Mayor Jorge Elorza and Director Michael Borg of the Providence Emergency Management Agency (PEMA) are pleased to announce that the agency has been re-accredited by the Emergency Management Accreditation Program (EMAP). EMAP is a national organization that set the standard for excellence and accountability in emergency management.
EMAP accreditation represents a significant achievement and documents how the agency and program meet national standards for their disaster preparedness and response systems. To achieve accreditation, each emergency management program must document compliance with a set of standards used in the accreditation process and undergo a peer-reviewed assessment by EMAP trained assessors. Accreditation also recognizes the ability of local government to bring together personnel, resources, and communications from a variety of agencies and organizations in preparation for and in response to a disaster.
PEMA must go through the re-accreditation process every five years. In 2010 PEMA was initially accredited and was the first local municipality in the country to achieve that status. Over the last five years PEMA has strengthened its robust program. It has conducted 81 total exercises, logged 395 public outreach hours, trained volunteers for a total of 3,400 hours, held 26 coordinated emergency response activations, and revised and developed over 43 emergency response plans. Furthermore, the completion of the new Emergency Operations Center (EOC) that opened in fall 2014 enables city officials to mitigate, respond to, and recovery from all hazards. The staff of the Providence Emergency Management Agency has done an extraordinary job strengthening the city’s overall emergency management program. Accreditation is a testament to the preparedness and resilience of the City of Providence.
“Emergency Management accreditation attests to the dedication and tireless efforts of not only the Providence Emergency Management Agency but the City of Providence as well,” said Director Borg. “Meeting the rigorous standards of EMAP serves as a model for municipalities across Rhode Island.”