16th Meeting of the Joint U.S.-Russia Committee on Cooperation in Emergency Management
The U.S.-Russia Bilateral Presidential Commission Working Group on Emergency Situations, and the 16th Meeting of the Joint U.S.-Russia Committee on Cooperation in Emergency Management, took place in Vladivostok, Russia on October 8. The meeting brought together Vladimir Puchkov, Minister for Civil Defense, Emergencies and Elimination of the Consequences of Natural Disasters, and Timothy Manning, Deputy Administrator for Protection and National Preparedness for the Federal Emergency Management Association (FEMA) for talks on disaster forecasting, the exchange of best practices, and joint training.
Russia and United States Participate Jointly in NATO Exercise
From August 27 to September 2, both FEMA and EMERCOM sent representatives to observe the NATO Civil Emergency Preparedness Exercise, “CODRII 2011,” in and around Chisinau, Moldova. “CODRII 2011” was organized by NATO’s Euro-Atlantic Disaster Response Coordination Center and involved a simulated earthquake with resulting victims, damage to critical infrastructure, chemical accidents, and a radiological incident. Approximately 1,300 civilian and military Moldovan and international participants from over 20 NATO and partner countries participated, making this the largest exercise of its kind that NATO has ever conducted. FEMA and EMERCOM’s participation fulfilled a joint work plan goal laid out on July 18 at the Working Group’s annual meeting in Boston.
Disaster Management Forum Focuses on Public-Private Partnerships
On September 21-23, the U.S. Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) held the “Fifth Senior Disaster Management Officials Forum” in San Francisco as part of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Emergency Preparedness Working Group. Over 60 participants from 18 member economies participated in the Forum, which was chaired by FEMA Deputy Administrator Tim Manning and focused on public-private partnerships. The Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations (EMERCOM) sent a five-member delegation to the APEC event, building upon previous joint efforts with the United States in multilateral organizations. The “Sixth Senior Disaster Management Officials Forum” will be held in Vladivostok, Russia in fall 2012, with a focus on national crisis management centers and their integration into international networks.
FEMA and EMERCOM Discuss Lessons Learned from Recent Disasters
The 15th annual meeting of U.S.-Russia Joint Committee on Emergency Management and the 2nd Annual Meeting of the Bilateral Presidential Commission Working Group on Cooperation in Emergency Management took place in Boston, Massachusetts, July 18-19. The group discussed a whole community approach to disaster preparedness and response and held a panel discussion on lessons learned from recent international disaster responses, including the Haiti and Japan earthquake/tsunami. Additionally, they discussed lessons learned from the 2010 Russian wildfires as well as current trends and opportunities for cooperation in the field of mass transportation security. Read more at the FEMA Blog»
EMERCOM Earns Internationally-recognized INSARAG Status
Short: From June 27-July 1, the Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations (EMERCOM) hosted an international team of disaster relief specialists to observe and assess their live field exercises and disaster relief simulations as they pursued—and earned—the highest United Nation’s International Search and Rescue Advisory Group (INSARAG) status. Read more»
EMERCOM Hosts Superintendent Onieal in Russia
On May 19, Dr. Denis Onieal, Superintendent of FEMA’s U.S. Fire Academy and Acting Deputy Administrator of the U.S. Fire Administration, travelled to Russia and addressed an EMERCOM conference entitled “Preparing for Disasters.” Speaking on the organizational and operational aspects of disaster preparedness and response, Dr. Onieal shared his experience from September 12, 2001, when he led the U.S. Fire Administration’s team at the World Trade Center to help the New York City Fire Department re-establish their systems of command, control, and on-site communications.
National Level Exercise 2011
On May 16, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) kicked off the National Level Exercise 2011 (NLE2011), which focused on a scenario involving a catastrophic earthquake in the central United States. Read more»
EMERCOM Hosts U.S. Disaster Assistance Delegation
December 8-10, Acting Director of USAID Office of U.S. Foreign Disaster Assistance Mark Ward travelled to Moscow and met with EMERCOM officials to discuss opportunities for cooperation on disaster assistance issues. As a result of these consultations, future exchanges on effective disaster management and joint exercises on cooperative disaster response are being organized. Minister Shoygu of EMERCOM and Administrator Fugate of FEMA are expected to preside over a formal working group meeting in the Spring of 2011.
First Co-Chairs Meeting of the Emergency Situations Working Group
On July 23, 2010, Administrator Craig W. Fugate co-chaired the first co-chairs meeting of the Emergency Situations Working Group of the U.S.-Russia Bilateral Presidential Commission in Moscow with Russian Emergency Situations Minister Sergey K. Shoigu. At the meeting, the U.S. and Russia shared best practices on a variety of emergency response management topics and worked to outline future goals and objectives. Read more and watch a video of Administrator Fugate talk about Emergency Management Cooperation. Press Release and Video»
FEMA Press Conference
Press Conference was held following this year’s annual meeting of the FEMA/EMERCOM Joint Committee Working Group. Press Release» Video»
