CPWM Emergency Management 5 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A public works agency wants to reduce its vulnerability to future flood damage to critical facilities. Which FEMA program should it pursue?
- Public Assistance Category E
- Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP)
- Pre-Disaster Mitigation (PDM) Grant Program — now BRIC (Correct answer)
- Community Development Block Grant Disaster Recovery (CDBG-DR)
Correct answer: Pre-Disaster Mitigation (PDM) Grant Program — now BRIC
The Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC) program (formerly PDM) provides pre-disaster mitigation funding to reduce future vulnerabilities before a disaster occurs.
Question 2: What is the key distinguishing feature of a 'Category A' versus 'Category B' project in FEMA's Public Assistance Program?
- Category A covers debris removal; Category B covers emergency protective measures (Correct answer)
- Category A covers roads; Category B covers buildings
- Category A covers temporary repairs; Category B covers permanent repairs
- Category A is for small projects; Category B is for large projects
Correct answer: Category A covers debris removal; Category B covers emergency protective measures
In FEMA's PA Program, Category A specifically covers debris removal while Category B covers emergency protective measures taken to save lives and protect property.
Question 3: During a hazardous materials incident involving a public works crew, who has primary jurisdiction and authority at the scene?
- Public works department as the owner of affected infrastructure
- The agency with hazmat certification and response authority, typically fire department (Correct answer)
- The state environmental agency
- The federal EPA on-scene coordinator
Correct answer: The agency with hazmat certification and response authority, typically fire department
Hazmat incidents fall under the jurisdiction of agencies with hazmat response authority (typically the fire department), and public works should support rather than lead these operations.
Question 4: A public works director is asked to justify pre-positioning equipment and materials before a forecasted hurricane. What emergency management principle best supports this decision?
- Managed care principle
- Pre-event staging to reduce response time and protect life safety (Correct answer)
- Fiscal conservatism in emergency spending
- Standardized resource deployment protocol
Correct answer: Pre-event staging to reduce response time and protect life safety
Pre-positioning resources before an event is a recognized best practice that dramatically reduces response time and supports life-safety objectives once the event occurs.
Question 5: When conducting damage assessments after a disaster, public works officials should coordinate with which entity to ensure consistent documentation for federal assistance?
- The local chamber of commerce
- The state emergency management agency and FEMA joint field office (Correct answer)
- The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers only
- The state auditor's office
Correct answer: The state emergency management agency and FEMA joint field office
Coordination with the state emergency management agency and the FEMA Joint Field Office ensures that damage documentation meets federal standards required for Public Assistance eligibility.
Question 6: A public works manager is developing training requirements for staff on emergency operations. Which training framework should guide the development of emergency management competencies?
- Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) 300 series
- FEMA's National Incident Management System (NIMS) training curriculum (Correct answer)
- American Public Works Association (APWA) professional development series
- Department of Transportation emergency response guidelines
Correct answer: FEMA's National Incident Management System (NIMS) training curriculum
NIMS training (ICS-100, 200, 300, 400, 700, 800) is the federally required framework for emergency management competencies and is a condition of receiving federal preparedness grants.
Question 7: After a major disaster, a public works agency discovers that private utilities were damaged but they are co-located with public infrastructure the agency maintains. Who is responsible for the cost of repairing the private utility lines?
- The public agency since the utilities are on public right-of-way
- The private utility company, as FEMA PA does not cover privately owned facilities (Correct answer)
- Costs are split 50/50 between the agency and the utility under mutual aid provisions
- FEMA covers all co-located utility damage regardless of ownership
Correct answer: The private utility company, as FEMA PA does not cover privately owned facilities
FEMA PA only reimburses eligible applicants for damage to publicly owned facilities; private utilities must fund their own repairs even when co-located with public infrastructure.
CPWM Emergency Management 5
A public works agency wants to reduce its vulnerability to future flood damage to critical facilities.
Which FEMA program should it pursue?