Will FEMA pay for crews waiting on call during the disaster?

• Standby use and pay follow your labor policy and your practice in non-federal incidents, or a contract or union agreement requires it;
• Standby was needed to keep resources ready for the life-saving action;
• The number of people and hours was reasonable for the resources needed; and
• The employee was conducting that life-saving action, and all other labor rules were met.

Examples include bus drivers deployed to move evacuees and first responders deployed for evacuation or emergency medical care. Where firefighters must be paid portal to portal, FEMA reimburses reasonable costs for up to 14 calendar days from the start of the incident period, with documentation of the need for continuous support.

The policy or agreement requiring standby pay, deployment records, and documentation of the need for continuous support.