The Office of Emergency Services has once again passed a rigorous review of its emergency management capabilities and earned national accreditation. San Diego is one of just 35 government agencies in the country—and the only local government in California, to achieve these standards of excellence.
“Ultimately, this review shows our residents that the County has an extraordinary emergency management capability and is providing them with a high level of service and protection,” said Holly Crawford, director of the Office of Emergency Services. “The re-accreditation is a validation of our region’s dedication to maintaining and continually improving high standards in all aspects of emergency management.”
In 2007, the Office of Emergency Services was one of the first county governments to achieve accreditation with the Emergency Management Accreditation Program (EMAP), an independent non-profit organization which fosters excellence and accountability in emergency management. The accreditation must be renewed every five years.
To obtain this notable credential, the Office of Emergency Services must undergo a thorough review of all its plans and procedures and demonstrate that it meets national standards in emergency management.
Specifically, the review evaluates 64 standards in 16 categories of emergency management that include hazard mitigation, mutual aid, resource management and logistics, prevention, communications and warning, training and crisis communications and public education for natural or man-made emergencies.
The EMAP review process is voluntary which means that the initial evaluation and the documentation is done by the Office of Emergency Services and is then presented to emergency management peers who visit and evaluate the office. An EMAP committee then makes a final recommendation based on the materials provided by the County and the independent evaluators.
State, territorial and local government programs that coordinate preparedness and response for disasters can apply for the accreditation.
EMAP is the only accreditation process for state and local emergency management programs.
