To: Mounted search and rescue <msar-riders@lists.ibiblio.org>
Subject: Re: [MSAR] FEMA
Date: Wed, 07 Dec 2005 05:10:31 -0500
MOU has turned into a key must have term. Conventionally a MOU is
between AHJ's and not between like teams. However, because MOU's are
looked at with such positive light, my mounted team established formal
Training MOU's between some of the other SAR teams in DE and VA. Our
Training MOU's address common resources, common communications, common
training goals and a yearly joint training exercise.
You may want to give some consideration to establishing a couple of
MOU's with Faith Based organizations who have developed disaster
response teams. FEMA has no legal control over the deployment of Faith
Based groups or their resources and some local governments used this
catch-22 to obtain SAR assistance during the Katrina and Rita response
and recovery efforts.
PS: Keep in mind that many EMA or OES mangers do not have field
experience and have backgrounds in public administration (FEMA's Mr.
Brown is a prime example). A good team leader of a local resource needs
to research HSPD-5 and 8 requirements in order to level out the playing
field.
Lois Guyon wrote:
The head of EMA [...] said that we would need mutural aid agreements
with other MSAR units.
Are there FEMA certifications that are helpful?
Absolutly! go to the FEMA EMI site and look at the IS-100 (ICS) and
IS-700 (NIMS) courses and the IS-800 will soon another mandated training
course of all goverment and non-government resources (I postedx the
links to this site yesterday).