Montgomery County Receives Emergency Management Accreditation, Remains Only County in the State With this Recognition

Per Montgomery County:

For Immediate Release: Friday, February 4, 2022

The emergency management program of Montgomery County has again been granted full accreditation by the Emergency Management Accreditation Program (EMAP). Emergency management accreditation represents a significant achievement and Montgomery County remains the only local jurisdiction in the State of Maryland, and one of only 45 counties nationwide, to have been awarded this esteemed accreditation.

“Over the last two years, Montgomery County has prepared for, responded to, and recovered from the ongoing pandemic as well as, if not better, than every other jurisdiction in the nation – this is a testament to the exemplary operation, training, and preparation of our Office of Emergency Management and Homeland Security (OEMHS),” said County Executive Marc Elrich. “It is not a surprise that out of over 3,000 counties nationwide, our OEMHS is one of only 45 jurisdictions to achieve this accreditation. I am very proud and appreciative of the hard work and dedication of these employees. They vigilantly protect our residents during emergencies as well as prepare our communities for potential disasters. This department is essential to the success of our life-saving, public safety efforts and goals.”

EMAP’s mission is to build safer communities with measurable standards of excellence for emergency management programs and is the only accreditation process for emergency management programs. In 2015, OEMHS successfully complied with all standards and was granted accreditation status which remained in effect for five years.

“The Office of Emergency Management and Homeland Security coordinates and collaborates with many County departments to better prepare, protect, mitigate, respond to, and recover from disaster or emergencies,” said OEMHS Acting Director Marianne Souders. “Montgomery County is honored to be again accredited by the Emergency Management Accreditation Program and to remain part of such an exclusive club.”

To achieve accreditation the program took steps to document compliance with 66 industry-recognized standards and a peer-review on-site assessment by a team of EMAP trained assessors. Accreditation recognizes the ability of programs to bring together personnel, resources, and communications from a variety of agencies and organizations in preparation for and in response to a disaster of any type. The accreditation process evaluates emergency management programs on compliance with requirements in 16 areas, including administration, coordination, administration and finance, and laws and authorities; hazard identification, risk assessment and consequence analysis; hazard mitigation; prevention; operational planning and procedures; incident management; resource management, mutual aid and logistics; communications and warning; facilities; training; exercises, evaluations, and corrective actions; and emergency public information and education.

Accreditation is valid for five years, and the program must maintain compliance with the Emergency Management Standard and is reassessed to maintain accredited status.