The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Science and Technology Directorate (S&T) announced a $1,994,442 contract award to G&H International Services, Inc. (G&H International) to design, develop and implement a Community Lifeline Status System (CLSS) for the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). The goal of the CLSS is to assist FEMA in helping emergency management organizations establish standardized and integrated systems to the already existing Community Lifeline Construct, which adopts a whole-of-community approach to emergency management and builds greater awareness and resilience in communities after disasters.
“A lifeline makes it possible for critical government and commercial services to continue operating, which is essential to the preservation of human health and safety, as well as economic security,” said Dimitri Kusnezov, DHS Under Secretary for Science and Technology. “The increasing frequency and severity of adverse events require a more comprehensive means of tracking the stability of communities across all sectors.”
Following the 2017 hurricane season, FEMA introduced the Community Lifeline Construct to increase its response and effectiveness in disaster incidents. Currently, there is no systematic means to identify, process and analyze the data needed to optimize the status of these Community Lifelines. The CLSS aligns with FEMA’s seven Community Lifelines: safety and security, food-water-shelter, health and medical, energy (power and fuel), communications, transportation and hazardous materials.
The CLSS will offer a systematic process and data-driven approach using mission-driven requirements provided by FEMA guidance and planning documents; lessons learned from exercises and real-world incidents; state, local, tribal, and territorial emergency management agencies and private sector partners.
This project was made possible through a contract awarded through S&T’s Long-Range Broad Agency Announcement program. G&H International is an emergency management consulting firm based in Washington, D.C., that partners with leadership at the federal, state and local levels to deliver comprehensive emergency management solutions.
In collaboration with the Central United States Earthquake Consortium, G&H International will develop, test and implement the CLSS to provide a consistent approach to managing information and reporting on Community Lifeline status for state, local, tribal, and territorial emergency management agencies and FEMA.
