In research for the Federal Emergency Management Agency, analysts sought ways to streamline, simplify, and strengthen the U.S. emergency management system, assessing how overlap, duplication, and fragmentation could affect implementation and outcomes. They propose options — some broad and transformative and others on a smaller scale — and discuss trade-offs of each.

Streamlining Emergency Management

Issues, Impacts, and Options for Improvement

Jason Thomas Barnosky, Andrew Lauland, Michelle E. Miro, Jay Balagna, Liisa Ecola, Soo Kim, Chelsea Kolb, Kristin J. Leuschner, Ian Mitch, Andrew M. Parker, et al.

ResearchPublished Jun 24, 2022

Emergency managers in the United States face a challenging operating environment characterized by more-frequent and -intense storms, extended or year-round wildfire seasons, multiple simultaneous disasters, and an ongoing global pandemic. The sheer magnitude and growing frequency of weather and climate disasters are straining the capacities, capabilities, and systems that enable the United States to prepare for, respond to, and recover from disasters.

To support the U.S. emergency management system, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and other entities have created constructs — programs, grants, assessments, doctrine, and coordination bodies — at different times and in response to various events and needs. The overall number of constructs has grown, and the poor integration among them can worsen emergency management services and disaster outcomes.

Researchers reviewed 31 FEMA-selected constructs for opportunities to streamline, simplify, and strengthen the system, assessing how overlap, duplication, and fragmentation could affect implementation and outcomes. In this report, the researchers describe options for addressing the issues and impacts identified. Some options are designed to address specific impacts or individual constructs, while others propose broader solutions that would transform the emergency management system. Truly transformative changes generally require a broad consensus and engagement by multiple actors and would therefore likely be more difficult than smaller-scale changes to achieve. However, adoption of such options also offers the greatest opportunity for significant streamlining. The authors also discuss trade-offs in costs and unintended consequences.

Key Findings

  • Stakeholders agree that integration among the set of constructs is a key issue.
  • The volume and complexity of constructs create burdens on stakeholders.
  • The frequency with which constructs are updated increases complexity and stakeholder burden.
  • Stakeholders are uncertain about when and how to apply constructs.
  • The overlap in construct purposes prevents measuring against a single standard.
  • The overlapping, fragmented frameworks lack a unified approach to risk management.
  • Risk assessments require duplicate effort.
  • Lessons learned from exercises are not fully operationalized.
  • Grants overlap in mission areas and beneficiaries.
  • Stakeholders perceive overlap between community lifelines, core capabilities, emergency support functions, and lines of effort.

Recommendations

  • Formally define and organize a system of constructs.
  • Establish rules to reduce the number and complexity of constructs.
  • Implement a clear and transparent update process for Community Lifelines, core capabilities, emergency support functions, and lines of effort.
  • Create a customer-experience office or function.
  • Improve communication with construct users.
  • Create a new lessons-learned information system.
  • Provide lessons-learned assistance to state, local, tribal, and territorial entities.
  • Develop processes and planning actions to help stakeholders with the transition to Grants Outcomes.
  • Enhance education, training, and communication for Community Lifelines, core capabilities, emergency support functions, and lines of effort.
  • Consolidate the five frameworks into two: risk mitigation and consequence management.
  • Adopt a common risk lexicon for the frameworks.
  • Develop an integrated risk assessment.
  • Consolidate preparedness and mitigation grants.
  • Expand the use of core capabilities to include mitigation grants.
  • Ensure that Community Lifelines and core capabilities remain clearly aligned and consistently applied to their intended purposes.

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Citation

RAND Style Manual
Barnosky, Jason Thomas, Andrew Lauland, Michelle E. Miro, Jay Balagna, Liisa Ecola, Soo Kim, Chelsea Kolb, Kristin J. Leuschner, Ian Mitch, Andrew M. Parker, Leslie Adrienne Payne, Carter C. Price, Tucker Reese, Liam Regan, Susan A. Resetar, Christopher M. Schnaubelt, Rachel Steratore, and Karen M. Sudkamp, Streamlining Emergency Management: Issues, Impacts, and Options for Improvement, Homeland Security Operational Analysis Center operated by the RAND Corporation, RR-A1440-5, 2022. As of September 4, 2024: https://www.rand.org/pubs/research_reports/RRA1440-5.html
Chicago Manual of Style
Barnosky, Jason Thomas, Andrew Lauland, Michelle E. Miro, Jay Balagna, Liisa Ecola, Soo Kim, Chelsea Kolb, Kristin J. Leuschner, Ian Mitch, Andrew M. Parker, Leslie Adrienne Payne, Carter C. Price, Tucker Reese, Liam Regan, Susan A. Resetar, Christopher M. Schnaubelt, Rachel Steratore, and Karen M. Sudkamp, Streamlining Emergency Management: Issues, Impacts, and Options for Improvement. Homeland Security Operational Analysis Center operated by the RAND Corporation, 2022. https://www.rand.org/pubs/research_reports/RRA1440-5.html.
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This research was sponsored by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), and conducted within the Disaster Research and Analysis Program of the Homeland Security Operational Analysis Center.

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