PrintSummary
Completion of this lesson gives you a basic understanding of emergency preparedness and the emergency management systems in use in the US. The lesson and the online FEMA lessons covered:
- basic concepts of disaster management;
- the hierarchy of disaster responders, the role of the major agencies/organizations, and the capabilities and limitations of different types of organizations;
- the Emergency Management System;
- the National Incident Management System (NIMS);
- the Homeland Security Geospatial Concept of Operations (GeoCONOPS)
You are now officially certified to speak the language and understand the organization and operation of civilian agencies as they prepare for and respond to emergencies. For those of you in the military or the intelligence community, this knowledge facilitates your ability to work as part of the interagency process. For other students, this knowledge will improve your understanding of how your government deals with emergencies and disasters. Should you decide to get involved in emergency preparedness and response as a volunteer (e.g., in the American Red Cross, Community Emergency Response Team, or Medical Reserve Corps), this knowledge will improve your ability to work with civilian government agencies at all levels.
Final Tasks
Deliverables: Lesson 7
Required: IS-230, IS-700, IS-922 online certifications
Optional (for extra credit): IS-103 online certification
As previously mentioned, when you have completed your online certifications, return to Lesson 7 in Canvas. Look for the Lesson 7 Assignments where you will submit your PDF copies of the 3 required certifications and one optional certification. You will find directions for submitting your pdf files when you enter the Assignments.
Remember: There may be a delay between the time you complete the online certification and when FEMA emails your PDF certificate. Consider completing your online training well before the due date.
Before you move on to Lesson 8, double-check the Lesson 7 Checklist to make sure you have completed all of the required activities for this lesson.
Looking Ahead
Next week is another heavy reading week, capped off by your second reflection paper. In our next lesson, we are going to consider:
- Cutter's concept of an "All Hazards" approach to disaster management;
- capabilities and limitations of geospatial intelligence in support of the disaster management process;
- how geospatial intelligence can be of value to the first responder and provide examples;
- social justice issues in the disaster management process;
- differences in the practice of geospatial intelligence for disaster management and other national security applications.
If you have not already taken the Midterm Course Assessment Survey, please consider completing the survey.