Glossary

E-grants

An automated, online grant system that allows the grantees to administer their grant utilizing a computer rather than paper documents.

Elevated Building

A building that has no basement and that has its lowest elevated floor raised above ground level by foundation walls, shear walls, posts, piers, pilings, or columns. Solid (perimeter) foundations walls are not an acceptable means of elevating buildings in V and VE zones.

Emergency Medical Services

The Emergency Medical Service (EMS) system is responsible for providing pre-hospital (or out-of-hospital) care by paramedics , emergency medical technicians (EMTs) and medical first responders . The goal of EMS is to provide early treatment to those in need of urgent medical care and ultimately rapid transportation to a facility providing more definitive treatment.

Emergency Program

The initial phase of a community's participation in the National Flood Insurance Program, as prescribed by Section 1306 of the Act.

The Emergency Program is the initial phase of a community's participation in the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) if no flood hazard information is available or the community has a Flood Hazard Boundary Map (FHBM), but no Flood Insurance Rate Map (FIRM). A limited amount of flood insurance coverage at less than actuarial rates is available for all residents of the community. The community is required to adopt minimum floodplain management standards to control future use of its floodplains. Communities are converted to the Regular Program upon completion of a Flood Insurance Study and issuance of a FIRM or a determination that the community has no special flood areas (NSFHA). Under the Regular Program, more comprehensive floodplain management requirements are required of the community and higher amounts of flood insurance coverage are provided.

National Flood Insurance Program Requirements

• 59.0 - General Provisions
• 59.1 - Definition
• 59.3 - Description
• 60.0 - Criteria for Land Management and Use
• 60.3 (a) - Requirements for Communities with No FIRM or FHBM
  • (b) - Requirements for Communities with FHBMs or FIRMS with no BFEs Established

Employer Identification Number

The Employer Identification Number (EIN) is a 9-digit number assigned by the Internal Revenue Service. This number format is XX-XXXXXXX. The IRS uses the number to identify taxpayers required to file various business tax returns.

EMS Organization

An organization providing emergency medical services to a community.

EMT- B, EMT- I, EMT- P

Nationally recognized levels of training and certification for emergency medical technicians and other first responders: Emergency Medical Technician-Basic (EMT-B), Emergency Medical Technician-Intermediate (EMT-I) and Emergency Medical Technician-Paramedic (EMT-P).

Enclosure

Enclosures are enclosed walled in areas below the lowest floor of an elevated building. Enclosures below the Base Flood Elevation (BFE) may only be used for building access, vehicle parking, and storage. Enclosed areas below the lowest floor must be adequately anchored, built using flood resistant building material, and any utilities or service facilities must be designed and/or located to prevent flood damage. Flood insurance coverage for enclosures below the BFE is very limited.

In A Zones, fully enclosed areas below the lowest floor must be designed to automatically equalize hydrostatic flood forces on exterior walls by allowing the entry and exit of floodwaters. Designs must meet certain minimum criteria for openings in the enclosure walls or be certified by a registered design professional.

In V Zones, the space below the lowest floor of a building shall be free of obstruction or constructed with non-supporting breakaway walls, open wood lattice work, or insect screening intended to collapse under wind and water loads without causing collapse, displacement, or other structural damage to the elevated portion of the building or supporting foundation system. Designs to meet this criteria must be certified by a registered design professional or meet certain minimum criteria for breakaway walls.

National Flood Insurance Program Requirements

• 60.0 - Criteria for Land Management and Use
• 60.3 (a)(3) - Reasonably Safe from Flooding
  • (c)(5) Openings Requirement in A Zones
  • (e)(5) Breakaway Wall Requirement in V Zones

Entry-Level Physical

A physical fitness test given to individuals applying for the position of firefighter that determines if they meet the minimum physical fitness requirements necessary to perform the job.

Equipment

Equipment needed directly for fire suppression or delivery of emergency medical services that enhances the safety or effectiveness of firefighting or rescue activities.

Erosion

a. The collapse, undermining or subsidence of land along the shore of a lake or other body of water. Erosion is a covered peril if it is caused by waves or currents of water exceeding their cyclical levels which result in flooding.

b. The process of the gradual wearing away of land masses. Erosion can occur along coasts and rivers and streams. Although flood-related erosion is covered by flood insurance, this peril is not covered per se under the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP). The mapping and regulatory standards of the NFIP do not currently address erosion, but Community Rating System (CRS) credit is given to communities that include this hazard in their regulations, planning, public information, hazard disclosure, and flood warning programs. Many States and communities have established setbacks and other requirements in areas subject to erosion.

National Flood Insurance Program Requirements

• 59.1 - Definitions

ED

Department of Education.

EEOC

Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.

EPA

Environmental Protection Agency.

ESF

Emergency Support Function.

Essential Services

Services necessary to a basic standard of living and the general welfare of society. Services may include any of the following: electricity services, gas services, water and sewerage services, etc.

Existing Rental Property

Property that has been used prior to a disaster as rental property. This includes mobile units, single family units, and multi-family units.

External Affairs

The External Affairs (EA) cadre engages stakeholders in Congress; the media; state, local, tribal, and territorial governments; the private sector; and internal FEMA employees during incidents and steady state. EA provides the information necessary to make informed decisions as we work together to build, sustain, and improve our national capability to prepare for, protect against, respond to, recover from, and mitigate all hazards.

Qualifications

• Analysis of traditional and digital media
• Interfacing with state and local government officials
• Communication with the business sector, non-governmental organizations, and academia
• Exceptionally strong writing and verbal skills
• Photography/Videography
• Research
• Communications planning
• Public speaking
• Understanding of federal statutes, regulations, and policies

Environmental Historic Preservation

The Environmental Planning and Historic Preservation (EHP) cadre at FEMA plays a crucial role in ensuring that disaster response and recovery projects comply with federal environmental and historic preservation laws. EHP assesses the potential impacts of FEMA-funded activities on natural and cultural resources, facilitating the integration of environmental and historic preservation considerations into emergency management and recovery efforts. EHP’s work includes coordinating with local, state, tribal, and federal partners to protect sensitive environments and historic sites during disaster relief and recovery operations, helping to balance the need for swift response with the preservation of important environmental and historical assets.

Qualifications

• Written and verbal communication
• Ability to work independently and in a team setting
• Public speaking
• Working knowledge of computer applications (databases, Geospatial Information Systems (GIS) and Global Positioning Systems (GPS) applications, shape files, and mapping programs
• Experience using Microsoft office products, such as Outlook, Word, and PowerPoint
• Experience completing environmental compliance reviews for state or federal agencies
• Specialized experience or education in Environmental, Historic Preservation, Archeology, Architecture, History, and Science is a plus

Encroachments

Encroachments are activities or construction within the floodway including fill, new construction, substantial improvements, and other development. These activities are prohibited within the adopted regulatory floodway unless it has been demonstrated through hydrologic and hydraulic analyses that the proposed encroachment would not result in any increase in flood levels.

The community is responsible to review and maintain record of the documentation demonstrating that any permitted floodway encroachment meets National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) requirements. A "no-rise certification" for floodways may be used to document the analyses.

National Flood Insurance Program Requirements

• 60.0 - Criteria for Land Management and Use
• 60.3 (c) (10) - Cumulative Effects of Development
  • (d) (2) - Floodway Adoption
  • (d) (3) - Floodway Encroachment
  • (d) (4) - Floodway Encroachments that Cause an Increase