Press release announcing project (October 17, 2007)
The Council of State Archivists is leading a
project to develop and deliver Web- and CD-based training to state and
local governments nationwide. The Intergovernmental Preparedness for
Essential Records (IPER) project is made possible by a $2.5 million
award from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Competitive
Grants Training Program.
The training initiative will provide the knowledge
and skills needed to secure essential records and recover those damaged
by natural or human-caused disasters.
Key partners in this project are the National
Archives and Records Administration (NARA) and FEMA's Continuity
of Operations Division. The IPER curriculum will be based on NARA's
existing
training on emergency planning and response for vital records and essential
information that is currently targeted at federal employees, adapting
and enhancing the content for delivery to state and local government
agencies.
Teams in each state will be trained to deliver the
training and will further customize the content by adding information
about regulations and resources specific to each state. These teams
will be lead by the state
archives and records management programs. The five-member teams
will also include representatives of the state chief information officer,
the state emergency management agency, and local governments within
the state.
These teams will also work closely with the NARA and
FEMA regional offices serving their states. Recent disasters, including
the 2005 hurricanes, have underscored the importance of intergovernmental
cooperation and support in preparing for and responding to emergencies
of all kinds.
The IPER project extends and expands upon CoSA's ongoing
Emergency Preparedness Initiative
which began in the wake of the 2005 hurricanes.
Click here for information
about other sources of training currently available for records-related
emergency preparedness.
