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Operation Opportunity
Operation Opportunity
PEMA
Goal: Achieve Accreditation thru the Emergency Management Accreditation Program (EMAP)
Why: By achieving accredited status, an emergency management program demonstrates to the public and to elected officials that it is using its resources to provide the capabilities that emergency managers nationwide agree are necessary to be prepared for and to respond to natural and human-caused disasters.
The goal of EMAP is to provide a meaningful, voluntary accreditation process for state, territorial, and local programs that have the responsibility of preparing for and responding to disasters. By offering consistent standards and a process through which emergency management programs can demonstrate compliance, EMAP will strengthen communities' capabilities in responding to all types of hazards, from tornadoes and earthquakes to school violence and bioterrorism. Accreditation is voluntary. Its intent is to encourage examination of strengths and weaknesses, pursuit of corrective measures, and communication and planning among different sectors of government and the community.
What is EMAP?: The Emergency Management Accreditation Program (EMAP) is a standard-based voluntary assessment and accreditation process for state and local government programs responsible for coordinating prevention, mitigation, preparedness, response, and recovery activities for natural and human-caused disasters. Accreditation is based on compliance with collaboratively developed national standards.
EMAP Benefits: • Provides benchmarks for program management and operations;
• Focuses on comprehensive emergency management;
• Encourages collaboration of state- and community-wide programs rather than individual agencies;
• Validates professional capabilities;
• Recognizes program quality and individual effort;
• Demonstrates effective use of public resources and provides justification for resources;
• Encourages intra- and interagency communication and team-building through the assessment and accreditation process;
• Broadens perspective on the profession of emergency management and emergency preparedness activities;
• Deepens understanding of one's own program organization and operations;
• Expands experience and knowledge through networking and sharing of best practices; and
• Contributes individual skills to improving the nation's public safety and security by increasing emergency management program effectiveness.
