State Exercise Requirements
Counties that receive matching federal funds are required to exercise their emergency plans at least once a year. These exercises are activities that simulate emergency management operations for specifically stated purposes. Local jurisdictions that receive matching federal funds are required to conduct at least one exercise per year (October 1-September 30). These exercises may be tabletop, functional, or full-scale. Each participating county must conduct at least one full-scale exercise every four years. No later than 30 days prior to conducting an exercise, counties must submit to MEMA’s Exercise Bureau the location, time, date, scenario and objectives of the exercise. The final report, with any corrective actions noted, will be submitted on a FEMA Form 95-44 Emergency Management Exercise Reporting Form. This form will be replaced by an updated version on October 1, 2009.
Actual occurrences may be submitted for credit for a functional or full scale exercise, provided the following documentation is submitted for consideration within 90 working days after the occurrence. Information to include in submittal is:
- A formal Emergency Declaration of a disaster by the chief executive officer of the jurisdiction or the governor of the state or the president of the United States.
- Warning of the population in the affected area.
- Actual evacuation and/or sheltering of population.
- Activation of the EOC (alert notification, staff assembly of the EOC and implementation of the jurisdiction's Emergency Operations Plan).
- Response requiring assets outside the jurisdiction, for example, mutual aid agreements or relief from national emergency relief organization.
- Media reports of the event.
All actual occurrences will be reported to the state on the FEMA Form 95-44, with documentation, for consideration.
If you have any questions on exercise requirements, contact MEMA’s Exercise Bureau at 601-933-6887.