Federal Emergency Management Agency National Advisory Council Meeting Sheraton Crystal City Hotel Arlington, VA October 22-23, 2007 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY This Executive Summary, submitted pursuant to the Federal Advisory Committee Act (FACA), contains a summary of the activities that took place during the Inaugural meeting of the National Advisory Council (NAC) on October 22-23, 2007. Day One Summary - October 22, 2007 The National Advisory Council (NAC) convened for its Inaugural Meeting at 8:00 a.m. (EST) on October 22, 2007, at the Sheraton Crystal City Hotel in Arlington, Virginia. The morning session of the meeting was closed to cover administrative activities. In accordance with the provisions of the Federal Advisory Committee Act (PL 92-463), the meeting was open to the public from 9:45 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Council Members in Attendance: Albert Ashwood David Barron Ann Beauchesne G. Kemble Bennett Michael Brown Joseph Bruno Stephen Cassidy Christina Catlett Irene Collins Robert Connors Russell Decker John Didion Nancy Dragani Cathey Eide Angelia Elgin Mark Everson Robert Gougelet Joanne Hayes-White John Hines Charles Kmet Kurt Krumperman John Libby Mark Malcolm Kenneth Miller Albert Najera James Paturas Philip Reitinger Hilary Styron Susanne Torriente Peter Verga DHS/FEMA Staff in Attendance: R. David Paulison, FEMA Administrator Harvey Johnson, FEMA Deputy Administrator Robert Shea, FEMA Associate Deputy Administrator Patty Kalla, FEMA Executive Officer Doug Hoelscher, DHS HSAC Executive Director Georgia Abraham, DHS Committee Management Officer Paul Conrad, Ethics Counsel Gene Griffe, Security Specialist David Maurstad, Assistant Administrator, Mitigation Marko Bourne, Director, Policy and Program Analysis Art Cleaves, Regional Administrator, Region 1 Dennis Schrader, Deputy Administrator, National Preparedness Glenn Cannon, Assistant Administrator, Disaster Operations Carlos Castillo, Assistant Administrator, Disaster Assistance Eric Smith, Assistant Administrator, Logistics Management Martha Rainville, Assistant Administrator, National Continuity Christopher Geldart, Director, Office of National Capital Region Coordination Brock Bierman, Director, Community Preparedness Division Gregory Cade, Assistant Administrator, United States Fire Administration Lisa Lewis, Acting Assistant Administrator, Grant Programs Alyson Price, Designated Federal Official Jo Anne Sullivan, Designated Federal Official Public Attendance: No comments or matters for consideration were received from the public during the first day of the meeting. They were 19 individuals present as observers. The organizations represented included: Battelle, GAO, Nortel, SAIC, National Association of EMS Officials, International Society of Logistics, BCS, Committee on Homeland Security House Majority and Senate Homeland Security Committee. Reference Materials: Any reference materials received or issued to the NAC have been made available via the NAC web page at http://www.fema.gov/about/nac/. Meeting: DFO Alyson Price called the meeting to order. FEMA Associate Deputy Administrator, Robert Shea provided opening remarks. The initial morning session, was devoted to administrative matters and therefore was closed to the public. The remainder of the morning session was open to the public. FEMA Administrator, David Paulison spoke on the vision of New FEMA as the Nation’s Preeminent Emergency Management and Preparedness Agency. Administrator Paulison also stressed that he is striving to implement a cultural change in FEMA – from reactive to proactive. Following Administrator Paulison’s opening remarks, each member of the NAC was asked to introduce themselves and provide some information about their background and experience. This was followed by a swearing in ceremony. Mr. Shea provided an overview of the Post-Katrina Emergency Management Reform Act (PKEMRA) (PL 109-295), with a focus on the language specific to the establishment of the National Advisory Council. The NAC Chair, Dr. G. Kemble Bennett, was introduced and provided some background on his experience in emergency management. He also emphasized the importance of honest and open participation in the NAC. Administrator Paulison identified a number of issues that were of interest to him. The issues were in the following areas: * Long Term Housing * Disaster Assistance * Disaster Declaration Process * Relationships with the Private Sector * Constituent Relationships * NRF/NIMS – effective implementation Administrator Paulison then introduced additional FEMA Leadership that was present. The FEMA Leadership and their respective areas of responsibility are as follows: * David Maurstad - Mitigation * Marko Bourne - Policy and Program Analysis * Art Cleaves - Region 1 * Eric Smith - Logistics Management * Carlos Castillo - Disaster Assistance * Glenn Cannon - Disaster Operations * Lisa Lewis - Grants Management * Dennis Schrader - National Preparedness * Gregory Cade - U.S. Fire Administration * Martha Rainville - National Continuity Programs * Brock Bierman - Community Preparedness * Christopher Geldart - National Capital Region Coordination The NAC was provided overview briefings for each of the FEMA Program Areas. Following the briefings there was an open discussion for NAC members. The meeting was adjourned at 4:29 p.m. EST. Day Two Summary - October 23, 2007 The National Advisory Council (NAC) reconvened for the second day of its Inaugural Meeting at 9:00 a.m. (EST) on October 23, 2007, at the Sheraton Crystal City Hotel in Arlington, Virginia. In accordance with the provisions of the Federal Advisory Committee Act (PL 92-463), the meeting was open to the public. Council Members in Attendance: Albert Ashwood David Barron Ann Beauchesne G. Kemble Bennett Joseph Bruno Stephen Cassidy Christina Catlett Irene Collins Robert Connors Russell Decker John Didion Nancy Dragani Cathey Eide Angelia Elgin Robert Gougelet Joanne Hayes-White John Hines Charles Kmet Kurt Krumperman John Libby Mark Malcolm Kenneth Miller Albert Najera James Paturas Philip Reitinger Hilary Styron Susanne Torriente DHS/FEMA Staff in Attendance: Paul Schneider, DHS Undersecretary for Management and Acting Deputy Secretary Designee Robert Shea, FEMA Associate Deputy Administrator Patty Kalla, FEMA Executive Officer Georgia Abraham, DHS Committee Management Officer Paul Conrad, Ethics Counsel Dennis Schrader, Deputy Administrator, National Preparedness Brock Bierman, National Citizens Corps Council Mike Tamillow, Urban Search and Rescue FACA Committee Alyson Price, Designated Federal Official Jo Anne Sullivan, Designated Federal Official Public Attendance: Approximately 30 members of the public were in attendance. The public comment period was open from 3:30-4:30 p.m. (EST). Organizations represented included: NEMA, Texas A&M University, American Red Cross, Landstar, Senator Collins Office, Mitre, WGI, American Academy of Pediatrics and Save the Children Organization. Reference Materials: Any reference materials received or issued to the NAC have been made available via the NAC web page at http://www.fema.gov/about/nac/. Meeting: DFO Alyson Price called the NAC meeting to order at 9:00 a.m. (EST) and made some administrative announcements regarding the day’s agenda. Dr. Bennett provided a summary of the previous day’s discussions. Dr. Bennett also highlighted some of the council member’s comments that were made throughout the discussion on the previous day: instilling a culture of personal preparedness, housing for disabled and special needs, and implementing state and local plans. Dr. Bennett articulated the mission of the NAC as stated in the charter - “ensure effective coordination of federal preparedness, protection, response, recovery and mitigation for natural disasters, acts of terrorism, and other man-made disasters.” Dr. Bennett identified the need for a communication link between the NAC and the Regional Advisory Councils (RAC) in order to enhance the work for both groups. Dr. Bennett discussed the structure of NAC Subcommittees. Ground rules for subcommittees were given to all NAC members: subcommittees report only to the NAC at large, they do not have the authority to make decisions on behalf of the NAC; the number of subcommittees should be kept to a minimum in order to remain focused. Mr. Shea provided a review of the NAC Charter. He also discussed FACA law requirements and various communication methods that have been put into place as a resource for the NAC (website and general email address). Questions were answered regarding the Regional Advisory Councils (RAC); how the RACs were formed, their exemption from FACA, and their reporting process. A presentation on the Urban Search and Rescue Program was provided by Mike Tamillow, FEMA. . He gave a brief history of the 17-year old program, to include the structure of the 28 task forces and their primary emergency management functions. Mr. Tamillow described the interactions between FEMA and state/local agencies when it comes to addressing the operational procedures and grant aspects of urban search and rescue. He also outlined their latest initiatives (focused around PKEMRA), to include a broader federal search and rescue effort. He requested that the Council consider establishing a Search and Rescue subcommittee to NAC in order to take advantage of the expertise in the NAC. Brock Bierman, FEMA, provided an overview of the National Citizen Corps Council, a non-FACA organization that was established in 2002. Their emphasis is on individual community preparedness and sharing best practices from representatives in emergency responder disciplines. Mr. Bierman asked the Council to consider establishing this group as a subcommittee as well, stating that it would be beneficial because the Citizen Corps Council includes a preexisting staff, structure and core understanding of its function. Paul Schneider, DHS Undersecretary for Management and Acting Deputy Secretary Designee, addressed the Council on behalf of Secretary Chertoff, who had to depart for California (in response to the wild fires). In his remarks, Mr. Schneider gave some background on what his position entails and how critical emergency management is when trying to prepare for simultaneously occurring natural disasters. He remarked that training and education are key to being able to handle the situations that FEMA and DHS face and that long term efforts are required to meet the needs. In closing, Mr. Schneider stated his amazement at the diversity of the NAC and assured them that he felt it was the right skill set to meet the challenges that would be laid before them. Dennis Schrader briefed the Council on the National Response Framework (NRF) and the National Incident Management System (NIMS). The NRF guides how FEMA conducts all-hazards response, articulates structures for implementing national policy and builds on the NIMS. At that point the floor was opened for the Council to ask questions about Mr. Schrader’s presentation. A few questions were asked and they focused on whether or not the NRF defines the special-needs population, how the NIMS is going to be marketed at the state level, the extent of the role of the private sector in the most recent iteration of the NRF, and when the final document is expected to be finished. The Council then entered into an open discussion forum. Dr. Bennett asked the Council for their ideas for potential subcommittees. Many members agreed with Dr. Bennett’s earlier suggestions and concurred that the subcommittees would be doing the majority of the work, reporting back to the NAC for decisions on what recommendations to send forth to the Administrator for consideration. After much discussion regarding subcommittees and issues, the Council determined that they needed additional time, beyond the limits of the inaugural meeting, to consider the eventual structure of subcommittees. The public comment period was opened and there were 2 individuals who desired to make remarks. The first commenter was Sylvia Huff, representing Save the Children. Her goal for attending the meeting was to emphasize the need for emergency managers to understand the needs of children and give them special consideration in the planning for, responding to, and recovering from emergencies and disasters. The second commenter was Nathaniel Beers who represented the D.C. Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics. He expressed the need for a child advocate on the NAC and hoped that the Council would consider this. Mr. Beers also suggested that his organization would be willing to participate in a subcommittee to cover children and family planning. Mr. Shea issued his closing remarks and proposed that the next meeting be held as a teleconference before the end of the year – possibly mid-December. Alyson Price adjourned the meeting at 4:46 p.m. EST. I hereby certify that, to the best of my knowledge, the foregoing minutes are accurate and complete. ___________________________ G. Kemble Bennett Chairman National Advisory Council