Preparedness Portfolio

Overview

Under the leadership of the Preparedness Portfolio Manager, the portfolio focuses on strengthening Nevada’s preparedness capabilities. The Planning Program focuses on deliberate strategic, operational, and tactical planning efforts to ensure effective coordination and readiness for emergencies. The Training & Exercises Program emphasizes rigorous training and realistic exercises to build the skills and confidence of Nevada’s emergency responders and emergency management practitioners. The Mitigation Program proactively identifies and addresses vulnerabilities by analyzing hazards, assessing risks, and implementing long-term strategies such as infrastructure improvements, policy development, and community education to reduce the impact of disasters and enhance overall preparedness. 20 Together, these programs ensure Nevada’s emergency management and homeland security enterprise is equipped to prevent, protect against, mitigate, respond to, and recover from emergencies and disasters.

Planning Program:

This program performs the annual Threats and Hazards Identification and Risk Assessment (THIRA), which identifies threats and hazards that Nevada may experience and develops a gap analysis of capabilities based on those threats and hazards. The State Planning Program develops plans and assists local and tribal jurisdictions with their emergency management planning efforts. State Planning also manages the regulatory plans program for jurisdictions, schools, utilities, and resort hotels in accordance with state regulations.

Annual Plan Submissions

Jurisdictions

  • Relevant Statute: NRS 239c.250. 
  • Requirement: Each political subdivision must review its response plan at least once a year. 
  • Deadline: As soon as practicable after the review is completed, but no later than December 31 each year. 
  • Filing Requirement: Submit the updated plan to the Nevada Division of Emergency Management (NDEM) and each response agency that provides services to the political subdivision. 
  • Reporting: Provide notice to governing bodies of each political subdivision of whether the political subdivision has complied. 
  • Reporting Deadline: On or before February 15 of each year

Utilities

  • Relevant Statute: NRS 239C.270. 
  • Requirement: Each utility must submit its vulnerability assessment and emergency response plan. 
  • Deadline: No later than December 31 each year. 
  • Filing Requirement: Submit to the NDEM. 
  • Reporting: 1) Provide notice to the Chair of the Public Utilities Commission of Nevada whether each utility that is not a government utility has complied. 2) Provide notice to the Governor and each governing body of each governmental utility whether each governmental utility has complied. 
  • Reporting Deadline: On or before February 15 of each year

Schools 

  • Relevant Statute: NRS 388.245 and NRS 394.1688 
  • Requirement: Boards of trustees or governing bodies must annually review, update, and submit emergency response plans. 
  • Deadline: On or before August 15 each year. 
  • Filing Requirement: Submit the updated plan to the NDEM 
  • Reporting: Provide notice to the Superintendent of Public Instruction of whether each board of trustees of a school district or governing body of a charter or private school has complied. 
  • Reporting Deadline: November 15 of each year. 
  • Audit Statute: NRS 388.246 
  • Audit Requirement: The NDEM will provide a report regarding the extent to which school plans complied with NRS plan requirements. 
  • Audit Deadline: On or before January 1 of each year. 
  • Audit Filing Requirement: Submit to the Director of the Legislative Counsel Bureau for transmittal to the Legislature.

Resorts

  • Relevant Statute: NRS 463.790. 
  • Requirement: Each resort hotel must review its emergency response plan annually. 
  • Deadline: As soon as the review is completed, but no later than November 1 each year. 
  • Filing Requirement: Submit the updated plan to each local fire department and law enforcement agency with jurisdiction over the resort’s location, as well as to the NDEM. 
  • Reporting: Provide notice to the Chair of the Nevada Gaming Control Board of whether resort hotels complied. Reporting Deadline: November 15 of each year.

Mitigation Program:

This program develops plans and manages grants that reduce or eliminate long-term risks to people and property. It is responsible for developing the Enhanced Statewide Mitigation Plan, which identifies and ranks hazards and develops mitigation strategies for each hazard.

Training Program:

This program develops, schedules, and facilitates training for FEMA-certified Incident Command System (ICS) courses, FEMA position-specific courses, capabilities-based training, and hazards-based training. The program also offers the Emergency Management Institute (EMI)-accredited 3-week Basic Academy for new emergency managers and the EMI-accredited Advanced Academy for advanced emergency practitioners.

Exercise Program:

This program uses the Homeland Security Exercise and Evaluation Program (HSEEP) to develop exercises and test state capabilities, while also assisting local and tribal jurisdictions with exercises and evaluations. The program analyzes the results of those exercises to develop improvement plans. The State Exercise Officer also acts as the Division’s Internship Coordinator. Additionally, the Exercise Program organizes the three annual Regional Integrated Planning Symposiums (RIPS). The RIPS gathers emergency managers and stakeholders from the Northern, Southern, and Eastern regions for three days of training, capability assessments, and the development of the 5-year Integrated Preparedness Plan.

  • After-Action Report: A document created following an emergency exercise or real-world incident, designed to analyze the response, identify areas of strength, pinpoint areas for improvement, and provide actionable recommendations to enhance future preparedness and response capabilities by capturing key lessons learned from the event.

Internship Program

This program provides students with a unique opportunity to apply classroom skills and theory to real-life work situations. This hands-on program is designed to strengthen fundamental emergency management concepts and develop the confidence and skills of the next generation to prepare them for future employment opportunities.

Work with a Northern or Southern Nevada Site Supervisor to assist the Division of Emergency Management / Homeland Security in coordinating the prevention, protection, mitigation, response and recovery programs and resources through partnerships to build resilient communities for Nevada’s residents and visitors.