A Guidebook for Integrating NIMS for Personnel and Resources at Airports (2014)

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29 In order to learn the underpinnings of NIMS/ICS it is helpful to complete at least some basic training courses. Chapter 3 discussed which NIMS/ICS courses are most relevant for airports, given the role that airport stakeholders are assigned during incidents or events. This chapter explains what funding might be available to cover the costs of training in courses that are not already free and easily accessible through the online courses offered by the FEMA. The official training curricula for the various levels of the NIMS/ICS are generated from FEMA and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). The courses then are offered to relevant government and community entities that are involved in emergency preparedness and disaster response and recovery. The courses are taught at federal, state, and local training facilities and many are available online. The federal government pays for course development and materials and trains and certifies trainers who teach the courses at the Emergency Management Institute in Emmitsburg, MD, and elsewhere under contract. FEMA also sets up the online courses. Most states also maintain a cadre of NIMS/ICS certified trainers. It has been established that most of the NIMS/ICS courses airport staff and other airport-related personnel would want to take are available without charge and can be completed individually as convenient. While FEMA’s NIMS training online is convenient and adequate for the lower-level courses, the higher-level course are generally offered in a classroom setting with an instructor. In this way students can become engaged in the interactive, practical applications of NIMS and ICS and tabletop exercises with colleagues, and learn through class discussions. Are there sources of funding that airports can tap to cover the costs of higher-level courses— those requiring classroom participation and a more extensive time commitment? What about paying for coverage or overtime so staff can attend the training during regular work-week hours or on weekends? Unfortunately, the U.S. DOT and the FAA do not provide grant funds to airports for NIMS/ICS training, nor coverage for labor hours spent in the pursuit of training. However, training is an eligible activity under some of the grant programs funded by DHS. Before an airport pursues any DHS grant possibilities for training, they should consider what other alternatives might be possible to support training. Grant recipients often do not count on the level of effort that goes along with government-funded programs, which come with their own set of required reports, certifications, and justifications. Managing the paperwork and ensuring that all criteria are met can demand more staff time than is apparent at the outset and that has to be factored into the cost. It is important to discern first what the true cost of training will be and then whether govern- ment grants are necessary or whether the costs could be covered in other ways. Some issues to consider are: • How expensive is the training? How many staff members need to be trained overall and how many need to take the higher-level courses? C H A P T E R 4 Covering the Costs of Training

30 A Guidebook for Integrating NIMS for Personnel and Resources at Airports • Does the airport want to create an NIMS/ICS training program customized to the airport environment and the specific stakeholders at the airport and resources in the community, or would the airport prefer to use the standard curricula and make internal adjustments as necessary? • What is the difference in costs between the above two alternatives? • Are there other entities (local government emergency response or emergency management departments, for example) that offer the training and would allow the airport to participate? Is this a faster, simpler solution? • Are there other relevant entities with which the airport could share the work of grant applica- tions and the implementation of training, e.g. airlines, mutual aid partners, or the Red Cross? • Is there other, nearby critical infrastructure such as a port, a nuclear power plant, a dam, or a train station with which the airport could share NIMS/ICS training costs? • Are there major industrial, manufacturing, or commercial employers in the area that would be interested in emergency awareness training and would sponsor or co-sponsor a couple of the courses? • Is it possible to have a few individuals trained in a “train-the-trainer” fashion at the airport to better manage an internal training program? Many airports have been joining their local government emergency services agencies in NIMS/ICS training courses that are sponsored and financially supported by the local govern- ment entity. Costs to the airport typically would be minimal and there is the additional benefit of jointly training with other stakeholders in the community. State emergency management and fire training centers also provide NIMS/ICS training. Airports may find many advantages in working with their neighboring mutual aid agencies or registering for classes offered by one of the state agencies. With few exceptions, airport personnel can find NIMS training nearby; travel to distant locations typically is not required. Nearly all of the NIMS/ICS courses that are appropriate for airport personnel are free and available online from the FEMA. Table 8 compares the costs and course fees among the previously described options of training supported by federal, state, and local government and by hiring a trainer to lead the courses. Possible DHS Grant Programs DHS enhances the ability of states, local, and tribal jurisdictions, and other regional authori- ties to prepare for, prevent, and respond to terrorist attacks and other disasters. DHS grant funds are distributed to state governments, which then make funding awards statewide to successful public sector applicants, typically, cities, counties, and regional coalitions. Grant monies can be used to meet planning, equipment, training and exercise needs. Publicly owned and operated airports could possibly qualify for certain types of homeland security grant awards, though to be competitive and to meet the government’s strategic goals for these grants, the airport should be part of a regional solution, as interagency integration and impact are key for scoring well in the grant programs. If an airport determines it is in its best interests to pursue DHS funding to enable NIMS/ICS training, it is helpful to know which of the different types of grant programs are more likely to support training. Each program serves a different purpose and has different characteristics, and finding the best fit among the options can be frustrating. There are two main grant programs that airports could examine for possible training support: 1) the Homeland Security Grant Program (HSGP) (which has three sub-components) and 2) the Port Security Grant Program (PSGP). Keep in mind that the federal grant dollars flow to the states (the state administrative agencies or SAAs) and from there to local governments, including the 31 designated urban area strategic

Covering the Costs of Training 31 Course Location Fee, Lodging, and Meals Participants Federal: National Emergency Training Center and National Fire Academy Incident Command System (ICS 100, 200, 300, 400) Online None Federal, state, and local agencies and private companies NIMS (IS 700) National Response Framework (IS 800) NIMS, ICS All Hazards Position Specific On site at EMI or off site No fee. $25 per night and up to $15 per mealNIMS, ICS All Hazards Position Specific Train the Trainer State Example:Maryland Fire and Rescue Institute Incident Command System (ICS 100, 200, 300, 400) On site at training facilities in Maryland None MD emergencyservices personnel State Example: Oklahoma Fire Service Training Incident Command System (ICS 300, 400) On site at training facilities in Oklahoma None OK emergencyservices responders NIMS, ICS All Hazards L 950 State Example: TEEX, Emergency Services Training Institute Incident Command System (ICS 100, 200, 300*, 400*) On site at client location Approx. $250 $500 per student depending on course, size of class, and location. Federal, state, and local agencies and private companies NIMS (IS 700) National Response Framework (IS 800) Private ICS Training Company Incident Command System (ICS 100, 200, 300, 400) On site at client location $25 – 50K depending on course(s) and size of class. Federal, state, and local agencies and private companies NIMS (IS 700) National Response Framework (IS 800) Private Training Instructor Incident Command System (ICS 100, 200, 300, 400) On site at client location $1,500 $4,000 per course depending on course and size of audience Federal, state, and local agencies and private companies NIMS (IS 700) National Response Framework (IS 800) * TEEX offers classes to enhance the skills learned in these courses. Classes include hands-on training at TEEX’s training facility where students apply the skills learned in ICS-300 and -400. Classes range from $200k-$250k for 50 students and include training, lodging, and meals. Table 8. Comparison of NIMS/ICS training course costs by type of resource.

32 A Guidebook for Integrating NIMS for Personnel and Resources at Airports initiative areas (UASIs). Airports will need to be part of local government, work with their local government, or work with a regional emergency management/homeland security governmental consortium. Funding will not come directly to an airport from the federal government. Homeland Security Grant Program Table 9 describes each HSGP program component. More information is available at: https:// portal.fema.gov. Port Security Grant Program PSGP focuses on transportation infrastructure security activities to implement area maritime transportation security plans and facility security plans. It also supports increased portwide risk management; enhanced domain awareness; training and exercises; expansion of port recovery and resiliency capabilities; and further capabilities to prevent, detect, respond to, and recover from attacks involving improvised explosive devices (IED) and other nonconventional weapons. While at first glance it might not appear as though this source is a logical one for airports, it very well can be for those airports located next to or near a port and where there would be shared risk. Since it is a competitive grant program, seaports might find it advantageous to include airports in any grant applications that cover training and exercises as this would indicate a “bigger bang for the buck” and intermodal integration. Ports are organized into three groups based on risk level with Group 1 (seven port areas) being the highest. There are 48 and 35 port areas, respectively, in Groups II and III. Table 9. Description of HSGP grant components. Name of HSGP Grant Component Description Eligible Recipients State Homeland Security Program Helps support state and local government emergency management agencies. All 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, American Samoa, Guam, Northern Mariana Islands, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Local governments receive funds through the SAAs. UASIs Addresses the unique planning, organization, equipment, training, and exercise needs of high-threat, high- density urban areas, and assists them in building an enhanced and sustainable capacity to prevent, protect against, mitigate, respond to, and recover from acts of terrorism. The 31 highest risk urban areas and the states in which they are located. Operation Stone Garden Intended to enhance cooperation and coordination among local, tribal, territorial, state, and federal law enforcement agencies in a joint mission to secure the United States’ borders along routes of ingress from international borders to include travel corridors in states bordering Mexico and Canada, as well as states and territories with international water borders. Local units of government at the county level and federally recognized tribal governments in the states bordering Canada (including Alaska), southern states bordering Mexico and states and territories with International water borders may apply through their SAAs.