Florida Emergency GIS Response Team
This effort is develop Florida Emergency GIS Response Team (EGRT). Modeled after the Texas EGRT (http://www.texasegrt.org), local and state government GIS professionals will be organized into a rapidly deployable GIS resource built to support special events, disaster response, and recovery efforts.
For more information, join the Florida EGRT Google Group or see the contacts below.
Contacts:
- Jason Ray, FDEM GIS Administrator, 850-815-4730
- Scott Warner, Bay County Public Safety GIS, 850-248-6041
Standard Operating Guidelines
FL EGRT Standard Operational Guidelines (SOG) for the team are under development, and your comments are welcome. You may review this Google Document and make comments within it.
Additionally, National Alliance for Public Safety GIS (NAPSG) has GIS Standard Operating Guides that a provide a set of guidelines for coordinating geospatial emergency response efforts. These guidelines are intended to serve as a shared foundation, encouraging improved communication and collaboration amongst GIS and other emergency management staff preparing for and responding to incidents.
FL EGRT proposes to base their SOGs on the NAPSG GIS Standard Operating Guides.
GIS Typing
National Incident Management System (NIMS) is a systematic, proactive approach to guide departments and agencies at all levels of government, nongovernmental organizations, and the private sector to work together seamlessly and manage incidents involving all threats and hazards—regardless of cause, size, location, or complexity.
A component of NIMS is Resource Typing -- defining and categorizing, by capability, the resources requested, deployed and used in incidents.
An issue GIS support to incident response is that GIS positions and teams have not been officially typed within the system.
Believing that GIS professionals and staff that are dedicated to supporting the public safety mission require a unique combination of knowledge, skills, and abilities in order to effectively support emergency operations, and that establishing minimum criteria and qualifications for GIS personnel and teams for the Nation is critical to building the Public Safety GIS Workforce, National Alliance for Public Safety GIS (NAPSG) has developed the first version of Position Qualification Sheets and Resource Types/Packages.
FL EGRT proposes to follow the NAPSG Position Qualification Sheets and Resource Type/Packages.
Training
If you are interested in becoming a Florida EGRT volunteer, please see specific requirements by position within the NAPSG Position Qualification Sheets and Resource Types/Packages, as well as this general information:
- Complete these three FEMA courses (click the links to access the FEMA website)
- Review the FL EGRT Standard Operational Guidelines (under development)
Required FEMA Training Courses
IS-100.b: Introduction to Incident Command System
HINT: Use this link to access the course summary and use it during the test.
IS-700.a: National Incident Management System (NIMS) – An Introduction
HINT: Use this link to access the course summary and use it during the test.
HINT: Use this link to access the course summary and use it during the test.
You may also want to have your Emergency Management Coordinator to take this course so that they will better understand the value of GIS in the EOC.
IS-922: Applications of GIS for Emergency Management (optional)
HINT: Use this link to access the course summary and use it during the test.
Additional FEMA courses that you should consider taking:
IS-200.b: ICS for Single Resources and Initial Action Incidents (optional)
HINT: Use this link to access the course summary and use it during the test.
IS-800.b: National Response Framework – An Introduction
HINT: Use this link to access the course summary and use it during the test.
