Article 50: Accessible Public Service Announcements Category B: Emergency Protective Measures

(Category: emergency-responses)

Article Summary

Under Category B (Emergency Protective Measures), FEMA provides Public Assistance grant funding for the dissemination of critical information to the general public. This eligible measure focuses on providing timely warnings and health/safety guidance regarding disaster-related hazards. To optimize community reach and comply with federal civil rights standards, these public communications may utilize a variety of strategic media, including flyers, newspaper campaigns, and public service announcements (PSAs).

To qualify for federal grant reimbursement, information campaigns must be directly related to the declared incident and focus explicitly on saving lives or protecting public health and safety. Furthermore, these public safety messages must satisfy strict accessibility criteria to ensure they are fully usable by individuals with disabilities or functional needs, aligning with broader federal non-discrimination statutes. Expenses associated with standard, routine public relations or general non-disaster community outreach are completely ineligible.

Five Key Takeaways for CTA FEMA Compliance

1. Tie Content Directly to Immediate Safety Threats: Ensure all funded public messages, scripts, or flyers focus strictly on active health hazards, evacuation paths, or life-saving warnings rather than general public relations.
2. Enforce Multi-Format Accessibility Compliance: Verify that all broadcasted or digital public service announcements fully integrate accessibility features (such as American Sign Language interpreters, closed captioning, and screen-reader friendly layouts) to satisfy federal guidelines.
3. Isolate Disaster Communication Expenses: Set up distinct accounting codes to separate the labor, production, and airtime costs of emergency disaster campaigns from your agency's routine public information budget.
4. Document Media Reach and Production Metrics: Maintain precise logs of campaign distribution, including print invoices, digital broadcast run-sheets, and inventory receipts for flyers to substantiate cost reasonableness.
5. Utilize Diverse Strategies for Targeted Reach: Combine multiple communication avenues—such as physically distributed notices, newspaper alerts, and digital PSAs—to document a comprehensive effort to protect all segments of the local population.

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