There are millions of dollars available from numerous government agencies to assist schools and universities in implementing emergency management and mass notification systems. With all that money out there, how do you wade through all the information, grant applications and get a grant for mass notification?
To start with, the U.S. Department of Education has a lot of information about legal requirements of mass notification systems and emergency communication. The site also has information on multiple grants that are available for emergency management. Money is available for everything from revising your current emergency plan and distributing copies of it, to training staff and communicating policies to parents, and purchasing equipment. The U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Safe and Drug-Free Schools (OSDFS) began administering the Readiness and Emergency Management for Schools (REMS) discretionary grant program six years ago. The REMS website lists both school district and higher education grantees for fiscal year 2009 as well as the grant application.
FEMA and the Department of Homeland Security also have grant money available which is distributed through a gubernatorial-appointed contact and State Administrative Agency (SAA), who manage the funds and associated requirements. The SAA is the primary contact since it is the initial recipient of all grant awards. To find your state’s contact, visit www.dhs.gov/xgovt/grants/index.shtm.
Many emergency notification grants are awarded to institutions building their emergency management plan within the structure of the four phases of emergency management:
- Mitigation- preventing emergencies or minimizing effects
- Preparedness- preparing to handle emergencies
- Response- responding safely to emergencies
- Recovery- recovering from emergencies
With many schools working to determine H1N1 preparedness plans, it’s important to know some preparedness grants can support H1N1 emergency plans. For more information on the phases of emergency management, visit http://training.fema.gov/emiweb/downloads/is10_unit3.doc.
Resources:
http://training.fema.gov/emiweb/downloads/is10_unit3.doc.
http://www.dhs.gov/xgovt/grants/index.shtm
http://preparednesstoday.blogspot.com/2009/04/reprinted-from-preparedness-today.html