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National Preparedness Symposium (NPS)

Collaborative environment for training, exercise and planning professionals to engage with peers, and discuss current and future programs and initiatives

Enhancing your Preparedness Toolbox

Enhancing your Preparedness Toolbox

The 2023 National Preparedness Symposium (NPS) is scheduled for May. 23-25, 2023 in Emmitsburg, Maryland, on campus at the National Emergency Training Center (NETC). This year’s theme “Enhancing your Preparedness Toolbox” will provide a collaborative environment for emergency management training, exercise and planning personnel to engage peers, receive information on available guidance, tools, and resources, and discuss current and future programs and initiatives.

Each year, the NPS symposium is held to ensure key preparedness personnel at the state, territorial, tribal, and local level have current and accurate information related to training, exercises, and planning. Attendees of the NPS will gain knowledge of elements that they can implement, modify, or validate in their preparedness programs, that will contribute to improved outcomes.

If you are a state or territorial emergency management professional serving in training, exercise or planning roles such as State Administrative Point of Contact (SAA POC), State Training Officer (STO), Exercise and Planning officials, follow the guide below to learn how you may attend this exciting opportunity to collaborate with colleagues in your field.

The 2023 Symposium Agenda

This year's symposium thematically focuses on enhancing the preparedness toolbox of the whole community.

Downloadable Agenda

The 2023 National Preparedness Symposium agenda is now available for download here:

2023 NPS Agenda

NPS Items of Interest

In case you missed it, more 2023 National Preparedness Symposium items are now available for download here:

NPS Presentation Archives

The 2023 NPS presentations are provided below as archived (.zip) files. The archive files below contain sessions from each of the symposium rooms.

  • The compressed archive (.zip) files below must extracted (unzipped) to view the individual presentation slides
  • Individual files are encrypted and protected to prevent unauthorized modifications

  • Auditorium sessions

    Plenary session presentations from the main auditorium, including the NPS Opening Presentation.

    • NPS Opening Presentation
    • Incorporating Climate Adaptation into Planning, Training, and Exercises
    • NOAA Tools for Training, Exercises and Planning

  • K302 breakout sessions

    Breakout session presentations held in K302

    • NTED Training Partners Program
    • Guidance, Tools, and Resources for Incorporating Climate Adaptation into Planning, Training, and Exercise
    • Training for NQS
    • Working with Underserved Populations
    • NIMS Implementation Objectives: State Perspectives
    • State Delivered (G Course) Working Group
    • Using Data to Improve Training Initiatives

  • K308 breakout sessions

    Breakout session presentations held in K308

    • Integrated Preparedness Plan Workshop (IPPW) & Integrated Preparedness Plan (IPP) Best Practices
    • Engaging Faith Based Community Organizations (FBCO) in Emergency Preparedness and Manager
    • NIMS Implementation Objectives: State Perspectives
    • National Qualification System Program Updates
    • Recognizing Cyber Threats
    • Resilience Services Branch Homeland Security & Emergency Management Supply Chain Work
    • Tree of Life Shooting Response and Lessons Learned

  • M202 breakout sessions

    Breakout session presentations held in M202

    • FEMA's National Risk and Capability Assessment - THIRA/SPR Integration, Methodology, and Next Steps
    • Planning Practitioner Program (PPP) Overview
    • Exercise Options for the Virtual Environment - Best Practices
    • Building Supply Chain Analysis Capabilities
    • Integrated Emergency Management Course (IEMC)
    • How to Apply the National Continuous Improvement Guidance (NCIG)
    • Resilient Communities: Validating resilience concepts in disaster planning
    • Critical Incident Stress Debriefing (CISD)
    • Climate and Equity: Preparedness to Consequence Management Seminar

  • S125 breakout sessions

    Breakout session presentations held in S125

    • National Exercise Program Overview
    • FEMA Tools Overview
    • National Domestic Preparedness Consortium (NDPC)
    • National Preparedness Symposium Tribal Presentation
    • No-Notice Exercises: What Do You Gain with the Element of Surprise?
    • Developing Exercise Objetives
    • Understanding and utilizing games in your exercise program

NPS Symposium Course

The E8520: National Preparedness Symposium will be held at the NETC campus building E auditorium, May 23-25, 2023

This symposium is held by invitation only, and is limited to professional training, exercise, and preparedness staff at the Federal, state, territorial, and tribal level.

Attendees must use a course invitation code, acquired from their respective training officers, in order to successfully register for this course. Please see the how to apply section to learn more about selection criteria, and the application process.

  • E8520: National Preparedness Symposium (NPS)

    • Audience

      Professional emergency management training, exercise and preparedness staff. (By invitation only)

    • Course Methodology

      Symposium

    • Course Length

      Three (3) full days from 8:00 a.m. until 5:30 p.m. each day

    • Course Objectives

      The goal of the NPS is to ensure key preparedness personnel at the state, territorial, tribal, and local level have current and accurate information related to training, exercises, and planning.

    • Course Description

      This Symposium provides a collaborative environment for emergency management training, exercise, and planning personnel to engage peers, share information on available guidance, tools, and resources, and discuss current and future programs and initiatives.

    E8520: NPS Symposium

How to Apply

  1. Verify Qualification

    This symposium is limited to professional emergency management training, exercise and preparedness staff, including:

    • State and territorial Emergency Management Training and Exercise Officers (STOs/ETOs)
    • State Administrative Agency Training and Exercise Points-of-Contact (SAA TPOCs)
    • Tribal Emergency Managers and Training and Exercise Staff
    • FEMA Regional Training Managers and Regional Exercise Officers (RTMs/REOs)
    • Federal Preparedness Coordinators (FPCs) and Deputy FPCs
    • FEMA Regional Training and Exercise Staff
    • National Exercise Division Staff
    • National Training and Education Division HQ and Component Staff
    • FEMA Training Partners
    • Other National Preparedness Directorate Component Staff
    • Representatives of FEMA training partners such as the National Domestic Preparedness Consortium and the Rural Domestic Preparedness Consortium.

  2. Apply Online

    Candidates register though the NETC Online Admissions Application using their SID or PIV information. Attendance is by invitation only, and requires the use of an invitation code to successfully complete registration

    • Deadline for applications is 6 weeks prior to the Symposium start date
    • The course code is E8520
    • The course dates are May 23-25, 2023
    • Contact your state, territorial, or tribal training officer to request an invitation code. The contact information for your state or territory is found at the State Training Officers Contact listing site
    • If you need a reasonable accommodation (sign language interpreters, Braille, CART, etc.), please indicate this on your online application.

  3. Complete the Application

    Once the selection review process has completed, you will be notified of the selection status via the email address provided during application

Tuition and Travel Reimbursement

There is no cost of tuition for the National Preparedness Symposium.

Some individuals taking courses at the National Emergency Training Center (NETC) in Emmitsburg, Maryland may be eligible for stipend reimbursement. For information about travel reimbursement eligibility and procedures, see the NETC Welcome Package.

Eligible for stipend reimbursement

  • State, local or tribal government representatives.
  • Recognized volunteer organization representatives.
  • Active emergency management organization representatives.
  • Representatives from state or local fire organizations

Not eligible for reimbursement

  • Federal government. (Federal students are subject to federal travel regulations and travel under orders prepared by their office.)
  • Private industry employees.
  • Employees who are contracted to federal, state, or local government entities (such as rural-metro departments).
  • Representatives of a foreign organization.

Campus Dining

Meal tickets must be purchased at https://netcmealtickets.com/ no more than 2 weeks prior to the course start date and no later than 2 days prior to your arrival date to purchase the meal ticket.

The meal ticket will cover your evening meal on the arrival date through breakfast on your departure date based on your acceptance email. Participants are no longer be able to purchase meal tickets at registration, or upon arrival to the NETC Campus.

For detailed explanation of the campus dining policies, please refer to the NETC Welcome Package

Previous NPS Symposiums

Year Host Symposium Theme
2023 EMI Enhancing your Preparedness Toolbox
2022 CDP Building together a more resilient nation
2021 CDP Cancelled
2020 EMI Adapting to the New Needs in the Training Environment (Virtual Event)
2019 CDP Promoting a culture of preparedness through unity of effort
2018 EMI Promoting whole community preparedness through unity of effort
2017 CDP National State Administrative Agency Symposium
2016 EMI Building National Capabilities through Requirements-based Investments
2015 EMI Sharing Promising Practices – Bridging Capabilities Gaps
2014 EMI Building Preparedness through Capability-Based Training & Exercise
2013 EMI Building on Smart Practices (Virtual Event)

Contact Information

For additional information, contact the EMI National Training Liaison, Dan Lubman

Contact Training Liaison

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