With a rapidly evolving landscape of security challenges, institutions such as the Naval Postgraduate School – Center for Homeland Defense and Security (NPS-CHDS) located in Monterey, California, aim to shape the leaders of tomorrow. Emergency Response Specialist Oscar Coripuna was accepted into the NPS-CHDS Emergence Program, marking a significant milestone in his professional development, and equipping him with the knowledge and tools to implement effective organizational change within the Maryland-National Capital Region Emergency Response System (MDERS).

CHDS was established to cultivate a collaborative national cohort of emerging homeland security leaders by enhancing their skills with advanced proficiencies in organizational collaboration, policy formulation, and innovative strategies. In partnership with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), CHDS offers a wide range of competitive programs that focus on assisting participants in developing the strategies necessary to combat, prepare, and respond to public safety threats across the United States. All programs are designed to foster and prioritize leadership development to reshape the perspective of public safety officials towards the intricacies of an evolving world and the multifaceted mission of homeland security.

The CHDS Emergence Program is a six-month online and network-based learning experience that includes two-week-long in-person classroom sessions. The program provides an educational forum that brings together a diverse group of local, state, and federal government professionals to delve into cutting-edge research, collaborative problem-solving, and interdisciplinary cooperation. A significant part of Emergence is an innovation lab used to research and construct ideas for change that participants brief to their agency leadership and implement to solve organizational challenges. The cohort consisted of 28 participants representing disciplines from law enforcement, fire/rescue/EMS, emergency management, public health, healthcare, and national intelligence. As a participant, Oscar was immersed in a dynamic environment exploring emerging homeland security threats and learning about various potential risks that will influence public safety entities to adjust.

During the first in-residence, the program covered a wide array of relevant topics, ranging from critical thinking, climate change, effective communication, artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, and risk management. Engaging lectures and thought-provoking discussions fostered a holistic understanding of current challenges facing our nation and the world. Oscar’s time in Monterey was transformative with the exposure to groundbreaking research and real-world case studies that broadened his perspective and sharpened his analytical skills. Collaborating with peers from diverse professional backgrounds enriched his learning experience, enabling him to gain insights and innovative approaches to problem-solving.

One of the most rewarding aspects of the program was the opportunity to work on his change initiative project for MDERS. Drawing upon the actionable feedback gained from the program, he is working on developing a comprehensive project continuity strategy that helps capture historical information and the status of MDERS initiatives to address knowledge gaps within the Operational Support Directorate. From refining the project continuity of MDERS initiatives to incorporating a formal transition process as a solution, every aspect of Oscar’s project was informed by the invaluable lessons learned at CHDS. Oscar believes that his residency in Monterey transcends the confines of the classroom due to the numerous lessons learned applicable to real-life emergencies.

Emergency Response Specialist Oscar Coripuna 

“During the entirety of the Emergence Program, the opportunity to discuss strategies to combat current and future homeland security threats among like-minded professionals from around the nation was extraordinary. The insights gained from these discussions have allowed me to think critically about emerging public safety threats that can impact the Maryland-National Capital Region.”

As Oscar’s experience at the NPS-CHDS Emergence Program was empowering, he is eager to learn more about the resources and partnerships needed to tackle complex security challenges that are evolving. MDERS is proud to have Oscar represent the Maryland-National Capital Region (NCR) and commends his dedication to undertaking opportunities that enhance his expertise to better serve our stakeholder community. After his graduation in June 2024, Oscar is eager to incorporate the invaluable lessons from CHDS into his work to enhance response operations with regional partners in Montgomery and Prince George’s Counties

For more information on NPS-CHDS, click here.

Since October of 2023, the Maryland-National Capital Emergency Response System (MDERS) has collaborated with the Prince George’s County Police Department (PGPD) to enhance their Patrol Scenario Training (PST) program. This joint effort aims to modernize the training methods used at the police academy, ensuring new officers are better prepared to serve their communities and keep themselves, colleagues, and members of the public safe.

PSTs are the final step in the PGPD Training Academy that evaluates student officers’ ability to demonstrate mastery of the skills learned throughout the nine-month program. These scenario-based assessments test student officers’ proficiency in meeting the Maryland Police and Corrections Training Commission’s (MPCTC) required objectives. PSTs simulate real-life situations that officers are likely to encounter in the field such as domestic violence, disorderly persons, citizen and business robberies, and many more. This provides a practical, hands-on assessment of their skills and decision-making abilities.

Recognizing the need for a more efficient and objective evaluation process, PGPD partnered with MDERS to update various aspects of the PST program. The key initiatives included:

• Increasing Objectivity in Grading: The new system aims to standardize the grading process, ensuring that all student officers are assessed fairly and consistently.
• Reducing Evaluation Time: Streamlining the evaluation process will allow instructors to spend less time on assessments and more time on training and development.
• Creating an Easy-to-Use System: The revamped PST program is designed to be user-friendly, enabling academy staff to easily implement and use it while effectively tracking all met and unmet objectives.
• System Storage and Accessibility: The new system saves all evaluations on a shared folder, enhancing accessibility and organization.
• Changing, Removing, and Creating New Scenarios: The new program provides different scenarios than the last several years of testing. This allowed for a greater focus on de-escalation tactics and the ability of student officers to provide medical care to role players.

The collaboration between MDERS and PGPD represents a significant step forward in police training methodology. By incorporating these improvements, the PST program becomes more efficient and effective in preparing student officers for the complexities of their roles. Enhanced objectivity ensures that evaluations are fair, while reduced evaluation times and ease of use allow for a more focused training environment. Additionally, MDERS and PGPD staff had the opportunity to present this new program during the 2024 Maryland Emergency Management Association (MDEMA) Annual Symposium in May, providing an overview of the challenges faced and problems solved.

As the revamped PST program is fully implemented, PGPD and MDERS will continue to monitor its effectiveness and make any necessary adjustments. This commitment to continuous improvement underscores the dedication of both organizations to providing the highest standard of training for law enforcement officers. By focusing on objectivity, efficiency, and usability, this initiative promises to better prepare new officers to serve and protect their communities safely and effectively.

The Maryland Emergency Management Association (MDEMA) Symposium is an effort to bring together emergency management professionals and associated agencies to discuss various topics to enhance all phases of response efforts. To support this effort, at the 2024 iteration of this symposium representatives from the Maryland-National Capital Region Emergency Response System (MDERS) and partner agencies showcased five initiatives that have significantly enhanced response capabilities in Montgomery and Prince George’s Counties.  These presentations covered the incorporation of small unmanned aerial systems (sUASs) as first responders for the Montgomery County Police Department (MCPD), integration of the Public Access Trauma Care (PATC) program into the public school systems in Montgomery and Prince George’s Counties, enhancement of the Prince George’s Couty Police Department’s (PGPD) Patrol Scenario Training (PST), reinforcement of incident command system (ICS) principles during training for MCPD officers, and strengthening inter-jurisdictional structural collapse response. These initiatives have collectively bolstered response capabilities for first responders in the Maryland-National Capital Region (MD-NCR).

On the first day of the conference, as part of the main session, MDERS Senior Emergency Response Specialist Hannah Thomas was joined by MCPD Captain Jason Cokinos and Lieutenant Doug Miller to present on the department’s innovative Drone as a First Responder (DFR). This program prepositions sUAS platforms, commonly known as drones, to provide rapid situational assessments to emergency calls in Silver Spring. The presenters highlighted the program’s achievements in tracking suspects involved in various crimes and outlined the financial costs, operational logistics, data collection, and transparency efforts required for sustaining the program. Due to its success, MCPD plans to expand the DFR program to several other locations in the county.

The next presentation examined the inclusion of the PATC program into Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) and Prince George’s County Public Schools (PGCPS). MDERS Senior Emergency Response Specialist Peter McCullough and MDERS Emergency Response Specialist Katie Weber provided information to the audience about the supplies distributed and the incorporation of PATC into the school’s curriculum. To date, MDERS has provided 774 5-pack kits to MCPS and 253 5-pack kits to PGCPS. This is in addition to 84 training bags for each jurisdiction to assist with hands-on training for students. Although the program is well received by MCPS and PGCPS, the speakers identified several factors that MDERS had to navigate to get PATC into the schools. Issues such as replenishment of supplies, installation of wall-mounted cabinets, appropriateness of the content for students, and adherence to regulations all were discussed with partners before the adoption of PATC into each public school system.

After that presentation, MDERS Emergency Response Specialist Elizabeth Adams and PGPD Corporal Juan Penafiel detailed the advancements made to PGPD’s PST curriculum. This program is an aspect of the mandated training for student officers that tests their ability to demonstrate skills, tactics, and techniques learned during the training academy. In coordination with PGPD, MDERS revamped their evaluation process and documentation process to create a more streamlined and objective evaluation process. These amendments have alleviated previous concerns to allow evaluators to closely focus on the actions of student officers and capture all needed data points for assessment.

Subsequent to that presentation, former MDERS Co-Director Nicole Markuski and MCPD Lt. Chris Hackley shared the joint effort between both agencies to provide an ICS refresher to all MCPD sergeants. This effort entailed two tabletop exercises that challenged participants to navigate the complexities of an active assailant incident at a mall and school. The participants were continuously fed new information throughout the exercises to test and evaluate their ability to exert control over a complex emergency. The exercises provided invaluable information for MCPD to identify gaps and improve their overall response capabilities.

Lastly, Prince George’s County Fire Department (PGFD) Assistant Chief Jon Bender and Montgomery County Fire Rescue Service (MCFRS) Battalion Chief Doug Hinkle discussed progress in cross-jurisdictional structural collapse response. Both departments have intensified joint training efforts and have made strides to closely align their equipment caches to promote familiarity during large-scale incidents. MDERS has supported equipment acquisitions for both departments and training initiatives which will culminate in a two-day full-scale exercise in the spring of 2025.

The MDEMA Conference served as a platform to showcase MDERS and partner agencies’ endeavors in bolstering response capabilities in the Maryland-National Capital Region. MDERS staff eagerly anticipate sharing further advancements at the next conference.

As COVID-19 cases began to rise in early 2020, the world shut down in hopes of slowing the spread of this unknown and deadly infection. Non-essential workers worldwide transitioned to working from home, an option not available for essential workers within the Homeland Security Enterprise. Doctors and nurses continued to work at inundated hospitals, police and firefighters never stopped responding to emergency calls, and other essential workers continued to do their job while entering an even more dangerous and unknown situation. Additionally, leadership training has become an important aspect to personnel recruitment and retention, following the massive resignations and layoffs following the COVID-19 shutdown.

In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, many public safety officials expressed feeling of being burnt out or overworked. Due to these ongoing issues, many organizations within the Homeland Security Enterprise began reevaluating staff training and retention strategies. Leadership trainings have recently been utilized to ensure that an organization’s human capital is supported in any way possible. Organizations such as the United States Capitol Police and the United States Environmental Protection Agency have created a Human Capital Strategic Plan to ensure all workforce members are utilized effectively and supervisors are provided with leadership training. These leadership classes are offered online, allowing participants to attend without leaving their desks. Such courses have proved to be beneficial, including a master class titled Leadership and Change Management featured in the FireRescue1 Academy. Maryland Emergency Response System (MDERS) continues to work with its stakeholder representatives to ensure the courses offered benefit the stakeholder, agency, and community.

To further support their personnel, many public safety agencies moved to a hybrid learning or meeting style once COVID-19 restrictions began to lift. Out of necessity, some ICS courses are offered online and in person. State Emergency Management organizations, such as Oklahoma, Florida, the District of Columbia, and California, have created online curricula for G-300: Intermediate ICS for Expanding Incidents & G-400: Advanced ICS, which were hosted exclusively in person prior the pandemic. Additionally, programs such as the Texas A&M Engineering Extension Service’s (TEEX) Active Attack Event Response Leadership course, which was previously exclusively taught in person, can now be accessed completed entirely online.  MDERS is constantly researching different options for courses which can be provided to its stakeholders in a fully online or hybrid format.  The Training and Exercise Team at MDERS has coordinated courses from the National Preparedness Leadership Institute, and the National Association of Counties High Performance Leadership Academy, which are offered online.  Additionally, the National Tactical Officers Association online course, teaches police personnel on the legalities and challenges faced when responding to suicidal subjects.

The world has changed more quickly and abruptly than imagined, and due to these changes, the workforce and training methods need to evolve. Leaders are adapting the way they lead, and trainings are adjusting to ensure they are accessible to everyone safely. However, whether it is a hybrid learning model or all online, some adjustments must be made to ensure their longevity.  MDERS has expanded their offering to stakeholders and is constantly looking to improve the learning experience and will continue to search for classes that will help the leaders of the Maryland-National Capital Region.

The homeland security threat landscape is constantly changing, requiring new and innovative approaches to incident response. The Maryland-National Capital Region Emergency Response System (MDERS) stakeholder community aims to regularly reassess their response priorities to adapt to emerging threats facing the community. To support this effort, MDERS provides training, technology funding, and planning support to build and enhance capabilities that ensure a coordinated response to emergency incidents. Threats, including cyber-attacks, active assailants, extreme weather, and mass decontamination remain as significant dangers to stakeholders. Daily reports of data breaches, or ransomware attacks taking place worldwide, show the volume of attacks are on the rise while hackers are adapting to circumvent new security measures. These attacks have proven to be economically crippling, time-consuming, and expensive to resolve.

On May 7, 2019, Baltimore City was attacked by a ransomware strike when city workers’ screens suddenly locked, and a message demanding cryptocurrency appeared on their screen. City files were encrypted and could only be accessed and opened with an access key provided by the attackers following the ransom payment. As a result, local public safety organizations began working with their Information Technology (IT) Departments to limit security vulnerabilities and prepare recovery plans. Baltimore City redirected 18 million dollars in city funds to harden its IT protocols following the attack. Even with constant updates and 24-hour surveillance, hackers are becoming more sophisticated and can infiltrate systems at almost any agency.

With the help of the MDERS, stakeholders had the opportunity to participate in a virtual cybersecurity workshop facilitated by three subject matter experts from the University of Maryland Center for    Health and Homeland Security (CHHS) and Montgomery County Office of Emergency Management and Homeland Security (OEMHS). This workshop allowed stakeholders to learn effective organizational preparedness and response capabilities, which could be applied to their agencies. In addition, MDERS continues to offer training opportunities providing its stakeholders with cutting-edge techniques to help protect their agency.

As mass shooting events around the United States are occurring more regularly, active shooter training has become a higher priority for public safety agencies. MDERS has continued to facilitate tabletop exercises, full-scale exercises, and training for all stakeholder disciplines to ensure members of the Maryland-NCR community are prepared for such an event. Within the past year, MDERS has facilitated tabletop exercises and a full-scale active assailant exercise at Prince George’s County Police Department (PGPD) Training Facility and Firing Range. Additionally, MDERS worked with Prince George’s County Police Department and Montgomery County Police Department (MCPD) Special Operations Division’s (SOD) leadership to create a tabletop series to ensure a cohesive response in an interdisciplinary multi-jurisdictional incident.

Over the past decade, weather challenges in the Maryland-NCR have become more unpredictable due to increasing in intensity. However, public safety agencies have learned to adapt and become resilient to climate change. More importantly, MDERS ensures to provide climate resiliency training opportunities and fund traveling expenses to allow stakeholders to attend climate emergency preparedness conferences. Participants learned about best practices from a variety of organizations and disciplines throughout the United States. In preparation for the winter weather, regional agencies have also conducted extensive tabletop exercises to ensure no gaps in their plans or capabilities.

Mass decontamination, the removal of dangerous substances or radioactivity by scrubbing a patient with soap and water, is becoming one of the essential facets of hospital, law enforcement, and fire/rescue/EMS preparedness and response. The training and equipment used for decontamination are highly adaptable, which allows public safety agencies and healthcare facilities to adjust their use for specific response operations. Decontamination shelters can be rapidly deployed in any location and easily stored away. Stakeholders may use decontamination shelters to establish incident command posts, support field triage, and other public safety response operations.

MDERS is regularly advised of new training and equipment requested by its five stakeholder disciplines: law enforcement, fire, rescue, EMS, emergency management, public health, and the hospital systems in Montgomery and Prince George’s Counties. Together these disciplines, and MDERS, collaborate to provide the Maryland-NCR with innovative training and exercise initiatives to combat the ever-changing threats facing the Homeland Security Enterprise.

The Maryland-National Capital Region Emergency Response System (MDERS), through its affiliation with Yale New Haven Health, recently implemented online First Receiver Operations Training (FROT) courses to assist local healthcare facilities maintain Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) requirements. MDERS is supporting first receiver awareness, safety, and annual review training at various hospitals in the National Capital Region, including Suburban, Holy Cross Health, University of Maryland Capital Region Health, Medstar Montgomery, Luminis Health Doctors Community Medical Center, and Adventist Health.

First receiver awareness level training is a 30-to-60-minute introductory course engaging participants in principles and procedures of decontamination, protection from specific chemical agents, respiratory protection, and personal safety issues. This training is required for healthcare personnel who work in the contaminant-free hospital post-decontamination area. Participants include emergency department clinicians, clerks, triage staff, and security staff members responsible for notifying hospital authorities of arrivals. An estimated 1,050 hospital-based first receivers will participate in the online training course to obtain contemporary awareness of mass decontamination operations.

The best practices for the protection of healthcare facility-based first receivers operations level training is an intermediate 8-hour online and instructor-led course providing healthcare personnel who have direct patient contact with lessons on decontamination topics. At the culmination of the course, participants acquired a comprehensive understanding of exposure to hazardous substances, hazard awareness, personal protective equipment (PPE), and special decontamination considerations. The practical session consisted of a demonstration of ambulatory and non-ambulatory decontamination during a mass casualty incident. A total of 1,125 healthcare workers will receive the training course to enhance the care of patients before and after thorough decontamination.

Ensuring the consistent training of hospital-based first receivers is reinforced by an annual 5-hour refresher for all hospital staff and healthcare personnel who completed the awareness and operations level courses. The online and instructor-led review will be provided to 1,125 participants who can be directly or incidentally exposed to a contaminated victim.

With the support of MDERS, hospital stakeholders have online access to the following courses:

• EM120: Best Practices for the Protection of Healthcare Facility-Based First Receivers, Awareness Level
• EM220: Best Practices for the Protection of Healthcare Facility-Based First Receivers, Operations Level
• EM220R: Best Practices for the Protection of Health Care Facility-Based First Receivers, Operations Level Refresher

Facilitating an online learning platform to a large and diverse staff audience in an accessible manner enhances emergency preparedness operations necessary to effectively respond to mass decontamination at various levels. While building on this effort, MDERS aims to expand the continuing education and training of healthcare personnel to uphold the quality of patient care.

The Montgomery County Police Department (MCPD) upholds a mission to equip, prepare, and bolster the response  capabilities of their Sniper Response Team to provide enhanced public safety and security at national special security events, as well as respond to active-threat incidents in Montgomery County and the National Capital Region. The Sniper Response Team is additionally tasked with reinforcing the response activities of law enforcement officers, including conducting surveillance to share intelligence with responding agencies on the ground. To accomplish this mission, the MCPD Sniper Response Team requires specialized tools, tactics, and capabilities.

For several years, the Maryland-National Capital Region Emergency Response System (MDERS) has collaborated with MCPD to ensure their cadre of sniper-trained officers are experts in the field and ready to deploy at a moment’s notice. In May 2022, MDERS funded the High Angle Sniper Training for nine members of the MCPD Sniper Response Team in Oregon with Anchor Risk, LLC. MCPD worked with the instructors to ensure the class was tailored to the specific needs of the department.. The multi-day course provided students with hands-on instruction to gain an understanding of non-standard shooting techniques, engagement methods, mission planning, and ballistic characteristics.

At the conclusion of the sniper training, participants provided the following feedback:

• “This training allowed me to learn how to work on shooting from high angles, which without the trip to the Pacific Northwest, I would have never been able to do.”
• “I learned observation and intelligence-gathering skills from high-elevation positions to convey to command.”
• “I gained a better understanding of environmental factors that affect the trajectory of a long-distance shot as well as when shooting at angles. Real-world experience provides us with much ­­­greater confidence if an actual situation occurs.”

The continued partnership between MDERS and MCPD ensures that the Sniper Response Team is capable to expand upon basic sniper techniques and are better prepared to protect the residents and visitors of Montgomery County.

In 2019, the Maryland-National Capital Region Emergency Response System (MDERS) identified structural collapse response as a strategic priority for Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Service (MCFRS) and Prince George’s County Fire/EMS Department (PGFD). MCFRS and PGFD determined that to ensure an appropriately robust structural collapse response capability that each department needs to be able to deploy 13 trained personnel with the necessary equipment to the scene of a structural collapse incident within 40 minutes and provide cross-county mutual aid within 90 minutes.

To support this priority, MDERS sponsored personnel from MCFRS and PGFD to participate in a structural collapse specialist course in September 2022. This course trains personnel on the critical duties and activities as outlined in their position task books and is a requirement for any individual participating in structural collapse response. This training program, hosted at the Montgomery County Public Safety Training Academy, began with eight hours of computer-based training (CBT), followed by 80 hours of hands-on training. The specialized techniques learned and practiced that are necessary to perform rescues at structural collapse incidents included:

• Breaching: Students learned techniques to break through and access obstructed areas. Participants drilled holes in a triangle formation, then chiseled away the surrounding areas, allowing the triangle to be lifted out, revealing an opening for entrance or extraction.
• Breaking: Students learned the skills and techniques to safely break apart larger pieces of debris to facilitate manual removal without further compromising the structural integrity of a collapse site.
• Lifting: Students learned building methodology and principles of physics to lift large pieces of cement and other debris without the help of a large crane. These techniques ensure that responders are able to remove large amounts of debris before crane operations can be implemented. Students additionally learned how to coordinate crane operations via hand signals to lift and remove debris.
• Shoring: Students learned basic stabilization techniques to create supports that prop up surrounding debris to allow safe ingress and egress from collapsed buildings.
• Burning: Students learned the various characteristics of available torches and the best situations to utilize a particular type to cut through rebar, steel beams, or other metal objects. Students also learned the techniques to effectively cut the metal without comprising the structural integrity in an area of a building.
• Building Construction: Students learned about basic construction and engineering principles to familiarize themselves with a structure and also to construct apparatus needed for an effective rescue.

With the completion of this course, MCFRS and PGFD further increase their cadre of certified structural collapse specialists, ensuring each department’s ability to deploy a fully staffed response team of 13 individuals on scene of a collapse event within 40 minutes. Additionally, by jointly training across both departments, MCFRS and PGFD can deploy fully interoperable mutual aid within 90 minutes of a large collapse event.

To further bolster structural collapse response capabilities within the Maryland-National Capital Region, MDERS is coordinating with MCFRS and PGFD to host two technical search specialist courses and an additional structural collapse specialist course in 2023. These courses, alongside a robust equipment cache, ensure both departments are able to effectively deploy and respond to structural collapse incidents.

As the deployment of small unmanned aerial systems (sUAS) programs continues to expand across the United States, public safety agencies face challenges in maintaining sUAS platforms. To support stakeholders within the Maryland-National Capital Region, MDERS sponsored pilots from Prince George’s and Montgomery County public safety agencies, as well as MDERS, to participate in the Understanding Unmanned Aerial Systems Maintenance course hosted by Tactical Drone Concepts, Inc. in September 2022. This course combined maintenance theory, best practices, and hands-on application to guide students through potential maintenance issues they may encounter.

The Understanding UAS Maintenance course engaged students in classroom discussion and hands-on instruction to develop the knowledge, skills, and abilities to implement in-house maintenance programs for UAS vehicles. Students attending the course gained a functional understanding of the component parts and software programming used to operate unmanned aircrafts, as well as soldering techniques to repair wire and electronic components on tactical and training aircraft. Upon completion of the course, Maryland-National Capital Region stakeholders enhanced their understanding of diagnosing and troubleshooting maintenance issues associated with sUAS. Students can further apply this knowledge as public safety agencies in both Prince George’s and Montgomery Counties continue to develop their internal maintenance policies and procedures.

Stakeholders from the Prince George’s County Police Department, the Montgomery County Police Department, the Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Service, and the Montgomery County Office of Emergency Management rated the overall course highly. Participants provided the following feedback:

• “I believe there are some best practices we can take from this class regarding maintenance. We learned greatly from our classmates about their programs and what works best for them.”
• “A new appreciation for aircraft maintenance has been instilled in me due to being able to take the class.”
• “The lessons learned will benefit the day-to-day maintenance of our UAS vehicles.”

As a subrecipient of the National Capital Region’s (NCR) Urban Area Security Initiative (UASI) award, the Maryland-National Capital Region Emergency Response System (MDERS) complies with federal regulations for grant-funded projects. One such regulation is the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) Environmental and Historical Preservation (EHP) review process. The EHP review process aims to minimize the impacts of any project on the environment and historically designated sites, including floodplains, wetlands, archeological sites, historic structures, protected coastal areas, critical wildlife habitats, clean air and water, and minority and low-income populations among others. In order to ensure the long-term preservation of these sites, any project that could cause permanent impacts must be approved by FEMA through the EHP process.

MDERS, in its support of emergency response partners across Prince George’s and Montgomery Counties, supports numerous projects that fall under the jurisdiction of the EHP review process. Notably, any building modification, including the permanent installation of equipment, must be approved by FEMA. In addition to building modifications, any training opportunity that occurs in a non-designated training facility, as defined by the local agencies, requires FEMA EHP approval to ensure no damage or permanent impacts will be made to the training site.  As the single point of collaboration on multi-disciplinary, multi-jurisdiction emergency response capability enhancement, MDERS manages the EHP review process on behalf of its stakeholders.

The required application includes a FEMA-provided questionnaire that defines the scope of the project in question. The FEMA screening form prompts users to provide a variety of information including grant project names, contact information, estimated cost, project description, and the intended construction to be conducted on the building. Additionally, the screening form must be accompanied by secondary photo documentation. The required photos must include a picture of the structure and if possible, a building sign. This preliminary information is sufficient in most cases but, FEMA requires additional photo documentation for building over 45 years old, as older buildings are more closely associated with potential environmental concerns and an enduring historical significance. The extra photos must clearly identify the area(s) that any alteration to the building will occur so that FEMA can closely assess the environmental and historical ramifications of the specific areas of construction.

Within the MDERS portfolio, the Public Access Trauma Care (PATC) program is most intertwined with the EHP process. As part of the PATC program, MDERS works closely with both Prince George’s and Montgomery Counties to install readily accessible bleeding control kits and medical supplies in public schools and government buildings. These items are stored in PATC cabinets, which are permanently affixed to interior walls similarly to fire extinguishers or automated-external defibrillators (AEDs). Before these cabinets are installed, MDERS must submit the required EHP documentation to ensure that any alteration to a building does not harm the environment and protects its historical significance.

MDERS began the EHP process for the PATC program by coordinating with stakeholders to determine how many buildings would be impacted and their respective ages. By delineating buildings by age, MDERS determined which buildings required additional photo documentation and which did not. MDERS then worked closely with subrecipients to identify the strategic location of PATC kits and cabinets, conduct the needed photography, and compile the information for submission to FEMA for approval.

To better meet the needs of its stakeholders, MDERS developed an EHP checklist for the PATC program. This checklist not only provided all the necessary information to FEMA, but also served as a resource to stakeholders to refer back to for the ultimate installation of the PATC cabinets.

While the EHP process can appear daunting, MDERS is committed to helping its stakeholders through the FEMA review process and ensure that projects are executed in accordance with the Maryland-National Capital Region’s needs and in compliance with federal regulations.

For more information on the EHP review process, please visit: https://www.fema.gov/grants/guidance-tools/environmental-historic.