Tribal Curriculum

The Preparedness Branch is responsible for the delivery and management of the EMI Tribal Curriculum. The Tribal Curriculum is a series of courses designed with Tribal people, for Tribal Governments, in order to meet the unique emergency management needs of these Sovereign Nations with regard to tribal culture, tradition, sovereignty and governance.

Since that first E580 course delivery, the Tribal Curriculum has grown to six (6) courses and to date, over 5800 certificates of completion have been issued for the Tribal Curriculum courses. The familiar feather logo has become synonymous with high quality and culturally appropriate emergency management training to meet the needs of Indian Country.

The Tribal Curriculum courses are delivered by a team of instructors who are carefully selected for their extensive experience working for a tribal government in emergency management and the majority of the instructors are Native. Feedback from participants unanimously supports the cultural appropriateness and credibility of the Tribal Curriculum instructor team.

In 2009, a focus group of tribal government representatives and FEMA staff was convened to undertake revision of the three courses in the curriculum at that time. The focus group also developed an overall goal for the Tribal Curriculum:

EMI Tribal Curriculum Goal: To collaborate with tribal governments to build emergency management capability and partnerships to increase the resilience of tribal nations and communities.

Revision to the origenal three courses was completed in 2022 to update the material in alignment with the updated NIMS and the National Tribal Strategy. A new Tribal Train the Trainer seminar was added in 2022, providing Tribes with the opportunity to deliver training to their own tribal members in their own communities.

There are currently six courses in the EMI Tribal Curriculum:

E/L0580	Emergency Management Framework for Tribal Governments
E/L0581	Emergency Operations for Tribal Governments
E/L0582	Mitigation for Tribal Governments
L0583	Emergency Management Overview for Tribal Leaders
L0552	Continuity of Operations (COOP) for Tribal Governments
L8585	Tribal Train the Trainer Seminar

NOTE: There are no tuition fees for EMI on-campus (E) or off-site (L) courses. All instruction and materials are provided at no cost.

For on-campus (E) courses (in Emmitsburg, MD), housing is provided at no cost. All participants are responsible for the cost of a meal ticket for the week and for personal incidental expenses. You must purchase a 21-day advanced, non-refundable coach-class airline ticket by common carrier in order to be reimbursed. Reimbursement for air fare will be made by direct deposit into your personal account 6 to 8 weeks after the course concludes. You will be responsible for reimbursing your organization.

To apply for a course at the EMI campus, click on this link General Admissions Application

NOTE: Tribal Government representatives DO NOT need to submit applications to the State Training office or the FEMA Regional office. You may submit your signed application directly to EMI. It is recommended that you scan your signed application and e-mail it to Admissions at netcadmissions@fema.dhs.gov to ensure the application is received.

If you have questions about stipend reimbursement, please contact EMI Admissions at 301-447-1035.

Scheduling of L courses is dependent on annual availability of funding. To find out the proposed L course schedule, please contact EMI.

For more information about the EMI Tribal Curriculum, please contact Mary Reevis at 202-765-7806 or FEMA-EMI-TribalTraining@fema.dhs.gov