FEMA Region 6 States Make Major Move to Cross Jurisdictional Emergency Response

Emergency management agencies have dealt with jurisdictional boundary issues for decades. What agencies should responde to what areas, how these agencies work together, and how are the agencies reimbursed are just a few of these questions. Local incidents, involving a small number of jurisdictions and disciplines can more easily overcome these issues than large scale incidents. Few incidents highlight the issue of large scale incidents better than Hurricane Katrina. States within FEMA Region 6 are making great strides in working through jurisdicational issues.

Regionalization has been a major goal of the United States's Homeland Security Agency. United States Homeland Security Agency has provided state grants for intrastate regionalization. This money has been used to create regional working groups that work through such issues as communications interoperabilty and storage of shared resources.

The next step in regionalization is to improve movement of information and resources between states. The states within FEMA Region 6 have taken a major step in improving interstate emergency response. TEEX.com reported, "The top emergency management directors from Texas and four surrounding states signed the first-ever Interstate Emergency Response Support Plan on Oct. 28, agreeing to provide each other with immediate assistance and support following a disaster. Participants said the agreement will allow neighboring states to provide disaster assistance and resources immediately following an incident, when a timely response is critical."

Currently, assistance within states is handled by EMAC. Over the last several years, FEMA developed EMAC to handle requests for assistance between states. Under EMAC, a state emergency management agency sends requests for assistance through the EMAC system. Other state emergency management agencies can see what requests have been made and state those that they can fill. FEMA then works to facilitate filling the requests.

The Interstate Emergency Response Plan would enhance the current EMAC system. TEEX.com quoted Gary Jones, Region 6 Administrator, as saying, "It takes EMAC to a new level and expedites the process. The Region 6 office in Denton will facilitate the coordination between the five states so they can get immediate resources they need. It will speed up the process of helping each other."

An Interstate Emergency Response Support Plan is only the first step being taken. The Interstate Emergency Response Plan was signed at a meeting of states within FEMA Region 6. During the same meeting, attendees identified resources that their state could share with surrounding states and shortfalls within their state that may require assistance. States with in FEMA Region 6 are also beginning plans to conduct exercises to test the new Interstate Emergency Response Plan.

References
Interstate Emergency Response Support Plan signed by 5 states in FEMA Region 6. November 2009. TEEX.com