Planning and Intelligence

The Planning and Intelligence Division is comprised of the Strategic Planning Branch, the Geographic Information Systems (GIS) Unit, and the Critical Infrastructure Branch with analysts working in the Virginia Fusion Center. The division provides a methodical approach to engage the whole community through the lifecycle of emergency and disaster preparedness. It helps determine required capabilities; identify gaps in capabilities; and establishes a framework for operationalizing roles and responsibilities for all hazards protection, prevention, response, recovery, and mitigation activities.

The Strategic Planning Branch

The Strategic Planning Branch coordinates comprehensive emergency management planning within the Virginia Department of Emergency Management (VDEM). The Strategic Planning Branch utilizes emergency management planning principles, including the development of a collaborative planning team, to accomplish the following:

Identify threats and hazards.
Assess vulnerability and risk.
Analyze options to address risk throughout emergency management mission areas.
Draft and promulgate plans, tools, and templates to address risk.
Exercise and revise plans in accordance with internal timeframes.

The primary focus of the Strategic Planning Branch is state-level emergency management planning aligned with the agency mission and long-term goals throughout the preparedness, response, recovery, and mitigation cycle.

The Strategic Planning Branch supports local and regional emergency management planning initiatives through collaboration with the VDEM regional staff, as appropriate.

The Geographic Information Systems Unit

The Geographic Information Systems (GIS) unit of the Planning and Intelligence Division supports steady state and disaster operations with geographic information system products for situational awareness, response operations, and recovery efforts for individual assistance.

The GIS unit develops web-based geospatial situation awareness tools to collect, manage, analyze, and display information geospatially to provide a visual understanding of data. This GIS data provides VDEM, the Virginia Emergency Support Team (VEST), and state agency and local partners with real-time information using dynamically updated applications that assist with operational readiness, and making data-driven decisions for the more effective management of disasters and events. Specific products provided by the GIS unit include:

Know Your Zone Evacuation state routes and hurricane evacuation zones.
Operational dashboards for response and recovery data.
Visualizations of the geographic distribution of disaster assistance.
Visualizations of the location and density of vulnerable populations.
Daily tracking of VDEM-engaged incidents to include hazardous materials, medical flights, and search and rescue missions.

The GIS Unit utilizes ArcGIS Online to manage its applications which aim to enhance agency and mission partner knowledge of threats and hazards within the Commonwealth and to provide situational awareness.

The Critical Infrastructure Branch

The Critical Infrastructure Branch (CIB) works with both public and private sector partners to develop a comprehensive program through collaborative partnerships that address the security and resilience of critical infrastructure in the Commonwealth of Virginia. This branch works to ascertain risk by identifying threats, assessing vulnerabilities, and determining critical infrastructure consequences to enhance preparedness through protection, prevention, mitigation, response, and recovery efforts. As part of this effort, the branch manages the State Critical Infrastructure Working Group and serves as co-chair on the National Capital Region Critical Infrastructure Working group.

CIB is responsible for all Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Preparedness data calls to include the State and Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) Risk Profile review, Critical Infrastructure nominations, Special Events Data Call, and others. The branch chief serves as the IP Gateway Administrator and the Protected Critical Infrastructure Information (PCII) Officer for the Commonwealth.

The Virginia Fusion Center

The Planning and Intelligence Division also supports the Virginia Fusion Center (VFC), which is the state’s multi-disciplinary Intelligence Center. The VFC is a collaborative effort between the Virginia State Police and the Virginia Department of Emergency Management. It was created to provide operational and strategic counter terrorism/criminal information and intelligence to law enforcement, military, public safety, governmental, and private sector decision-makers, as well as to the public. VDEM provides personnel to the VFC who assist with intelligence gathering and product development on existing and emerging threats that may affect prevention, protection, response, recovery, and mitigation efforts before, during, and after events and emergencies.

Office of Access and Engagement

We know that vulnerable and at-risk communities are disproportionately impacted during an event. The Office of Access and Engagement is focused on ensuring that all communications, plans, and programs in regards to emergency management are thoughtfully and inclusively crafted to provide access and opportunity for all residents and visitors of the commonwealth; especially historically underrepresented communities, while addressing gaps in operations and existing imbalances within our communities. This work spans all phases of emergency management: prevention, preparedness, mitigation, response, and recovery.

Here are some of the ways that the Office of Access and Engagement is working to create an inclusive commonwealth:

An important piece of the communication aspect is ensuring that we were providing inclusive community outreach to the residents and visitors of Virginia. Partners in Preparedness is a program of VDEM that is focused on taking community outreach a step further. The program is partnering with non-profit organizations, faith-based leaders, businesses, education, health care, community advocates and community centers, local governments and more to understand the communities that these groups serve, their unique needs, and how we can work together to best communicate information to these communities through all phases of a disaster. The program aims to provide the tools and resources for every Virginian to know about the risks that we face, and how to prepare for them. Learn more at vaemergency.gov/Partners-In-Preparedness, and sign up to be a Partner today.

The Office of Access and Engagement works internally within the agency and externally with agency partners and local, regional, tribal organizations to provide logistical support before, during, and after emergencies. The team is focused on two major projects written into the Code of Virginia. They are:

Establishing and maintaining the Emergency Management Equity Working Group
Code of Virginia (§ 44-146.18 (B19))

“The Emergency Management Equity Work Group is made up of representatives from the Governor’s Office of Diversity, Opportunity, and Inclusion and other state agencies, the public at large, and the private sector who have expertise related to at-risk and vulnerable populations and the threats faced by such populations in a disaster. The working group serves to provide tailored and structured guidance to ensure that emergency management programs and plans provide support to at-risk individuals and populations disproportionately impacted by disasters. Through a centrally administered approach, the work group provides recommendations to the State Coordinator.”

The agenda, along with the quarterly meeting announcements, will be posted on the Commonwealth Calendar website, https://commonwealthcalendar.virginia.gov/. To sign up for e-mail updates and other information regarding the working group, visit https://public.govdelivery.com/accounts/VADEM/subscriber/new.

Embedding equity into local emergency operation plans
Code of Virginia (§ 44-146.19 (E)****)

“Each local and interjurisdictional agency shall prepare and keep current a local or interjurisdictional emergency operations plan for its area…. Such plan shall also contain provisions to ensure that the plan is applied equitably and that the needs of minority and vulnerable communities are met during emergencies.”

Some of the historically underrepresented communities we serve include: recognized BIPOC groups, women, LGBTQIA+ communities, the aging population, individuals with access and functional needs, disabled individuals, limited English proficiency and English as a second language, communities with limited or no broadband access, communities with limited transportation, rural communities, urban communities, low-income communities, and more.

Equity Working Group Documents