Additional steps are needed to take advantage of the ability of federal executive boards to contribute to emergency operations, GAO has said.
The boards are located in about 30 cites with large federal presences and are composed of the heads of agency field offices and military commanders.
They are tasked with improving management practices and their function extends to coordinating local federal entities in the service of civic affairs, including in emergency situations, but that role is not defined in national emergency plans, according to GAO-07-515.
It said the framework within which the FEBs operate with member agencies and OPM also poses challenges in holding the boards accountable for their emergency support function.
Each of the 14 of 28 FEBs reviewed for the report were performing emergency activities, such as organizing preparedness training, something FEBs and FEMA agreed is beneficial, according to GAO.
However, the funding sources for the boards are uncertain — they rely on voluntary contributions from their member agencies — and that affects their ability to plan for and commit to providing emergency support services, the report said.
It added that support services could be particularly valuable in the event of a major flu outbreak because the greatest burden of pandemic response is local.
