I've actually stewed about this for a bit before coming to the point where I decided to write about it. Perhaps what I have to say will prompt a variety of responses from people.
Over the years I've had people ask me what I think they should be working on as emergency managers with a local program. One of my basic answers is that as a small program with one or two staff members you won't be able to accomplish everything you would like to do, so you will have to pick and choose your priorities based on your community, the threats and resources you have.
I just finished reviewing the EMAP standards before sitting down and writing this post. All of them are pretty reasonable, nothing out of the box, I might even add a thing or two about using social media into the standards on operations and public information. Not to have that at this point is missing a big element of a "with it" program.
Given it is all doable, then why not use the standard to construct a program around and build it that way, eventually getting to the point where you have all the elements necessary for your program to become officially accredited.
The problem I see is the time available and what other things are tugging at your sleeve for attention that are everyday concerns and every bit as relevant to building a competent program. Rarely do we start from scratch with a brand new program, so you need to feed the monster that you have in addition to documenting that you have all the pieces in place to be called accredited.
I think any state emergency management agency worth its salt should seek becoming accredited. While some have much smaller staffs, they all have more means by which they could accomplish the task in time if they consciously and methodically work at it. I am of the same mind for large cities and counties that have more capability in the way of funding and staffing.
When it comes to smaller cities and rural counties, I would suggest that the EMAP standards are a good guide to follow. It would be a wonderful way of reporting the status of your program to elected officials, given they are an understanding lot and not prone to saying, "Why aren't you accredited and what are you doing about it?"
OK, so maybe you don't mention the standard or accreditation to them, but use the standards as a guide in reporting progress, needs and priorities. If you are motivated to go for it, send me an email on how you find that journey working for you. Has anyone tried climbing that mountain called accreditation and turned back?
There must be a smaller jurisdiction among the 3,000 counties and 10,000 cities in the United States that have achieved EMAP accreditation. To them I say, "Congratulations!" What was the secret of your success?
