the American people. It is essential to develop a common understanding of risk to effectively plan, assess gaps, mitigate, and build capabilities to address risk-based requirements. The emergency management team needs to focus on those issues that challenge the national response capabilities. Addressing these risks effectively requires unity of effort and joint planning and actions across the distributed emergency management enterprise, including FEMA, its Regions, and all of its partners -- other Federal agencies and state, local, tribal and territorial governments, private industry, non-governmental organizations, faith- and community-based organizations, and the public. This, in turn, necessitates that we build shared context and understanding with our partners of the severity of the challenges we face. Based on this shared understanding, we can then work together to set priorities jointly and design solutions that address these challenges so that we may act with unity of purpose and achieve concrete outcomes that benefit the safety and welfare of all citizens. THIRAs Conduct Regional Threat and Hazard Identification and Risk Assessments (THIRAs) in each FEMA Region, in coordination with members of the emergency management team. ID-6fb549be-6bdc-415f-9fcc-e7af7002073d 3.1 FEMA Regions To this end, FEMA and its Regions will engage with key private sector, State, local, and Tribal risk managers, and non-governmental partners to identify the top threats and hazards -- and opportunities -- in each FEMA region. As a partner in this effort, FEMA will share its own analyses and perceptions of risk, and will be open to the perspectives of others. Through this exchange, a composite picture of risk will be developed in each FEMA region that is reflective of the diverse views and priorities of all members of the emergency management team -- public, private, and civic. FEMA, working through its regional offices, will develop regional planning assumptions that align with the critical outcomes necessary to stabilize and restore basic services and community functionality following a catastrophic event based on the unique risks and shared challenges in each region. Risk Managers private sector, State, local, and Tribal risk managers FEMA Partners FEMA will work with our partners to identify and implement priority actions and new solutions that will address these regional planning assumptions, leveraging the full range of emergency management activities including preparedness, mitigation, response, and pre-incident recovery planning. In particular, FEMA will seek out opportunities to "design in" resilience-building activities. These activities may include working to integrate disaster management approaches more fully into community planning and development processes; fostering adoption and enforcement of resilient building codes; engaging private industry, non-governmental organizations, and the public in operational planning activities and capability building; and strengthening capacities for local collective action in our communities, thus yielding better overall mitigation and response efforts. FEMA will also work with our Federal, state, local, tribal and territorial partners to enhance and maximize the use of existing technologies and communications pathways to share risk information transparently with private industry, nongovernmental organizations, local communities, and the public. These assessments should: (a) reflect the vital interests and priorities of each partner; and (b) contain tailored regional planning assumptions based on the threats and risks present in each region. THIRAs Completion Conduct Regional Threat and Hazard Identification and Risk Assessments (THIRAs) in each FEMA Region 2010-10-01 2014-09-30 TBD 2010-10-01 2014-09-30 Action Plans Develop joint action plans to address regional planning assumptions for response and recovery in each FEMA Region. ID-bd9dfc4b-9fdc-4e04-88ce-792d4017579b 3.2 FEMA Regions Action Plans Development Address regional planning assumptions for response and recovery 2010-10-01 2014-09-30 TBD 2010-10-01 2014-09-30 Building Codes, Protection & Mitigation Facilitate the adoption and enforcement, where feasible and appropriate, of building codes and other protection and mitigation activities at the State level that enhance resilience to the risks identified in the Regional THIRAs, address energy sustainability, and ensure universal design of buildings, transportation vehicles, etc. to meet the access and functional needs of all individuals. ID-916b2785-f16c-414c-8683-e261a82c420d 3.3 States Codes, Protection & Mitigation Adoption & Enforcement Enhance resilience, address energy sustainability, and ensure universal design to meet the access and functional needs of all individuals 2010-10-01 2014-09-30 TBD 2010-10-01 2014-09-30 Learning & InnovationEnhance FEMA's Ability to Learn and Innovate as an Organization ID-eeb73615-f640-4106-acf0-2934efdc302f4FEMA PartnersFEMA will develop an integrated after action review process to evaluate operational performance in both real and simulated events consistently. FEMA will then work with our partners to track efforts to act on and address lessons learned. FEMA's methodology will be nimble and support the rapid analysis of raw data and have mechanisms that allow for the near-real time sharing of after action findings with partners within and outside of government. The methodology will also be performance-based, allowing for comparisons between predicted and actual performance and incorporating meta analyses that look across multiple events and exercises to analyze performance trends over time. FEMA's approach will seek to develop a broader understanding of national capabilities and readiness that transcends the particulars of individual incidents or scenarios, and will include analyses of how underlying community conditions and vulnerabilities may have contributed to outcomes experienced in disasters. In doing so, the evaluation process will provide a mechanism used to engage with new partners to strengthen disaster resilience. Consistently evaluating operational performance and acting on lessons learned will better enable FEMA and the emergency management community to share best practices and implement effective ideas and solutions, thus creating an emergency management culture that positively evolves as a result of constructive experience. Emergency Management OfficialsTo support broader learning and innovation, FEMA will realign and enhance existing and emerging training and education programs for state, local, tribal emergency management officials, and FEMA employees, into a comprehensive emergency management curriculum. Emergency Management InstituteFEMA's Emergency Management Institute (EMI), Center for Domestic Preparedness (CDP), and the FEMA-sponsored Center for Homeland Defense and Security (CHDS) at the Naval Postgraduate School will play prominent roles in this effort. The programs at EMI, CDP, and CHDS, along with FEMA's other training and education providers, will serve as the basis for training in core competencies across four areas; foundational, technical, management and leadership. FEMA's approach will emphasize education opportunities for newly appointed emergency managers and staff from state, local, tribal and territorial, and Federal emergency management offices. It will focus on the core competencies to provide new practitioners with broad and generalized knowledge and skills in the field of emergency management that meaningfully correlate to job performance. It will also build on executive level programs that build strategic leadership competencies and foster collaborative action among current and future emergency management leaders.Center for Domestic PreparednessCenter for Homeland Defense and SecurityNaval Postgraduate SchoolFEMA Innovation CouncilFEMA will create structured mechanisms, including establishing an innovation council, to promote and enable development of creative solutions to emergency management challenges. We will create opportunities to bring together leading entrepreneurs, technologists, academics, stakeholders, and subject matter experts from diverse fields to offer fresh perspectives and alternative approaches. We will also continue our efforts to understand the future environment and develop strategies that will allow the emergency management community to address upcoming needs.Entrepreneurs Technologists Academics Subject Matter ExpertsFEMA EmployeesThe best ideas, whether generated internally by FEMA employees or through a synthesis of collective brainstorming sessions and workshops, will help the national emergency management team adjust operating concepts and approaches. By doing so, the team will be able to achieve more effective outcomes and enhance the Nation's resilience to disasters. FEMA will foster an innovative culture that accepts and integrates fresh ideas to resolve longstanding challenges, encouraging FEMA employees and our partners to examine a situation, apply a broad set of shared experience, and make decisions that are in the best interest of the American people. National Emergency Management TeamThe operational realities of crises make it impossible to predict exactly who is going to be doing what, when, why, and/or how in a disaster environment. This initiative puts a premium on developing organizational capacity to learn from past experience, rapidly orient and apply that learning in current contexts, and adapt to quickly changing conditions. FEMA can facilitate this kind of organizational growth by improving its evaluation of operational performance in both real world incidents and simulated exercises. Collaborative Infrastructure Create a collaborative infrastructure to support learning and innovation across the emergency management enterprise. ID-1d7bc563-c33f-44c4-9342-c8d5c32f5283 4.1 Collaborative Infrastructure Creation Support learning and innovation across the emergency management enterprise 2010-10-01 2014-09-30 TBD 2010-10-01 2014-09-30 Performance Evaluation Establish an integrated after action process that consistently evaluates operational performance both in real and simulated events, probes how underlying community conditions contribute to disaster impacts, and tracks Agency-wide efforts, working with our partners, to act on and address lessons learned. ID-97da7429-8983-43c7-930d-0ddd88a6580a 4.2 After Action Process Establishment Evaluate operational performance 2010-10-01 2014-09-30 TBD 2010-10-01 2014-09-30 Creative Solutions Establish an innovation council within FEMA to promote and enable development of creative solutions to emergency management challenges. ID-d822a350-496c-4b77-9591-47fc3eae0acf 4.3 FEMA Innovation Council Innovation Council Establishment Promote and enable development of creative solutions to emergency management challenges 2010-10-01 2014-09-30 TBD 2010-10-01 2014-09-30 Performance ManagementEvaluate and manage performance ID-f71fbb63-2fd8-4c24-b7d6-00ec7338c8535Evaluating and Managing Performance -- Federal Agencies in general and FEMA specifically, are under greater pressure to demonstrate that they provide tangible results to the public within a constrained fiscal environment. We must improve our focus on producing results that benefit the public, and also must give the public confidence that FEMA has produced those results. For the last several years, FEMA has been working to strengthen its Budget to Performance Integration (BPI). The objective of BPI is to enable leaders to look across the activities that FEMA performs and determine whether the organization's resources are being optimally used to achieve our mission. Other public organizations, such as the New York City Police Department, the City of Baltimore, and the Department of the Treasury have developed new performance frameworks that facilitate the conduct of systematic discussions about the performance of their organizations. These data-driven management systems are designed to monitor and improve performance in real time using data-tracking and management tools, many of which FEMA already uses (e.g. performance tracking and geographic information systems mapping software). FEMAStat Employ a performance-based management process. ID-fe3e1e5d-284b-4db0-980e-84a3d2f095a8 5.1 New York City FEMA Leadership Team FEMA Deputy Administrator FEMA will employ a performance-based management process based on the successful New York City model, which will be called FEMAStat. As part of this process, FEMA will hold an ongoing series of frequent, integrated meetings during which principal members of the FEMA leadership team, including the Deputy Administrator, as well as the top managers of different FEMA components and regions will use current data to analyze specific, previously defined aspects of past performance in each functional area. The regular meetings will allow leadership to provide feedback on progress in achieving outcomes; to follow up on previous decisions and commitments to produce results; to examine and learn from each program's efforts to improve performance; to identify and solve performance problems; and to set and achieve new performance targets. FEMAStat Implementation Beginning in Fiscal Year 2011, FEMA will implement a new performance improvement system, FEMAStat, modeled on these approaches. This new approach will enhance integration among FEMA's strategy, budget, and personnel resources, and performance management processes, and to demonstrate the outcomes being achieved through Agency activities meaningfully. As part of this system, FEMA will establish a new, formal performance review process, and will require development of annual operating plans for all headquarters elements and Regional offices. These new mechanisms will allow FEMA to better evaluate how it is employing its resources in support of its strategy, the outcomes being achieved through the deployment of those resources, and the effectiveness with which these outcomes are being achieved. 2010-10-01 2011-09-30 TBD 2010-10-01 2011-09-30 Strategic Plan Implementation FEMAStat will also provide the means by which FEMA will assess, on an ongoing basis, the implementation of this strategic plan. FEMA is committed to operating transparently and to evaluating its performance consistently in a manner that ensures accountability and improves both service delivery and mission effectiveness. 2010-10-01 2014-09-30 TBD 2010-10-01 2014-09-30 2010-10-012014-09-302014-01-24http://www.fema.gov/txt/about/strategic_plan11.txtOwenAmburOwen.Ambur@verizon.net