Changed CEDP Exam Questions

TheThreat and Hazard Identification and Risk Assessment (THIRA)is a specific, standardized process defined byFEMA in CPG 201. While maintaining and updating the document is a best practice for emergency managers, "Updating the threat list annually" (Option C) is a maintenance task or a requirement for grant compliance, but it is not one of the specific, analyticalstepsthat constitute the THIRA methodology itself.

The four steps of the THIRA process are:

Identify Threats and Hazards:Determine the specific natural, technological, and human-caused threats that could affect the community.

Give Threats and Hazards Context:Describe how those threats would affect the community at a specific time and place (e.g., "A magnitude 7.0 earthquake at 2:00 PM on a Tuesday").

Establish Capability Targets:Determine what the community needs to be able to do to manage that impact (e.g., "We must be able to rescue 500 people from collapsed buildings within 24 hours").

Estimate Resource Requirements:Determine the specific personnel and equipment needed to meet those targets.

For theCEDPexam, it is vital to distinguish between theprocessof doing the work and theadministrationof the document. Options A and B are the core "First" and "Third" steps of the analytical process. By confusing an administrative requirement (annual updates) with a process step, jurisdictions can fail to perform the deeper contextual analysis required by Step 2. The THIRA is designed to be a "risk-informed" foundation for the entireNational Preparedness System, and understanding its technical steps ensures that a community's preparedness goals are based on realistic, data-driven impacts rather than arbitrary list-making.

WhileFEMAcoordinates with all public sector responders, it maintains its most integrated and formal operational relationship withFirefighters. This unique relationship is institutionalized through theUnited States Fire Administration (USFA), which is a core division of FEMA. The USFA’s mission is to provide national leadership, coordination, and support for the nation’s fire and emergency medical services (EMS). Furthermore, theNational Fire Academy (NFA)is located on the same campus as FEMA’s Emergency Management Institute (EMI) in Emmitsburg, Maryland, creating a shared educational and doctrinal environment.

Under theNational Response Framework (NRF), this relationship is further solidified byEmergency Support Function #4 (Firefighting). FEMA works directly with local, state, and tribal fire departments to coordinate federal firefighting support for structural and wildland fires. The USFA also manages theNational Fire Incident Reporting System (NFIRS), which is the primary database used by FEMA to analyze fire trends and allocate federal grant funding, such as theAssistance to Firefighters Grants (AFG).

For aCertified Emergency and Disaster Professional (CEDP), understanding this hierarchy is critical for resource acquisition. Firefighters are often the primary workforce for FEMA’sUrban Search and Rescue (US&R)task forces. While Law Enforcement (Option A) relates to the DOJ/FBI and Public Health (Option C) relates to the HHS/CDC, the Fire Service is "baked into" the FEMA structure. This formal alignment ensures that fire departments—which respond to over 30 million calls annually in the U.S.—are the primary tactical arm for local disaster stabilization, directly supported by FEMA’s training, data, and financial resources.

TheCommon Operating Picture (COP)is a foundational concept in theNational Incident Management System (NIMS). It is best described as a continuously updatedincident overviewthat is collaboratively developed and shared among allrelevant partiesinvolved in an incident. A COP is not just a map or a report; it is a single, identical display of relevant operational information that enables the Incident Commander, Unified Command, and all supporting agencies to make effective, consistent, and timely decisions.3

The key to a successful COP is its "collaborative" nature. It synthesizes data from multiple sources—such as field reports from responders, GIS mapping of hazard zones, sensor data from utilities, and resource tracking logs. By having this shared situational awareness, an agency in the field and the leaders in a distant Emergency Operations Center (EOC) are "looking at the same page." This prevents the "information silos" that led to catastrophic failures in past di4sasters, where different agencies had conflicting data abo5ut where the hazard was or which roads were open.

For theCEDPprofessional, establishing a COP is the first objective of thePlanning Section. It relies on robustInformation Management(Option B is part of the process, but not the result). A well-maintained COP allows for the "Unity of Effort" required in complex incidents. It ensures that when a decision is made—such as ordering an evacuation—everyone from the frontline police officer to the local Mayor understands the "why" and the "where." This transparency reduces confusion, increases responder safety, and ensures that the limited resources of the "Whole Community" are directed precisely where they are needed most based on the real-time ground truth.

TheFederal Incident Action Planning (IAP) GuideandFEMA’s NIMSdoctrine emphasize that the structure of the planning meeting itself is a critical factor in the quality of the resulting plan. The key recommendation for a successful session isAppointing a facilitator that communicates clear objectives. In the high-pressure environment of an Emergency Operations Center (EOC), planning meetings often involve diverse stakeholders (Fire, Police, Public Health, Public Works) who may have competing priorities. A facilitator ensures that the meeting remains focused on theIncident Objectivesrather than individual agency agendas.

While "Seniority" (Option A) is important for the command structure, it can actually hinder a planning session if lower-ranking subject matter experts feel intimidated or unable to contribute technical insights. The IAP process is designed to be collaborative and functional. Option C (Ensuring efficiency) is a general desired outcome, but it is not a specific "recommendation" for theconductof the session; rather, efficiency is a byproduct of having a strong facilitator.

In theCEDPcurriculum, the facilitator (often the Planning Section Chief) is responsible for moving the team through the "Planning P" cycle. This involves transitioning from situational awareness to objective setting and then to resource assignment. Without a facilitator to enforce the agenda and clear objectives, meetings tend to devolve into "war stories" or operational "silos," where the coordination necessary for a true Incident Action Plan is lost. A successful facilitator ensures that by the end of the session, every participant knows the "What, Who, and When" for the next operational period, which is the hallmark of a professional emergency management organization.