"Solid management matters, and this is critically important when it comes to protecting our citizens in times of emergency or disaster," Governor Warner said. "This accreditation is a testament to the high priority the Commonwealth has placed on public safety. We learned a great deal from Hurricane Isabel, and certainly from the nation's experience with Katrina, and this accreditation is another assurance that the Commonwealth is on the right track."
EMAP accreditation demonstrates that an emergency management program meets national standards. To achieve full accreditation, Virginia documented compliance with 54 national standards in 15 functional areas, which include: planning and procedures; resource management; training; exercises, evaluations and corrective actions; and communications and warning.
Virginia joins Pennsylvania and the consolidated city/county government of Jacksonville/Duval County (Fla.) in receiving full accreditation. Arizona, the District of Columbia, Florida and North Dakota had already received full accreditation.
"Virginia has accomplished a huge milestone, and we are pleased to see their success," said Ellis M. Stanley, Sr., chairperson of the EMAP Commission and general manager of the Los Angeles Emergency Preparedness Department. "States and localities that work toward and achieve compliance with these standards are at the forefront in ensuring their residents are served by a comprehensive system to deal with disasters."
EMAP is a voluntary accreditation process for state, territorial and local government programs that coordinate preparedness and response activities for disasters. It fosters benchmarking against consistent standards and continuous improvement in local and state government emergency management, and it is the only accreditation process for state and local emergency management.
