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Emergency Management Department earns EMAP accreditation, only second in state

February 1, 2023

RIVERSIDE – Riverside County’s Emergency Management Department (EMD) became the second county emergency management program in the state to earn the highest level of accreditation from the Emergency Management Accreditation Program. The accreditation from EMAP recognizes the ability of emergency management programs to bring together personnel, resources and communications across disciplines to prepare for and respond to emergencies. The accreditation also evaluates programs’ ability to evaluate and measure their capabilities.

In the EMAP accreditation letter, Chairperson Angee Morgan wrote, “We applaud the County of Riverside’s leadership and congratulate you on your commitment to achieve accreditation. More importantly, we recognize the dedication to the safety and security of the residents that it represents.”

The emergency management program uses the accreditation to prove the capabilities of their disaster preparedness and response systems. Accreditation is valid for five years and the program must maintain compliance with EMAP’s standards and is reassessed to maintain accredited status.

“To be one of two local government programs in the state, and one of 43 in the country to achieve EMAP accreditation is a serious accomplishment,” said Chair of the Board Kevin Jeffries, First District Supervisor. “Riverside County residents can take comfort in knowing that our emergency management program is among the best in the nation.”

“This was a comprehensive process that the team worked on extensively, all while managing a significant actual disasters, including a pandemic, fires and floods,” said Bruce Barton, director of the Emergency Management Department. “I’m incredibly proud of our EMD team.”

The accreditation process evaluates compliance in 66 critical areas, including planning, resource management, training, corrective actions, communications and administration. EMAP is the only accreditation process for emergency management programs.

For more information on EMAP accreditation, please visit https://EMAP.org.