Are There Any Emergency Management Certifications?

Those in the growing field of emergency management often seek emergency management certification to help highlight their expertise in the field to their colleagues and potential employers. Emergency management is the set of plans that individuals, families, organizations and communities craft to help them mitigate the impact of disasters that affect them. The associated certification programs reflect the current industry best practices, and the International Association of Emergency Managers (IAEM) was influential in creating the guiding principles of emergency management as set forth by the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) working group on the subject. The IAEM continues to promote excellence in the emergency management career field primarily through its certification programs. Here are the types of certifications that IAEM offer to emergency management practitioners, as well as the requirements for initial certification and certification maintenance.

Types of IAEM Emergency Management Certifications Available

The premier IAEM certification for emergency managers is the Certified Emergency Manager (CEM) designation. Those that hold this credential have verifiable training that qualifies them to lead full service emergency management programs for a number of organizations. The CEM education, training, certification test and essay allow emergency managers to document both their theoretical knowledge and abilities to apply emergency management principles practically. IAEM also offers an Associate Emergency Manager designation for industry practitioners who have less industry experience and education than CEM candidates. Emergency management programs within companies, government agencies and other organizations can also verify their compliance to the industry’s standards through the Emergency Management Accreditation Program (EMAP). The EMAP designation is primarily used by public service organizations, their contractors or other non-profit entities to assure the public that its members have the knowledge, skills and abilities to lead their communities when emergencies or disasters occur.

Requirements for Initial Certification

Initial CEM certification requires that applicants have an undergraduate degree, industry specific training and related work experience. They must also successfully complete a multiple choice exam, rigorous essay and submit three letters of recommendation. For example, CEM candidates must have 100 training hours each in emergency management and business management. A unique requirement for the CEM designation is the description of professional contributions. This requirement helps to make sure that those who gain certification are committed to promoting the profession, and some examples of professional contributions include speaking engagements at emergency management conferences and publishing emergency management journal articles and white papers.

AEM certification requirements are 100 hours of training each in emergency management and business management, a comprehensive test, an essay and three letters of recommendation. EMAP candidate organizations complete onsite assessments of their emergency management plans, policies and procedures against about 60 emergency management standards.

Certification Maintenance Requirements

CEM and AEM candidates must accomplish recertification every five years. The recertification process includes the submission of an application, documentation of continued education achieved during the five year period, verification of professional contributions made and payment of the certification maintenance fee. CEMs and AEMs must obtain 50 hours of direct emergency management training and 50 hours of general management training. Both CEMs and AEMs are also required to have conducted at least three hours of professional contributions. The recertification fee is $250 for members of IAEM.

Conclusion

IAEM consists of global leaders in the field of emergency management, and the organization is expected to continue to be a driving force in the development and execution of best practices for this evolving career field. They expect emergency management certification to be the preferred employment credential that is sought by organizations that want to hire industry leaders who have verifiable expertise.