While it’s crucial for state, local, tribal, and territorial governments to have emergency preparedness plans, it’s just as necessary – and required – to exercise those plans regularly. FEMA’s National Exercise Program (NEP) supports this effort by providing a four-year cycle of exercises and the primary national-level mechanism for validating national preparedness.
Now for the good news! The NEP is presently accepting requests for no-cost support in designing, developing, conducting, and evaluating exercises to validate capabilities across all mission areas. As explained by the federal agency, such activities are essential to “developing a culture of preparedness, empowering communities, and promoting resilience against the threats and hazards Americans face.”
It is important to note that this will be the ONLY opportunity to request exercise support in 2023. To be considered submissions are due by June 1st. Instructions for how to submit a request for support are available on the NEP’s website.
FEMA is hosting webinars this month to discuss the exercise support process. To see all remaining dates and to register, visit the webinar registration page. All webinars offer the same content, so if one date is full, please schedule another. And if you have specific questions about the support application, NEP staff are available to assist. Email NEP@fema.dhs.gov and include “2023 Exercise Support Question” in the subject line.
As with all FEMA programs, applications are open to all state, local, tribal, and territorial governments. However, new applicants, especially those in underserved jurisdictions, are urged to apply.
Not ready to submit a request just yet? FEMA’s NEP will hold another exercise support round in 2024. BOLDplanning, a division of Agility, will pass all information along to you as soon as it becomes available.
