Blunt Announces Missouri’s
Emergency Management Program One of Few to Achieve Conditional Accreditation
JEFFERSON CITY, November 27, 2006- Gov. Matt Blunt
announced today that the emergency preparedness and response system
of the Missouri state government received Conditional Accreditation
by the Emergency Management Accreditation Program (EMAP).
“I commend the State Emergency Management Agency
for their diligent work to earn this conditional accreditation,"
Blunt said. "While there is much work ahead, this is positive
affirmation that SEMA is moving in the right direction."
All 52 state and territories were evaluated, but only
a few have earned recognition to date. Missouri is one of the few
states to receive conditional accreditation following the baseline
team visit. SEMA is looking at achieving full accreditation in a few
months.
Emergency management accreditation represents a significant
achievement. Accreditation is a means of demonstrating, through program
assessment, documentation and on-site assessment by an independent
team, that a program meets national standards. All of Missouri’s
state executive departments were evaluated during a “Baseline
Accreditation” visit in April of this year. Mark James, Director
of the Department of Public Safety led the overall state effort, with
Ron Reynolds, Director of the State Emergency Management Agency providing
guidance, training and leadership throughout the process.
“All of the executive departments must be congratulated
for their outstanding cooperation in the accreditation process. Their
willingness to work with SEMA on operational plans, manage disaster
response at the State Emergency Operations Center, and their commitment
to protecting our citizens during a disaster paid huge dividends for
Missouri,” James said.
Working collaboratively since 1997, state, local and
federal emergency managers developed EMAP to provide a quality standard
assessment to strengthen capabilities and demonstrate accountability.
EMAP is a voluntary accreditation process that views a state’s
entire “emergency management program,” including personnel,
resources, and communications from a variety of agencies and disciplines
in preparation for and in response to an emergency or disaster.
The EMAP Standard is based upon the National Fire Protection
Association NFPA 1600 Standard on Disaster/Emergency Management and
Business Continuity Programs. Missouri’s conditionally accredited
program has a few changes to complete to attain full compliance during
a nine-month conditional accreditation period; then the program’s
changes will be reviewed for full accreditation.