Governor Rendell Lauds National Re-accreditation for PA's Emergency Management Program

Says State Continually Making Improvements, Meeting Rigorous Standards

HARRISBURG, Pa., July 9  /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- One of the nation's leading emergency management organizations has once again recognized Pennsylvania's ability to respond to disasters and keep its residents safe, Governor Edward G. Rendell announced today.

According to the Governor, the Emergency Management Accreditation Program Commission, or EMAP, has re-accredited Pennsylvania's emergency management program after it was found to meet 63 rigorous standards in 16 different areas.

"We've made tremendous progress in the past few years improving our ability to help citizens and keep them safe when they're faced with an emergency or disaster," said Governor Rendell. "We didn't do that by being complacent or satisfied with the status quo. We've worked hard to improve our systems, improve our programs, and ensure our emergency management personnel are trained to handle any crisis. This re-accreditation validates those efforts."

EMAP first accredited Pennsylvania in 2005. The accreditation is valid for five years and signifies that a program complies with areas such as planning, resource management, training exercises and evaluations, corrective actions, and communications and warning.

The commonwealth is one of 22 other states and four jurisdictions to have its emergency management program fully accredited.

To achieve accreditation status, the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency had to document compliance with all 63 national standards. PEMA and multiple state agencies were required to demonstrate through program assessments, documentation and on-site visits from an independent team that its emergency management program meets national standards.  

Achieving re-accreditation means Pennsylvania's Emergency Management Program has met or exceeded EMAP's nationally recognized standards, and demonstrates that Pennsylvania is prepared and capable of serving its citizens during times of emergency.

EMAP is a voluntary accreditation process for state, territorial and local government programs that coordinate preparedness and response activities for all disasters. It is part of a national effort to establish a baseline measurement of the nation's emergency management capabilities, and helps states improve their ability to prepare for and respond to emergencies and disasters of all kinds.

"I commend Director French and the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency staff for their hard work in reaching this achievement," Governor Rendell said. "Nothing is more important than ensuring the safety of our citizens. That's why the staff at PEMA are so committed to meeting these standards."

Accredited programs must maintain compliance with EMAP standards and be reassessed in five years to maintain accredited status.

More information about EMAP and the standards used in accreditation is available at www.emaponline.org.

For more information about the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency, visit www.pema.state.pa.us.  

Citizens can better prepare for emergencies by creating home and vehicle emergency kits with basic supplies. Downloadable checklists, as well as other valuable emergency preparedness information, are available online at www.ReadyPA.org.

Media contacts:

Maria A. Finn, PEMA; 717-651-2009

Michael Smith, Governor's Office; 717-783-1116

SOURCE Pennsylvania Office of the Governor