Department
Emergency Management
Requested Action (Identify appropriate Action or Motion, purpose, cost, timeframe, etc.)
title
Request approval of the Atlanta Region Commission’s Metro Atlanta Urban Area Security Initiative Memorandum of Understanding regarding Department of Homeland Security grant funding awarded to the Atlanta-Fulton County Emergency Management Agency - AFCEMA (Grant Years 2020 & 2021). (APPROVED UPON ADOPTION OF THE CONSENT AGENDA)
body
Requirement for Board Action (Cite specific Board policy, statute or code requirement)
OCGA# 36-101 Requires any contract entered into by the county be approved by the board and entered into its official minutes.
Strategic Priority Area related to this item (If yes, note strategic priority area below)
Justice and Safety
Commission Districts Affected
All Districts ☒
District 1 ☐
District 2 ☐
District 3 ☐
District 4 ☐
District 5 ☐
District 6 ☐
Is this a purchasing item?
No
Summary & Background (First sentence includes Agency recommendation. Provide an executive summary of the action that gives an overview of the relevant details for the item.)
Scope of Work: The Atlanta-Fulton County Emergency Management Agency recommends Board of Commissioners’ approval for this particular agenda item. Approval of this item will not require the expenditure of any additional County funds. The Atlanta Region Commission’s Metro Atlanta Urban Area Security Initiative Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with AFCEMA covers three initiatives designed to prevent, protect, respond and recover from threats of or acts of terrorism. The first initiative enhances AFCEMA’s situational awareness & accountability tool, WebEOC, which aids first responders and first receivers with incident management, coordination, and collaboration activities. This enhancement will provide AFCEMA the capability to communicate with other WebEOC servers, or to third party systems. The second initiative is on behalf of the active and recognized Department of Homeland Security Citizens Corps programs within Fulton County. At the national level, the mission of Citizen Corps is to harness the power of every individual through education, training, and volunteer service to make communities safer, stronger, and better prepared to respond to the threats of terrorism, crime, public health issues, and disasters of all kinds. The national Citizen Corps programs are: Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) CERT training promotes a partnering effort between emergency services and the people they serve. The goal is for emergency personnel to train members of neighborhoods, community organizations or workplaces in basic response skills. CERT members are then integrated into the emergency response capability for their area. Medical Reserve Corps (MRC) MRC Programs coordinates the skills of practicing and retired physicians, nurses and other health professionals as well as other citizens interested in health issues, who are eager to volunteer to address their community's ongoing public health needs and to help their community during largescale emergency situations. They have been integral to our COVID response the last 18 months. Fire Corps Fire Corps promotes the use of citizen advocates (volunteers) to support and augment the capacity of resource-constrained fire and emergency service departments at all levels: volunteer, combination, and career. Volunteers in Police Services (VIPS) VIPS Program provides support and resources for agencies interested in developing or enhancing a volunteer program and for citizens who wish to volunteer their time and skills with a law enforcement agency. The program's ultimate goal is to enhance the capacity of state and local law enforcement to utilize volunteers. National Neighborhood Watch Program (formerly USAonWatch) The National Neighborhood Watch was begun in 1972 with funding in part by the National Sheriffs' Association, through a grant from the Bureau of Justice Assistance, Office of Justice Programs, U.S. Department of Justice. The program knows that our nation is built on the strength of our citizens. Every day, our citizens encounter situations calling upon us to be the eyes and ears of law enforcement. Not only does neighborhood watch allow citizens to help in the fight against crime, it is also an opportunity for communities to bond through service. The Neighborhood Watch Program draws upon the compassion of average citizens, asking them to lend their neighbors a hand. The National Neighborhood Watch Program (formerly USAonWatch) is the portal for training to assist law enforcement agencies and their communities, technical assistance, resource documents, watch stories, networking, and assistance to the field. The third initiative is in support of the Emergency Management program and will provide Emergency Management with the ability to respond to incidents and events with portable cellular and wi-fi capabilities. These programs/organizations will not receive any direct funds since the Metro Atlanta UASI will be providing the requested equipment, supplies and resources. The total funds covered via this MOU is, $229,345.00
Community Impact: The mission of Citizen Corps is to harness the power of every individual through education, training, and volunteer service to make communities safer, stronger, and better prepared to respond to the threats of terrorism, crime, public health issues, and disasters of all kinds. WebEOC enhances the situational awareness County wide with both internal and external partners.
Department Recommendation: The Atlanta-Fulton County Emergency Management Agency recommends Board of Commissioners’ approval for this particular agenda item. Approval of this item will not require the expenditure of any additional County funds.
Project Implications: No future implications are anticipated in terms of potential changes in budget, service provision, or County policy/operations.
Community Issues/Concerns: No particular issues or concerns have been raised by internal/external partners concerning this specific agenda item.
Department Issues/Concerns: The Atlanta-Fulton County Emergency Management Agency does not have any specific issues or concerns as it relates to this specific agenda item.