The Competitive Training Grants Program (CTGP) awards funds to competitively selected applicants to develop and deliver innovative training programs addressing high priority national homeland security training needs. The primary purpose of the CTGP is to support training initiatives that are national in scope and further the FEMA mission to reduce the loss of life and property and protect the Nation from all hazards, including natural disasters, acts of terrorism, and other man-made disasters, by leading and supporting the Nation in a risk-based, comprehensive emergency management system of preparedness, protection, response, recovery, and mitigation.
Entities eligible to receive CTGP funding include:
- nonprofit organizations
- private corporations working in conjunction with the nonprofit sector
- national associations representing public safety agencies
- institutions of higher education
The FY 2008 CTGP represents the fifth consecutive year for this important national training initiative. In previous years, CTGP funding has enabled the development of 52 training programs, many of which are currently delivering courses to Federal, State, local, Tribal, and Territorial first responders. Since its inception in FY 2004, and including FY 2008 awards, DHS has awarded approximately $148 million through the CTGP awards. These awards have been used by universities and other organizations for the development and delivery of training programs to strengthen national preparedness initiatives for first responders, public officials, and citizens. CTGP is highly competitive, whereas in:
- FY 2004, 217 applications were submitted, and roughly $33.65 million was awarded to 14 organizations
- FY 2005, 267 applications were submitted, and roughly $30 million was awarded to 15 organizations
- FY 2006, 207 applications were submitted, and roughly $28.81 million was awarded to 11 organizations
- FY 2007, 189 applications were submitted, and roughly $29 million was awarded to 12 organizations
- FY 2008, 232 applications were submitted , and roughly $27 million is being awarded to 11 organizations
Applications for CTGP grants are judged according to specific criteria that stress a cross-disciplinary approach to training, partnerships to maximize program impact, and strong program performance measures. Other factors, such as the proposed program's scope and relevance to the preparedness priorities outlined in the National Preparedness Guidelines, are also considered.
All proposals undergo a rigorous, independent peer review evaluation by representatives of academia and industry, and practitioners at the federal, state, and local levels. From the hundreds of applications submitted, DHS selects those that best meet the specified criteria within the CTGP's budgetary limits.
The following eleven organizations are recipients of the FY 2008 Competitive Training Grants Program:
NW3C, Inc. National White Collar Crime Center, Glen Allen, VA
NW3C Intelligence Analyst Training Project
$1,799,755The proposed Intelligence Analyst Training Project will build on NW3C's Foundations of Intelligence Analysis Training (FIAT) and Advanced Criminal Intelligence Analysis to Prevent Terrorism (ACIAPT). FIAT provides basic intelligence training and ACIAPT takes a hands-on, all-crimes approach to advanced training for analysts, including those in fusion centers. The project will deliver forty (40) FIAT classes, forty (40) ACIAPT classes and twenty-five (25) Intelligence Writing and Presentation Training classes, for a total of 105 classes during the three-year period. Approximately 2,100 will be trained.
University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN
Training to Enhance Effective and Timely Sharing of Information and Intelligence on the Importation and Transportation of Food, Food Ingredients and Animal Feed in the U.S.
$2,367,011This proposed training will promote intelligence information sharing and dissemination between federal, state and local officials and the private sector on the topic of importation and transportation of food, food ingredients and animal feed. The training program will include an online course, a training video and a one-day, instructor-led course that will be delivered in the local community for federal, state, local, tribal, regional and private sector entities. Over three years, the online course will be launched, the video disseminated and the instructor-led course will be delivered at 45 locations nationwide. Approximately 7,800 will be trained.
City of Los Angeles, Los Angeles Police Department
National Consortium for Intelligence-Led Policing (NCILP)
$2,489,211The Los Angeles Police Department proposes the creation of a National Consortium on Intelligence-Led Policing (NCILP) that will serve as an ILP training resource for state and local police departments nationwide. Together they will design five separate curricula that will teach state and local law enforcement how to apply ILP strategies and fuse intelligence to counter terrorism, gangs, organized crime and human smuggling. They will also create Web-based ILP instruction. Six-hour training days will be held an average of two times a month for three months. Two cadres of 60 personnel each will be trained on each day. Each curriculum will contain a large capstone project and a series of evaluative exercises. Approximately 4,680 people will be trained.
George Mason University, Fairfax, VA
Enterprise Risk Management Training for Protecting Critical Energy Infrastructures
$3,540,510The proposed program will train energy sector executives and leaders in how to understand infrastructure protection and resiliency needs within the context of Enterprise Risk Management (ERM), a tool commonly used by the business community to identify, prioritize, mitigate and manage a wide range of risks. The training will explain ERM principles, elements of hazards analysis and how to map National Infrastructure Protection Plan concepts and principles into an ERM model. Approximately 1,000 will be trained.
University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN
Training to Enhance Regional Collaboration and Utilize the National Credentialing Standards for Animal Emergency Responders to Effectively Manage All Hazards Disaster Response and Recovery
$2,322,493The proposed training will target state and local officials with a responsibility for management of all hazards disaster response and recovery. An instructor-led course will be primarily exercise-based with scenarios and video injects to illustrate the process of resource typing and use of credentialing standards to facilitate effective management of resources between the public and private sectors and across state lines. The training program will include an online course and a 1½ day instructor-led management level course that will be delivered in the local community. Approximately 7,300 will be trained.
International Association of Fire Chiefs, Fairfax, VA
Local Training for Regional Assessment and Collaboration
$2,974,989The proposed training program will help local jurisdictions significantly enhance their regional capabilities in addressing catastrophic events by promoting effective collaboration and regional response capabilities. The training will help jurisdictions identify gaps and establish partnerships within their regions. Using a web-accessible tool, participants will be able to conduct a self-assessment of existing preparedness capabilities. The instructor-led, classroom portion of the training will be delivered twice within each of the ten (10) FEMA regions with a target of at least 150-200 attendees with an overall goal of reaching 3,500 total trainees.
Meals on Wheels Association of America, Inc., Alexandria, VA
Emergency Preparedness Volunteer Training Initiative
$1,100,000The proposed training will create specialized online emergency preparedness training that approximately 5,000 Meals On Wheels (MOW) programs can use to develop a trained volunteer workforce capable of: 1) screening isolated, homebound clients to identify those at greatest risk in the event of an emergency; and 2) increasing client preparedness by providing clients and caregivers with appropriate information and educational materials. The program will also serve as a means of enhancing client safety through MOW programs' coordination of resources (volunteers and information) with local emergency preparedness and response organizations. Approximately 5,000 will be trained.
National Partnership for Environmental Technology Education, South Portland, ME
Community College Citizen Preparedness Program
$3,500,000The proposed program will train U.S. citizens through a national community college network on specific protective actions to save lives and minimize injuries after a hazardous incident and before the arrival of first responders. The program will prepare two instructor-led training courses to be delivered to a national audience through community colleges and their partner organizations, based on a comprehensive national needs assessment, and prepare 120 strategically located community colleges through a train-the-trainer program. Approximately 4,000 will be trained.
American College of Emergency Physicians, Irving, TX
All Hazards Preparedness Training for Children and Adults through Interactive Web-based Games
$1,558,570The proposed program will develop an online course to teach citizens how to prepare for catastrophic events and respond to minor injuries in case a surge of serious, life-threatening injuries prevents the immediate availability of emergency medical care. The ACEP will develop three separate interactive web-based games to train three target audiences: parents/adults; 1st through 4th grade children; and 5th through 8th grade children. Approximately 100,000 will be trained.
University of Rhode Island, Kingston, RI
Mass Evacuation for Institutions of Higher Education
$1,931,783The proposed training program will focus on "communities within communities," such as higher education institutions and will assess, develop and maintain a comprehensive mass evacuation plan to increase the survival rate in the event of a critical incident. This training program will introduce basic concepts in mass evacuation, disaster psychology and the mechanics of pedestrian evacuation via a web-based delivery. The program will be delivered in two parts, a web-based introduction and an on-site follow-up. Approximately 5,700 people will be trained.
Yale New Haven Health System, New Haven, CT
Responding to the Unique Evacuation and Shelter-in-Place Needs of Medically Dependent People During a Disaster Situation
$3,617,678The proposed training program will equip local and regional emergency planners and responders with homeland security related responsibilities to address the unique evacuation and shelter-in-place requirements of medically dependent persons residing in high occupancy facilities, including hospitals, nursing homes and assisted living facilities. Course content will focus on pre-event preparation, tactical operations for evacuation and sheltering-in-place during a disaster and strategies for returning individuals to their place of residence at the conclusion of the disaster. Approximately 2,000 will be trained via the instructor-led course and 33,000 in the online course.