
[Federal Register: February 11, 2009 (Volume 74, Number 27)]
[Notices]
[Page 6914-6915]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr11fe09-73]

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DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY

Federal Emergency Management Agency

[Docket ID FEMA-2008-0017]


Voluntary Private Sector Accreditation and Certification
Preparedness Program

AGENCY: Federal Emergency Management Agency, DHS.

ACTION: Public meeting notice.

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SUMMARY: This notice announces the date, time, location, and discussion
topics for a stakeholder meeting open to the public to engage in
dialogue with Department of Homeland Security (DHS) leadership and
program managers regarding the Voluntary Private Sector Preparedness
Accreditation and Certification Program (PS-Prep).

DATES: Public Meeting: Monday, February 23, 2009, 9 a.m.-2:30 p.m.
Eastern Standard Time.

ADDRESSES: The meeting will be held at the American Red Cross Ballroom,
Hall of Service, 1730 E Street, NW., Washington, DC 20006. Enter at the
E Street entrance. This is not located at the Red Cross Headquarters.
The nearest Metro stations are Farragut West (exit at 17th and I
Street, walk south towards H Street for four blocks and turn right at E
Street) and Farragut North (exit at Connecticut Avenue and K Street,
walk south towards I Street for five blocks and turn right at E
Street).
    You may submit comments, identified by Docket ID FEMA-2008-0017, by
one of the following methods:
    Federal eRulemaking Portal: http://www.regulations.gov. Follow the
instructions for submitting comments. (All government requests for
comments--even if, as in this case, they are not for regulatory
purposes--are sent to this portal.)
    E-mail: FEMA-POLICY@dhs.gov. Include Docket ID FEMA-2008-0017 in
the subject line of the message.
    Fax: 703-483-2999.
    Mail/Hand Delivery/Courier: Office of Chief Counsel, Federal
Emergency Management Agency, 500 C Street, SW., Room 845, Washington,
DC 20472.
    Instructions: All submissions received must include the agency name
and docket number (if available). Regardless of the method used for
submitting comments or material, all submissions will be posted,
without change, to the Federal eRulemaking Portal at http://
www.regulations.gov, and will include any personal information you
provide. Therefore, submitting this information makes it public. You
may wish to read the Privacy Act notice that is available on the
Privacy and Use Notice link on the Administration Navigation Bar of
http://www.regulations.gov.
    Docket: For access to the docket to read background documents or
comments received, go to the Federal eRulemaking Portal at http://
www.regulations.gov. Submitted comments may also be inspected at FEMA,
Office of Chief Counsel, 500 C Street, SW., Room 840, Washington, DC
20472.
    Instructions: Any stakeholder or member of the public who wishes to
attend the public meeting or make a presentation is requested to
provide his or her name and contact details to include e-mail address
and telephone number, no later than 5 p.m. Eastern Standard Time,
Tuesday, February 17, 2009 via e-mail to the PS-Prep Program at
privatesectorpreparedness@hsi.dhs.gov, or via telephone at (703) 416-
8407. Everyone who plans to attend the meeting is respectfully
requested to be present and seated by 8:45 a.m. Persons with
disabilities who require special assistance should indicate this in
their admittance request and are encouraged to identify anticipated
special needs as early as possible. Although every effort will be made
to accommodate all members of the public, seating is limited and will
be allocated on a first-come, first-served basis.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. Donald Grant, Incident Management
Systems Integration Division, National Preparedness Directorate,
National Integration Center, 500 C Street, SW., Washington, DC 20472.
Phone: 202-646-3850 or e-mail: FEMA-NIMS@dhs.gov.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On December 24, 2008, the Federal Emergency
Management Agency (FEMA), Department of Homeland Security (DHS),
published a Federal Register notice ``Voluntary Private Sector
Accreditation and Certification Preparedness Program,'' announcing PS-
Prep, a DHS program established under the authority of Title IX of the
Implementing Recommendations of the 9/11 Commission Act of 2007, Public
Law 110-53, 121 Stat. 266, 338 (Aug. 3, 2007). See 73 FR 79140; also
available at http://www.regulations.gov/search/index.jsp (Docket ID
FEMA-2008-0017). As discussed in the notice, DHS is developing PS-Prep
to raise the level of private sector preparedness through a number of
means, including: (i) Establishing a system for DHS to adopt private
sector preparedness standards; (ii) encouraging creation of those
standards; (iii) developing a method for a private sector entity to
obtain a certification of conformity with a particular DHS-adopted
private sector standard, and encouraging such certification; and (iv)
making preparedness standards adopted by DHS more widely available.
    The December 24, 2008 Federal Register notice (Docket ID FEMA-2008-
0017) seeks recommendations from private sector stakeholders and the
public at large regarding the private sector standards that DHS should
adopt, both initially and over time (73 FR at 79142). The December 24,
2008 Federal Register notice also states that DHS intends to hold two
public meetings in Washington, DC to provide a forum for public comment
(See 73 FR 79145).
    This notice announces the second stakeholder outreach meeting. FEMA
is hosting this public meeting to discuss issues of interest pertaining
to PS-Prep. The purpose of this meeting is to provide an open forum for
additional comment and dialogue with DHS on PS-Prep. Individuals
desiring to participate will have the opportunity to make a brief,
formal or informal, presentation of

[[Page 6915]]

not more than 10 minutes and then, if desired, engage in a questions
and answers session with DHS staff responsible for implementing PS-
Prep. The specific issues to be discussed at this meeting include any
of the material addressed in the December 24, 2008 Federal Register
notice to include (i) cost considerations, such as fees for standards,
certification, and preparedness costs related to size of business
enterprise; (ii) the impact of existing practices, standards and
regulations on participation in PS-Prep; (iii) understanding the
spectrum of private sector preparedness, specifically from self-
declaration of conformance to third-party certification; (iv) the role
of the Federal Government in private sector preparedness; (v) key
factors that influence participation in PS-Prep; (vi) the number and
type of standards to be adopted by DHS; (vii) scalability of the
certification, specifically related to location, products, services,
and organizational components; (viii) priorities for national
preparedness compared to business preparedness; and (ix) suggestion for
effective outreach strategies and tactics to promote PS-Prep.
    Public attendance is encouraged.

    Dated: February 3, 2009.
David Garratt,
Acting Deputy Administrator, Federal Emergency Management Agency.
[FR Doc. E9-2927 Filed 2-10-09; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 9111-46-P
