For Immediate Release: November 19, 2015
City of Philadelphia Gains Emergency Management Accreditation
Mayor Michael Nutter Recognizes Office of Emergency Management with Executive Order
Mayor Michael A. Nutter and Emergency Management Director Samantha Phillips were on hand today when the City of Philadelphia was recognized for meeting nationally accepted emergency management standards and receiving official accreditation from the Emergency Management Accreditation Program (EMAP).
Barb Graff, Chair of the Emergency Management Accreditation Program Commission, presented a plaque to Mayor Michael Nutter and Director Phillips in honor of this achievement. “Going through the emergency management review and assessment process to achieve accreditation demonstrates a commitment and desire to prove to your community that its safety is your top priority,” said Graff. “By achieving this accreditation, you are further strengthening our Nation’s preparedness.” Ms. Graff, the director of the Seattle Office of Emergency Management, was in town for a week long meeting of an elite group of professionals known as Big City Emergency Managers and joined Nutter and Phillips to announce the EMAP accreditation.
“On behalf of the City of Philadelphia, Director Phillips and I are delighted to accept this award from EMAP,” said Mayor Nutter. “Thanks to the yearlong efforts of the Office of Emergency Management, Philadelphia is better prepared to manage emergencies and disasters than at any other time in its history,” said Mayor Nutter.
By going through the EMAP process, emergency management programs have the opportunity to be evaluated in 16 areas for compliance with 64 industry standards. To achieve accreditation, the City of Philadelphia was required to demonstrate through self-assessment, documentation and peer assessment validation that its program meets the industry standards. Programs are evaluated in areas, such as; planning, resource management, training exercises, evaluations, corrective actions, communications, and warnings.
Accreditation recognizes the ability of the City’s 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. In addition, it demonstrates the ability to measure these capabilities.
“I am especially proud of the Office of Emergency Management staff for their hard work, dedication, and attention to detail, ensuring that Philadelphia received full accreditation for its inaugural review and assessment of our program,” said Director Phillips. “But we couldn’t do this alone. Many of our emergency response partner agencies evaluate and provide feedback on how to improve and strengthen our preparedness, response and recovery capabilities, and we accept this award on behalf of the entire Philadelphia emergency response community.”
EMAP is the only accreditation process that provides emergency management programs the ability to be evaluated and recognized for compliance with industry standards, to demonstrate accountability, and to focus attention on areas and issues where resources are needed.
Philadelphia OEM is now ranked among a leading network of emergency management programs. Currently, eight federal programs, more than 30 state programs, 27 local government programs, three institutes of higher education programs, and two international programs have received accreditation. Philadelphia is the first large city, according to population, to earn this distinction.
In addition to the EMAP accreditation, Mayor Nutter announced his recent signing of Executive Order #04-15 reestablishing the role and responsibilities of the Office of Emergency Management. By signing the executive order, Mayor Nutter recognized the critical role that the Office of Emergency Management plays in preparing for disasters like the Amtrak derailment, large-scale special events such as Pope Francis’ visit and the upcoming Democratic National Convention, as well as every day planning, preparedness, and coordination among many different organizations for emergency situations.
“As part of this Executive Order, I am asking all City offices, departments, boards, and commissions for their continued cooperation for and support of the Office of Emergency Management as it performs its official planning and coordination of emergency preparedness, response, and recovery functions,” said Nutter.
# # #