IAEM CEM ACTUAL 2026 STUDY GUIDE QUESTIONS AND
ANSWERS GRADED A+
✔✔Recovery mission area - ✔✔Focuses on assisting communities to recover, rebuild,
and improve after incidents.
✔✔Example of a mitigation action - ✔✔Elevating homes in a floodplain or constructing
levees/floodwalls.
✔✔Example of a preparedness action - ✔✔Conducting training and exercises on the
Emergency Operations Plan (EOP).
✔✔Primary federal law governing disaster declarations - ✔✔The Stafford Act.
✔✔Who requests a presidential disaster declaration - ✔✔The state governor or tribal
leader.
✔✔What a presidential disaster declaration enables - ✔✔Federal assistance programs
such as Public Assistance, Individual Assistance, and Hazard Mitigation Grant Program.
✔✔Main impact of PKEMRA (Post-Katrina Emergency Management Reform Act) -
✔✔Strengthened FEMA's authorities, planning, logistics, and coordination after
Hurricane Katrina.
✔✔Purpose of the National Response Framework (NRF) - ✔✔Provides doctrine for how
the nation responds to all hazards with scalable and flexible concepts.
✔✔Definition of Emergency Support Functions (ESFs) - ✔✔Coordinating structures
grouping federal and partner capabilities by function (e.g., transportation, energy, mass
care).
✔✔ESF #6 - ✔✔Mass Care, Emergency Assistance, Housing, and Human Services.
✔✔ESF #8 - ✔✔Public Health and Medical Services.
✔✔ESF #12 - ✔✔Energy (electricity, gas, oil).
✔✔ESF #15 - ✔✔External Affairs (public information, media, public messaging).
✔✔Purpose of NIMS (National Incident Management System) - ✔✔Provides a
standardized, nationwide approach for incident management using common structures
and processes.
, ✔✔Key NIMS components - ✔✔ICS, EOC structures, MAC Groups, and Joint
Information Systems (JIS).
✔✔Focus of the National Disaster Recovery Framework (NDRF) - ✔✔Provides
structure and guidance for coordinating long-term recovery efforts.
✔✔Definition of Recovery Support Functions (RSFs) - ✔✔Groupings of federal and
partner capabilities that support specific recovery sectors (e.g., housing, infrastructure,
economic).
✔✔Meaning of THIRA - ✔✔Threat and Hazard Identification and Risk Assessment.
✔✔Primary purpose of THIRA - ✔✔Identify threats and hazards, describe their context,
set capability targets, and estimate capability gaps.
✔✔Basic THIRA steps in simple terms - ✔✔Identify hazards, describe scenarios,
establish capability targets, estimate capabilities and gaps.
✔✔Definition of Hazard Vulnerability Analysis (HVA) - ✔✔A process to identify hazards,
assess likelihood and impact, and prioritize risks for a jurisdiction or organization.
✔✔Planning guidance for Emergency Operations Plans (EOPs) - ✔✔FEMA
Comprehensive Preparedness Guide (CPG) 101.
✔✔Key emphasis of CPG 101 about planning - ✔✔Planning should be collaborative,
iterative, flexible, and inclusive of stakeholders.
✔✔Three major components of a typical EOP - ✔✔Basic Plan, Functional Annexes,
Hazard-Specific Appendices.
✔✔What the EOP Basic Plan usually contains - ✔✔Purpose, scope, situation,
assumptions, Concept of Operations, roles and responsibilities, and plan maintenance.
✔✔Definition of a Functional Annex - ✔✔EOP section describing how a specific function
(e.g., evacuation, sheltering) will be managed across hazards.
✔✔Definition of a Hazard-Specific Appendix - ✔✔EOP section tailoring procedures and
actions for a specific hazard (e.g., hurricane, flood, wildfire).
✔✔The Preparedness Cycle - ✔✔Plan → Organize & Equip → Train → Exercise →
Evaluate → Improve.
✔✔COOP stands for - ✔✔Continuity of Operations.
ANSWERS GRADED A+
✔✔Recovery mission area - ✔✔Focuses on assisting communities to recover, rebuild,
and improve after incidents.
✔✔Example of a mitigation action - ✔✔Elevating homes in a floodplain or constructing
levees/floodwalls.
✔✔Example of a preparedness action - ✔✔Conducting training and exercises on the
Emergency Operations Plan (EOP).
✔✔Primary federal law governing disaster declarations - ✔✔The Stafford Act.
✔✔Who requests a presidential disaster declaration - ✔✔The state governor or tribal
leader.
✔✔What a presidential disaster declaration enables - ✔✔Federal assistance programs
such as Public Assistance, Individual Assistance, and Hazard Mitigation Grant Program.
✔✔Main impact of PKEMRA (Post-Katrina Emergency Management Reform Act) -
✔✔Strengthened FEMA's authorities, planning, logistics, and coordination after
Hurricane Katrina.
✔✔Purpose of the National Response Framework (NRF) - ✔✔Provides doctrine for how
the nation responds to all hazards with scalable and flexible concepts.
✔✔Definition of Emergency Support Functions (ESFs) - ✔✔Coordinating structures
grouping federal and partner capabilities by function (e.g., transportation, energy, mass
care).
✔✔ESF #6 - ✔✔Mass Care, Emergency Assistance, Housing, and Human Services.
✔✔ESF #8 - ✔✔Public Health and Medical Services.
✔✔ESF #12 - ✔✔Energy (electricity, gas, oil).
✔✔ESF #15 - ✔✔External Affairs (public information, media, public messaging).
✔✔Purpose of NIMS (National Incident Management System) - ✔✔Provides a
standardized, nationwide approach for incident management using common structures
and processes.
, ✔✔Key NIMS components - ✔✔ICS, EOC structures, MAC Groups, and Joint
Information Systems (JIS).
✔✔Focus of the National Disaster Recovery Framework (NDRF) - ✔✔Provides
structure and guidance for coordinating long-term recovery efforts.
✔✔Definition of Recovery Support Functions (RSFs) - ✔✔Groupings of federal and
partner capabilities that support specific recovery sectors (e.g., housing, infrastructure,
economic).
✔✔Meaning of THIRA - ✔✔Threat and Hazard Identification and Risk Assessment.
✔✔Primary purpose of THIRA - ✔✔Identify threats and hazards, describe their context,
set capability targets, and estimate capability gaps.
✔✔Basic THIRA steps in simple terms - ✔✔Identify hazards, describe scenarios,
establish capability targets, estimate capabilities and gaps.
✔✔Definition of Hazard Vulnerability Analysis (HVA) - ✔✔A process to identify hazards,
assess likelihood and impact, and prioritize risks for a jurisdiction or organization.
✔✔Planning guidance for Emergency Operations Plans (EOPs) - ✔✔FEMA
Comprehensive Preparedness Guide (CPG) 101.
✔✔Key emphasis of CPG 101 about planning - ✔✔Planning should be collaborative,
iterative, flexible, and inclusive of stakeholders.
✔✔Three major components of a typical EOP - ✔✔Basic Plan, Functional Annexes,
Hazard-Specific Appendices.
✔✔What the EOP Basic Plan usually contains - ✔✔Purpose, scope, situation,
assumptions, Concept of Operations, roles and responsibilities, and plan maintenance.
✔✔Definition of a Functional Annex - ✔✔EOP section describing how a specific function
(e.g., evacuation, sheltering) will be managed across hazards.
✔✔Definition of a Hazard-Specific Appendix - ✔✔EOP section tailoring procedures and
actions for a specific hazard (e.g., hurricane, flood, wildfire).
✔✔The Preparedness Cycle - ✔✔Plan → Organize & Equip → Train → Exercise →
Evaluate → Improve.
✔✔COOP stands for - ✔✔Continuity of Operations.
