6 U.S.C. § 317
There are in the Agency 10 regional offices, as identified by the Administrator.
Each Regional Office shall be headed by a Regional Administrator who shall be appointed by the Administrator, after consulting with State, local, and tribal government officials in the region. Each Regional Administrator shall report directly to the Administrator and be in the Senior Executive Service.
Each Regional Administrator shall be appointed from among individuals who have a demonstrated ability in and knowledge of emergency management and homeland security.
In selecting a Regional Administrator for a Regional Office, the Administrator shall consider the familiarity of an individual with the geographical area and demographic characteristics of the population served by such Regional Office.
The Regional Administrator shall work in partnership with State, local, and tribal governments, emergency managers, emergency response providers, medical providers, the private sector, nongovernmental organizations, multijurisdictional councils of governments, and regional planning commissions and organizations in the geographical area served by the Regional Office to carry out the responsibilities of a Regional Administrator under this section.
The responsibilities of a Regional Administrator include-
The Administrator shall require each Regional Administrator to undergo specific training periodically to complement the qualifications of the Regional Administrator. Such training, as appropriate, shall include training with respect to the National Incident Management System, the National Response Plan, and such other subjects as determined by the Administrator.
The Administrator shall require each Regional Administrator to participate as appropriate in regional and national exercises.
There is an Area Office for the Pacific and an Area Office for the Caribbean, as components in the appropriate Regional Offices.
The Administrator shall establish an Area Office in Alaska, as a component in the appropriate Regional Office.
Each Regional Administrator shall establish a Regional Advisory Council.
A State, local, or tribal government located within the geographic area served by the Regional Office may nominate officials, including Adjutants General and emergency managers, to serve as members of the Regional Advisory Council for that region.
Each Regional Advisory Council shall-
In coordination with other relevant Federal agencies, each Regional Administrator shall oversee multi-agency strike teams authorized under section 5144 of title 42 that shall consist of-
The duties of an individual assigned to a Regional Office strike team from another relevant agency when such individual is not functioning as a member of the strike team shall be consistent with the emergency preparedness activities of the agency that employs such individual.
The members of each Regional Office strike team, including representatives from agencies other than the Department, shall be based primarily within the region that corresponds to that strike team.
Each Regional Office strike team shall coordinate the training and exercises of that strike team with the State, local, and tribal governments and private sector and nongovernmental entities which the strike team shall support when a natural disaster, act of terrorism, or other man-made disaster occurs.
Each Regional Office strike team shall be trained as a unit on a regular basis and equipped and staffed to be well prepared to respond to natural disasters, acts of terrorism, and other man-made disasters, including catastrophic incidents.
If the Administrator determines that statutory authority is inadequate for the preparedness and deployment of individuals in strike teams under this subsection, the Administrator shall report to Congress regarding the additional statutory authorities that the Administrator determines are necessary.
6 U.S.C. § 317
EDITORIAL NOTES
PRIOR PROVISIONSA prior section 317, Pub. L. 107-296, title V, §507, Nov. 25, 2002, 116 Stat. 2214, related to the role of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, prior to repeal by Pub. L. 109-295, title VI, §611(4), Oct. 4. 2006, 120 Stat. 1395.
AMENDMENTS2007-Subsec. (c)(2)(I) to (K). Pub. L. 110-53 added subpars. (I) and (J) and redesignated former subpar. (I) as (K).
STATUTORY NOTES AND RELATED SUBSIDIARIES
EFFECTIVE DATESection effective Mar. 31, 2007, see section 614(b)(3) of Pub. L. 109-295 set out as a note under section 701 of this title.
- Department
- The term "Department" means the Department of Homeland Security.
- State
- The term "State" means any State of the United States, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, Guam, American Samoa, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, and any possession of the United States.
- emergency response providers
- The term "emergency response providers" includes Federal, State, and local governmental and nongovernmental emergency public safety, fire, law enforcement, emergency response, emergency medical (including hospital emergency facilities), and related personnel, agencies, and authorities.
- functions
- The term "functions" includes authorities, powers, rights, privileges, immunities, programs, projects, activities, duties, and responsibilities.
- personnel
- The term "personnel" means officers and employees.
- terrorism
- The term "terrorism" means any activity that-(A) involves an act that-(i) is dangerous to human life or potentially destructive of critical infrastructure or key resources; and(ii) is a violation of the criminal laws of the United States or of any State or other subdivision of the United States; and(B) appears to be intended-(i) to intimidate or coerce a civilian population;(ii) to influence the policy of a government by intimidation or coercion; or(iii) to affect the conduct of a government by mass destruction, assassination, or kidnapping.
- Administrator
- the term "Administrator" means the Administrator of the Agency;
- Agency
- the term "Agency" means the Federal Emergency Management Agency;
- Federal coordinating officer
- the term "Federal coordinating officer" means a Federal coordinating officer as described in section 5143 of title 42;
- National Incident Management System
- the term "National Incident Management System" means a system to enable effective, efficient, and collaborative incident management;
- National Response Plan
- the term "National Response Plan" means the National Response Plan or any successor plan prepared under section 314(a)(6) of this title;
- emergency management
- the term "emergency management" means the governmental function that coordinates and integrates all activities necessary to build, sustain, and improve the capability to prepare for, protect against, respond to, recover from, or mitigate against threatened or actual natural disasters, acts of terrorism, or other man-made disasters;
- tribal government
- the term "tribal government" means the government of an Indian tribe or authorized tribal organization, or in Alaska a Native village or Alaska Regional Native Corporation.1 See References in Text note below.