is made under sections 39(1) and 45 of the Act; and

replaces the National Civil Defence Emergency Management Plan Order 2005; and

becomes operational on 1 December 2015; and

may be amended in accordance with section 47 of the Act at any time; and

must be reviewed (and may, following the review, be amended or revoked and replaced) under section 46 of the Act (unless reviewed earlier) if—

continues in force under section 45(b) of the Act if not replaced.

understand the hazards and risks; and

work to reduce those hazards; and

build resilience in respect of those hazards; and

build capability and capacity to provide co-ordinated, integrated, and effective responses to, and recovery from, emergencies.

a state of national emergency; or

a national transition period; or

an emergency requiring co-ordination and support at the national level.

is a statement of the frameworks, objectives, principles, roles, and responsibilities across the 4 Rs that—

applies to any emergency requiring CDEM at a national level, including—

is supported by The Guide, which—

may be amended in accordance with section 47 of the Act.

objective A: establishes the context for CDEM at the national level, including the hazards and risks to be managed; and

objective B: sets out a concept of operations for CDEM at the national level for any emergency; and

objective C: outlines arrangements for the co-ordination of CDEM during a state of national emergency; and

objective D: states the roles and responsibilities of agencies and CDEM Groups across the 4 Rs.

goal 1: increase community awareness, understanding, preparedness, and participation in respect of CDEM; and

goal 2: reduce the risks from hazards to New Zealand; and

goal 3: enhance New Zealand’s capability to manage emergencies; and

goal 4: enhance New Zealand’s capability to recover from emergencies.

objective A of this plan relates generally to goals 1, 2, 3, and 4 of the National CDEM Strategy; and

objectives B, C, and D of this plan relate to the achievement of goals 3 and 4 of the National CDEM Strategy.

earthquakes:

volcanic hazards:

landslides:

tsunamis:

coastal hazards (including coastal erosion, storm surges, and large swells):

floods:

severe winds:

snow:

droughts:

wild fires and urban fires:

animal pests and diseases:

plant pests and diseases:

infectious human disease pandemics (including water-borne illnesses):

infrastructure failure:

hazardous substance incidents:

major transport accidents:

food safety incidents (for example, accidental or deliberate contamination of food):

terrorism.

displaced, isolated, injured, ill, and deceased persons, psychosocial concerns, deterioration of community well-being, and other matters involving the welfare of people and animals:

loss of lifeline utility services (for example, telecommunications, transport, energy, water, and waste water networks):

damage to buildings and structures:

direct and indirect economic losses, restrictions on commerce, migration and trade, and the impairment of financial systems:

degradation of the ecological, physical, amenity, and heritage values of areas and resources.

new knowledge; and

risks that vary over time; and

the potential influence of climate change on hazards and risks.

monitor the developments and evolving trends in hazards and risks and communities’ vulnerability to them; and

factor any changes into its planning and operational activities across the 4 Rs in accordance with—

identify and implement measures and mechanisms to reduce the risks from hazards.

any state of local emergency then in force in the area to which the state of national emergency applies ceases to have effect; and

the Director, or the National Controller in accordance with a delegation under section 10 of the Act, will co-ordinate, direct, and control the resources made available for CDEM.

CDEM Groups during—

a lead agency at the national level during an emergency where the NEMA is not the lead agency (see Appendix 1).

brings together information for Ministers, co-ordinates analysis and development of options, and assists decision making in Cabinet; and

is collective without affecting the existing responsibilities of Ministers or agencies; and

operates at 3 levels as follows:

is the key decision-making body of executive government for co-ordinating and directing national responses to major crises or circumstances affecting national security (either domestic or international); and

is chaired by the Prime Minister; and

has power to act where the need for urgent action or operational or security considerations require it.

is a group of senior officials; and

is chaired by the chief executive of the DPMC; and

is the strategic mechanism for co-ordinating an all-of-government response to events; and

supports Ministers in developing high-level strategic direction, policy, and priorities, and in authorising additional resources to deal with crises; and

exercises policy oversight and advises the Prime Minister, Cabinet, and, when activated, the NSC.

monitor and assess the situation; and

plan for and co-ordinate the national response; and

report to the ODESC and provide policy advice; and

co-ordinate the dissemination of public information.

should develop and maintain capability and capacity to ensure that it is able to perform its role; and

may draw on the advice and expertise of expert emergency managers in doing so.

is expected to co-ordinate the management of the emergency in accordance with its own emergency management plan and its statutory functions and powers; and

may use the provisions of this plan in support of its management of the consequences of the emergency if required.

co-ordinate, directly or through established clusters, with the NEMA to provide an integrated response; and

provide a liaison officer to the NCMC to represent the relevant agency or cluster; and

report to, and operate in accordance with the direction of, the National Controller; and

manage its own response in support of the NEMA.

provide a liaison officer to the lead agency to facilitate advice and information transfers and to manage requests for operational activities related to CDEM; and

undertake any other functions and activities as agreed with the lead agency; and

provide NCMC facilities support to the lead agency.

co-ordinating, for the purposes of CDEM, the use of resources made available under this plan; and

directing and controlling the resources available for CDEM during a state of national emergency or a national transition period; and

controlling the exercise of powers and the performance of functions and duties of CDEM Groups, Group Controllers or Group Recovery Managers during a state of national emergency or a national transition period; and

ensuring that the Minister and the ODESC are adequately briefed on the situation during an emergency; and

informing the Minister and the ODESC of assistance likely to be required for response and recovery operations; and

establishing processes under this plan that will allow the response to, and recovery from, an emergency to be given effect; and

advising the Minister on any special policies for implementing CDEM support; and

performing any functions under section 8 of the Act and exercising any powers under section 9 of the Act that are necessary to achieve the purpose of this plan.

be delegated the Director’s functions and powers specified in sections 8(2)(h) and 9(2)(a) of the Act for the purposes of dealing with a state of national emergency:

if no delegation has been made under section 10(1) of the Act, be the Director, who has all of the power conferred on the National Controller under the Act.

during a state of national emergency, directs, controls, and co-ordinates, for the purposes of CDEM, the use of resources made available under this plan; and

during an emergency of national significance, co-ordinates national resources to support the local response; and

during an emergency managed by a lead agency other than the NEMA, co-ordinates the CDEM activities in support of the response to that emergency.

deploy forward to the affected area to better control and direct the national response; or

deploy representatives forward to the affected areas.

must, under section 26 of the Act, appoint by name or reference—

may, under section 27 of the Act, appoint by name or reference 1 or more suitably qualified and experienced persons as Local Controllers; and

must, under section 25 of the Act, appoint at least 1 person as a person authorised to declare a state of local emergency for its area.

be delegated functions and powers of the Director under section 11A(1) of the Act:

be delegated functions and powers of the Director specified in sections 8(2)(h) and 9(2)(a) of the Act for the purposes of dealing with a national transition period:

if no delegation has been made under section 11A(1) of the Act, be the Director, who has all of the powers conferred on the National Recovery Manager under the Act.

must, under section 29 of the Act, appoint by name or reference—

may, under section 30 of the Act, appoint by name or reference 1 or more suitably qualified and experienced persons as Local Recovery Managers; and

must, under section 25 of the Act, appoint at least 1 person as a person authorised to give notice of a local transition period for its area.

functioning during an emergency to the fullest possible extent (even though this may be at a reduced level); and

responding to emergencies as required.

undertake CDEM; or

perform its functions and duties under the Act.

provide leadership and strategic direction for CDEM; and

provide co-ordination across a wide range of agencies and sectors, recognising that emergencies involve a multi-agency response; and

promote research initiatives that identify hazards and inform actions to reduce risks to communities; and

promote risk reduction strategies; and

promote hazard awareness and emergency preparedness in communities and organisations; and

provide planning and preparation for response and recovery; and

build capacity and capability—

promote and support a means to enable a co-ordinated and holistic recovery from an emergency.

contribute to the development of research, policy, regulation, frameworks, and guidance that facilitate understanding risk and the 4 Rs; and

promote and advocate reduction; and

plan for response and recovery; and

provide for public education; and

provide for capability development; and

carry out national CDEM exercises; and

monitor and evaluate preparedness and performance; and

manage, develop, and maintain appropriate national response and recovery capability; and

support agencies and CDEM Groups in undertaking their roles and responsibilities under the Act; and

appoint, develop, maintain, and delegate functions and powers to key operational positions, including a National Controller, a National Recovery Manager, a National Public Information Manager, a National Welfare Manager, a National Lifeline Utility Co-ordinator, and operations, intelligence, planning, and logistics staff.

activate and co-ordinate national-level response and recovery activities from the NCMC or its recovery office; and

support and co-ordinate CDEM Group response and recovery activities; and

report to the ODESC and the Minister; and

issue emergency management information, including national warnings and advisories, national situation reports, and national response and recovery action plans; and

issue public information.

is, in the case of 2 or more local authorities, a joint standing committee of those local authorities established under section 12 of the Act; and

is, in the case of a unitary authority, a committee of the unitary authority established under section 12 of the Act; and

is responsible for overseeing the delivery of CDEM in its group area in accordance with section 17 of the Act; and

is supported by each member of the CDEM Group, the Co-ordinating Executive Group established under section 20 of the Act, and any partner agencies that have CDEM duties, roles, and responsibilities within the group area.

promote the sustainable management of hazards; and

empower communities to achieve acceptable levels of risk; and

provide for planning and preparation for response to, and recovery from, emergencies; and

co-ordinate programmes and activities, and encourage co-operation and joint action, among agencies across the 4 Rs; and

provide the basis for the integration of local with national CDEM policies, processes, and operations.

identify the hazards and risks in its group area that may result in an emergency that requires national-level support and co-ordination; and

undertake, where practicable, any actions to reduce hazards and risks in its group area that may require national-level support and co-ordination in an emergency; and

establish the means within its group area, in line with national guidelines and in collaboration with its supporting agencies, to provide timely warning of hazards, and public information about them; and

develop, maintain, and regularly review its capability for reduction, readiness, response, and recovery within its group area, and take part in relevant exercises under the National CDEM Exercise Programme; and

appoint, develop, maintain, and delegate functions to key operational positions, including Local Controllers and CDEM Group Controllers, Recovery Managers, Public Information Managers, Welfare Managers, Lifeline Utility Co-ordinators, and operations, intelligence, planning, and logistics staff.

within its group area; or

within the group area of another CDEM Group; or

being managed by a lead agency other than NEMA.

the National Controller during a state of national emergency; and

the National Recovery Manager during a national transition period.

joint planning; and

establishing and maintaining inter-agency communications; and

providing access to shared resources; and

avoiding duplication.

operate in a co-ordinated multi-agency environment; and

form clusters at the national level (but also at the CDEM Group and local levels where appropriate); and

be flexible (with agencies able to join, exit from, or merge with clusters, for the purpose of enhancing arrangements, while allowing the overlapping of functions or membership where appropriate); and

determine their own membership; and

organise themselves, including establishing their internal management structures, co-ordinators, and emergency management plans; and

develop and exercise liaison at the appropriate level of operation with local EOCs, ECCs, or the NCMC.

transport providers; and

telecommunications providers; and

lifeline utilities; and

welfare services; and

public information providers; and

science and research providers; and

international assistance providers; and

the visitors sector; and

search and rescue.

ensure that planning encompasses the 4 Rs and enables an effective response to all emergencies; and

have,—

use the CIMS framework to guide the co-ordination of each emergency service’s operations; and

ensure that the responsibility of each service for its primary functions is in no way transferred or modified by the declaration of a state of emergency (staff continue to work under their service’s command structures and established procedures); and

liaise with and act within the co-ordination and direction of the National Controller, or the appropriate Local Controllers or Group Controllers, when the consequences of an emergency require the response to be co-ordinated through plans and arrangements under the Act; and

request a declaration of a state of emergency for an affected area via the Local Controller, Group Controller, or National Controller when an officer in charge of an emergency service considers that an emergency has occurred or may occur and emergency powers under the Act will or might be required to co-ordinate, direct, or control a response to that emergency; and

notify the chief executive or national commander of the emergency service that a liaison has been established for a significant co-ordinated response or declaration of a state of emergency; and

plan for, and provide, welfare support to staff to enable staff to carry out their functions in response to, and in recovery from, an emergency; and

participate in readiness planning at the national and CDEM Group level.

keeping the peace:

maintaining public safety:

law enforcement:

crime prevention:

community support and reassurance:

national security:

participation in policing activities outside New Zealand:

emergency management.

use, at the discretion of the constable in charge (subject to any direction given by a New Zealand Police operation or tactical commander),—

co-ordinate inter-district movement of New Zealand Police personnel in consultation with the National Controller; and

exercise, when needed, the powers of compulsion under the Act when a state of emergency is in force (including entry onto premises, closing of roads and public places, evacuation, and directing activities); and

authorise a person, other than a constable, to exercise, when needed, any of the powers of compulsion under the Act when a state of emergency is in force.

early control of the scene of an emergency, co-ordinating essential services, preserving life, and protecting property; and

the establishment of a New Zealand Police operations headquarters; and

the callout of sufficient personnel to meet New Zealand Police requirements; and

basic procedures for dealing with an emergency, including alerting and liaising with other emergency services; and

liaison at the appropriate level of the response with other elements.

maintain the functions of the New Zealand Police as outlined in section 9 of the Policing Act 2008 and the Act; and

assist with the dissemination of warning messages; and

assist the movement of rescue, medical, fire, and other essential services; and

co-ordinate movement control over land, including communications and traffic control; and

conduct category I search and rescue operations; and

support category II search and rescue operations; and

carry out disaster victims identification; and

control access to and within an affected area so as to assist rescue, medical, fire, and other essential services; and

conduct any initial evacuations to ensure protection of life; and

co-ordinate inquiries to assist family, whānau, and next of kin to make contact with each other; and

trace missing persons and notify their next of kin; and

assist coroners as required by the Coroners Act 2006, in close liaison with the Ministry of Justice and health services; and

support Controllers at the national, CDEM Group, and local levels and, when requested, appoint New Zealand Police liaison officers to the NCMC, ECCs, and local EOCs.

participation in the development of response and recovery action plans; and

the national co-ordination of New Zealand Police resources in support of the emergency operations; and

when requested, the appointment of a New Zealand Police liaison officer to the Controller at the relevant level (national, CDEM Group, local), on an ongoing basis; and

the exchange of situation reports at respective levels (national, CDEM Group, local).

deciding whether to carry out a post-mortem; and

authorising the release of a body; and

deciding whether to open an inquest; and

giving the immediate family and representatives of the immediate family of a person thought to be deceased notice of the processes required by law to be performed or followed in relation to the death.

co-ordinating the fire services; and

providing resources required to undertake requests for assistance.

plan for, and prepare to fully participate in, the response to any emergency, while at the same time maintaining the capability to deliver its existing operational mandate; and

work in concert with the requirements of national, CDEM Group, and local CDEM plans; and

ensure that fire services incident management structures adhere to, or work within, the direction and principles of the current CIMS structure; and

develop and maintain the capacity to provide an operational response (including incident management, liaison, and advisory support) to CDEM at the national, CDEM Group, and local level; and

liaise with fire services to co-ordinate an effective response to an emergency.

firefighting to control, contain, and extinguish fires; and

containing releases and spillages of hazardous substances; and

urban search and rescue (Fire and Emergency New Zealand is formally recognised as having a heavy urban search and rescue capability and the ability to co-ordinate urban search and rescue within New Zealand, and the capability to carry out urban search and rescue includes the national support team and urban search and rescue task forces (consisting of technicians, medical staff, engineers, and search dogs)); and

limiting damage, including the salvage of essential material from endangered locations; and

redistributing water, in consultation with the relevant territorial authorities, for firefighting.

the board of Fire and Emergency New Zealand, or a delegate of the board,—

the board of Fire and Emergency New Zealand, or a delegate of the board,—

the Minister of Health, who has overall responsibility for New Zealand’s health and disability system; and

the Ministry of Health, which acts as principal adviser to the Minister of Health and the Government on health and disability policy, and leads and supports the sector to achieve better health for New Zealanders; and

Health New Zealand, which plans, manages, provides, and purchases services for the New Zealand population, including primary care, public health services, aged care, and services provided by other non-government health providers; and

primary health organisations, which provide health care in the community, usually from general practitioners or practice nurses; and

public health services, which provide environmental health, communicable disease control, and health promotion programmes; and

ambulance services, which provide pre-hospital care and transport for patients in the community, and inter-hospital transport where patients require referral for specific treatment.

there may be pressure on hospitals and other health and disability services and facilities:

communities may experience public health problems, and those who have suffered loss and disruption may require psychological support:

hospitals, health and disability services, medical equipment, ambulances, and related facilities or equipment may be damaged.

maintain an emergency management structure for the health and disability service providers that enables a consistent and effective response to emergencies at the local, regional, and national levels, and that supports, to the greatest extent possible, the protection of the general population, health and disability services workers, and health and disability services clients; and

provide services that, to the greatest extent possible, meet the needs of patients and clients and their communities during and after an emergency, even when resources are limited, while ensuring that responses do not create or exacerbate inequalities for particularly vulnerable or hard-to-reach populations; and

ensure that health and disability services are as resilient to the consequences of hazards and risks as is reasonably practicable.

policy development; and

maintaining the National International Health Regulations Focal Points in accordance with the International Health Regulations (2005); and

national planning for a health-related emergency; and

developing, maintaining, and exercising the National Health Emergency Plan and its supporting documents; and

preparing a business continuity plan for the Ministry of Health.

leading and co-ordinating local reduction and readiness planning across health and disability service providers; and

developing, maintaining, and exercising health emergency plans for significant incidents and emergencies; and

ensuring that all of its plans adequately provide that public, primary, secondary, tertiary, mental, and disability health services require health and disability service providers to have plans and resources in place to ensure that they can respond to an emergency in an integrated and effective manner; and

ensuring that health and disability services are ready to function to the fullest possible extent during and after an emergency by ensuring—

develop plans specific to public health emergencies (for example, pandemics); and

integrate public health planning and responses; and

advise local agencies and lifeline utilities about public health aspects of their business continuity planning.

ensuring the continuity of care for existing patients, the management of increased demand for services (including the provision of surge capacity), and that assistance is provided to enable the recovery of services (including business continuity); and

preparing incident and emergency management plans that are integrated across the sector and that are aligned with the plans of Health New Zealand, the plans of other emergency services, and CDEM Group plans; and

integrating their own planning and response with public health planning and response; and

supporting Health New Zealand and CDEM Groups as required; and

contributing to emergency management planning led by the Ministry of Health.

ensuring the continuity of care for existing patients, the management of increased demand for services (including the provision of surge capacity), and that assistance is provided to enable the recovery of services (including business continuity); and

preparing incident and emergency management plans that are integrated across the sector and are aligned with the plans of Health New Zealand, the plans of other emergency services, and CDEM Group plans; and

integrating their own planning and response with public health planning and response; and

supporting Health New Zealand and CDEM Groups as required; and

contributing to emergency management planning led by the Ministry of Health.

monitoring any developing emergencies; and

activating the National Health Emergency Plan and National Health Co-ordination Centre as appropriate; and

co-ordinating and managing the health and disability service providers’ response to emergencies that have significant regional or national consequences; and

acting as lead agency in an all-of-government response to a health emergency, such as an epidemic or a pandemic.

co-ordinating the local health sector response to emergencies; and

ensuring appropriate co-ordination of all health and disability service providers and close liaison with CDEM Groups and local authorities; and

continuing its services and managing any increased demand.

maintaining their services and managing any increased demand; and

responding to emergencies involving risk to public health; and

coordinating via Health New Zealand EOCs; and

liaising with the ECC or the local EOC during an emergency.

continuing their services and managing any increased demand; and

coordinating via Health New Zealand EOCs, the Ambulance National Crisis Co-ordination Centre, the National Health Co-ordination Centre, and other ambulance providers.

continuing their services and managing any increased demand; and

co-ordinating via Health New Zealand EOCs.

perform any public service; or

provide assistance to the civil power in a time of emergency.

ensure that New Zealand Defence Force personnel deployed to assist the response to an emergency will remain under military command while the lead agency directs the New Zealand Defence Force units assigned to the response; and

ensure that requests for New Zealand Defence Force assistance are in the form of a general task or a desired effect rather than a request for a specific resource or piece of equipment; and

provide, after analysis of the general task or desired effect, the most suitable personnel and equipment to complete the task or achieve the effect.

manage business continuity plans at levels that are necessary to ensure that defence functions can continue during and after an emergency; and

maintain contingency plans for response to an emergency; and

conduct internal training and participate in exercises at the national level to maintain response proficiency; and

participate in planning and training sessions with the NEMA and CDEM Groups.

will provide liaison officers to the NCMC, the ECC, and, if necessary, the local EOC (the liaison officers will advise on potential support operations by the New Zealand Defence Force and provide updates on the progress of any tasks that the New Zealand Defence Force is conducting in the respective areas or levels; however, the liaison officers are not authorised to accept tasks); and

can utilise certain forces assigned at short notice to support emergencies (forces are held ready for response at the regional and national levels and include land, air, and sea assets as necessary); and

will co-ordinate New Zealand Defence Force assets at either the local level (ECC) or national level (the NCMC), depending on the type and scale of the emergency and the mode of operation of the NCMC.

identify and understand the full range of hazards and risks and implement reduction strategies; and

prioritise the continuity of operations and supply of services in accordance with response priorities set by the Local Controller, Group Controller, or National Controller (even though this may be at a reduced level); and

plan co-operatively with local authorities, CDEM Groups, emergency services, and other lifeline utilities; and

establish emergency procedures for communication with government agencies, CDEM Groups, emergency services, and other lifeline utilities; and

identify examples of best practice, and share and apply them where appropriate; and

facilitate solutions to issues that are sector specific and do not require government assistance and support; and

develop common and effective approaches to the 4 Rs; and

co-ordinate with other lifeline utilities to promote service restoration following an emergency; and

provide information on the status of networks to the EOC, ECC, and NCMC as appropriate.

develop business continuity plans to—

focus on both reduction and readiness, including planning co-operatively with—

regularly test and exercise their response arrangements and participate in the National CDEM Exercise Programme.

work with the NEMA to prearrange a means of national level sector co-ordination that best suits their sector (this usually entails establishing a single entity that takes responsibility for managing sector readiness, response, and recovery information, which in turn promotes co-ordinated activity); and

participate in testing of sector co-ordination entity arrangements.

activate business continuity, response, and recovery plans; and

establish contact through the Lifeline Utility Co-ordinator with the relevant EOC or ECC, or the NCMC, and provide information on the status of their networks and estimated repair times; and

operate within established CDEM co-ordination mechanisms.

lead the lifeline utility co-ordination operations in their ECC or recovery office and the NCMC or its recovery office; and

link the lifeline utility co-ordination function at any ECC or its recovery office and the NCMC or its recovery office; and

provide information and advice to the National Controller or the CDEM Group Controller, or the National Recovery Manager or the CDEM Group Recovery Manager, on the consequences of an emergency and response and recovery priorities; and

provide information to lifeline utilities or sector co-ordination entities on CDEM priorities.

registration:

needs assessment:

inquiry:

care and protection services for children and young people:

psychosocial support:

household goods and services:

shelter and accommodation:

financial assistance:

animal welfare.

the co-ordination of and arrangements for local delivery of welfare services; and

the appointment of a suitably senior and experienced CDEM Group Welfare Manager to fulfil that function; and

the appointment of suitable and experienced personnel to be alternative CDEM Group Welfare Managers and to ensure that training is provided to enable them to co-ordinate the welfare services function during response and recovery.

recognise the diverse and dynamic nature of communities; and

strengthen self-reliance as the foundation for individual and family and whānau and community resilience; and

ensure that emergency welfare services address the specific welfare needs of individuals, families and whānau, and communities; and

ensure flexibility in the services provided and how they are best delivered; and

integrate and align with local arrangements and existing welfare networks.

develop and review plans to ensure continuity of its essential services and contribution to wider welfare provision; and

plan collaboratively with agencies responsible for co-ordinating relevant welfare services sub-functions to ensure that arrangements are aligned; and

develop capacity and capability relevant to its role in an emergency; and

establish regular communication and reporting lines within its local, regional, and national offices; and

establish and maintain inter-agency communications.

provide leadership to support agencies to develop arrangements; and

develop, maintain, and exercise arrangements for the co-ordination or delivery of relevant welfare services sub-functions; and

plan co-operatively with all support agencies with a role in delivering the relevant welfare services sub-function to ensure that arrangements are aligned; and

regularly test and exercise its response and recovery arrangements and participate in the National CDEM Exercise Programme; and

participate as an active member on—

co-ordinate the welfare services function during reduction and readiness; and

chair the NWCG, whose members are the agencies responsible for each of the welfare services sub-functions (the NWCG provides strategic oversight of planning and development of integrated welfare services); and

in consultation with the NWCG, plan and co-ordinate at the national level the delivery of welfare services across welfare services sub-functions during response and recovery; and

communicate and report on the progress of readiness activities for the welfare services function to NWCG members, CDEM Groups, and the Director.