EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT: DRAFT RULES PROPOSED BY STATE AND FEDERAL AGENCIES
On September 10, 2007, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) released the draft National Response Framework (NRF) for a 30-day comment period. The NRF, a successor to the National Response Plan, focuses on how to conduct responses to all-hazards incidences, as well as the execution of emergency operation plans and actions to support short-term recovery and short-term mitigation across all levels of government and sectors of the community. The draft NRF can be found at: http://www.fema.gov/emergency/nrf/mainindex.htm
Similarly, the Texas Department of Public Safety has filed proposed rules regarding emergency management programs. The rules would, among other things, outline the role of emergency management coordinators, require a city to use new forms to notify the Governor’s Emergency Management Division about its emergency management programs and the officials responsible for the program, require each city to have an emergency management plan that meets specific criteria before the city can be eligible for certain federal grants, and clarify a city’s responsibilities during multi-agency response operations. The proposed state rules can be found at: http://www.sos.state.tx.us/texreg/archive/August312007/PROPOSED/37.PUBLIC%20SAFETY%20AND%20CORRECTIONS.html#369