IAEM TRIBAL AFFAIRS COMMITTEE
Tim Sanders, Chair
Vicki Harguth, Vice-Chair

Tribal Affairs Committee 2003 Report

Reference Guide for IAEM Members

In March of 2003, the Tribal Affairs Committee developed and submitted its “Tribal Governments in the United States”, a short reference guide for IAEM members. The guide can be read or downloaded from the IAEM web site. It provides information about the status of tribal governments in the United States, the constitutional basis for the unique relationship with the federal government, what federal recognition means, and other useful information. The release of this guide fulfilled one of the goals the committee set for completion in 2003.

Increased Tribal Membership in IAEM

Another goal the committee set for 2003 was to increase tribal membership in IAEM. At least 3 new members representing tribal government became members in 2003. The Committee Chairperson advocated for membership in the organization at various functions, meetings, and other events throughout the year. The committee will continue their recruitment efforts. In order to be most successful, IAEM and the Tribal Affairs Committee must be able to demonstrate tangible benefits for tribal representatives. We are competing with numerous organizations for a limited amount of funding that can be used to support membership.

IAEM Position Paper in Support of S. 578

The Tribal Affairs Committee drafted a position paper in support of S.578, Tribal Government Amendments to the Homeland Security Act. This bill proposes to make a technical correction to the Act that would properly recognize tribal governments and the unique relationship with the federal government. Currently both the Stafford Act and the Homeland Security Act have identified tribal governments under the definition of “local governments”. This precludes tribal government from working directly with the federal government with regard to many of the programs and services provided by FEMA and the Department of Homeland Security. The position paper was approved by the Government Affairs Committee and forward to the IAEM Board for approval. In August, the Board formally approved the position paper.

Also related to this bill, Tim Sanders, the Tribal Affairs Committee Chairman, testified on behalf of the Gila River Indian Community at a hearing held by the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs. His testimony was in support of S.578 and also offered recommendations for enhancing tribal government participation in the emergency management and homeland security programs in the country.

Tribal Capability Assessment for Readiness

Another goal of the Committee was to urge FEMA to produce and release the Tribal Capability Assessment for Readiness (T-CAR) instrument. This instrument was developed by tribal emergency management representatives and FEMA specifically for use by tribal governments to assess their emergency management programs. The T-CAR was developed because the baseline measure and infrastructure in Indian Country is much lower than most counties, cities, towns, villages, and states. The existing instruments were not designed to capture this lower capability level. In 2003 the T-CAR was made available to tribal governments, both in hard copy and on CD. The Tribal Affairs Committee may also like to see a web-based version of this instrument in the future.

Committee Action Items for 2004

The Tribal Affairs Committee held a meeting at the IAEM Annual Conference on November 16, 2003 to review 2003 goals and objectives and establish new ones for 2004. We were pleased to have 7 people at the meeting. There are some emerging issues and trends that contributed to some interest in the Tribal Affairs Committee. One of the main issues appears to be in the area of bio-terrorism preparedness and the needed coordination with tribal government health departments.

2004 Goals and Initiatives

Identify Tribal Emergency Managers

We want to identify the person responsible for emergency management in tribal governments across the country. This will be a tremendous effort as there are over 560 federally recognized tribal governments. During this effort, we want to be able to provide information on how membership in IAEM could benefit these managers and also to ask if there are recommendations as to how the organization could be of benefit or assistance. We will be working with FEMA Regional Offices and others to get this information.

Survey Tribal Emergency Management Programs

As we begin to identify the tribal emergency managers, we want to survey those programs to determine several factors, including:

• Integration with county and state emergency management efforts and programs;
• Integration of tribal public health capabilities with emergency management;
• Training and expertise levels among tribal emergency managers and staff;
• Computer capabilities and internet connectivity.

Emergency Information Infrastructure Project Pilot Group

The Committee wants to solicit a core group of tribal representatives for participation in the Virtual Forum hosted by EIIP. Initially we are going to contact the Inter Tribal Council of Arizona and the Great Lakes Inter Tribal Council ( Minnesota, Michigan, and Wisconsin) to see if there may be some interest in participating. As we identify potential participants we will work with EIIP to get this pilot project implemented.

Develop and Deliver Educational and Outreach Materials

The Committee will develop educational and outreach materials to further promote understanding of tribal governments and their roles and participation in emergency management and homeland security. We want to make these materials and Tribal Affairs Committee members available to:

• Volunteer Agencies and Groups;
• IAEM Members;
• Department of Homeland Security;
• The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; and
• Others that may be identified.

Develop a Presentation for the 2004 IAEM Conference

The Committee feels that it is very important that we enhance our efforts to educate the IAEM membership about tribal governments in general and the issues with regard to emergency management and homeland security. We want to develop a presentation that could be available for the 2004 IAEM Conference either as a breakout session, exhibit hall booth, display room similar to the one for the International Committee that was at the 2003 Conference, or some other suitable format. We will work with the Conference Committee and the IAEM Board and Leadership on this issue.

IAEM Participation at EMI Tribal Training

Emergency Management Framework for Tribal Governments, E580, was developed specifically for tribal officials who are implementing emergency management programs. It is delivered at EMI in March and August each year and includes a “share fair” on the last afternoon session. Participants include the National Weather Service, FEMA, USGS, Amateur Radio folks, and others who provide services and support for emergency managers. The course manager has agreed to provide space for an IAEM booth at this share fair. We have asked the Executive Director to participate in this program and believe IAEM participation will benefit the students, and could help our recruitment efforts.

Summary

The Tribal Affairs Committee was established only three years ago. We are taking small steps, but we are making progress. We have set an aggressive agenda for 2004 and we ask for and encourage the support of the IAEM membership and leadership. We look forward to working with the new members of our committee and with the IAEM Board and other committees as we move forward.