Volusia County Emergency Management earns top honors from accreditation agency

Posted On: June 12, 2020

Volusia County has once again earned the highest honor for emergency management, receiving reaccreditation by the Emergency Management Accreditation Program (EMAP). The county initially earned accreditation in 2014 from the national program, which requires recertification every five years in order to evaluate an organization’s ability to handle emergency response situations.

EMAP awarded the reaccreditation based on Volusia County’s ability to effectively mobilize personnel, resources and communications from a variety of agencies and organizations for disaster preparations and response. The accreditation team evaluated 64 standards including planning, resource management, training, exercises, evaluations and corrective actions, and communications and warnings.

"Five years ago, it was an honor to earn accreditation through the Emergency Management Accreditation Program,” said Volusia County Emergency Management Director Jim Judge. “For Volusia County to continue to meet those top-notch standards and earn reaccreditation is a tribute to the county’s passion for serving and protecting the public. I couldn’t be more thrilled with our staff and community partners, who worked together to achieve this national standard.”

Through a program of peer review and development of standards for best practices, EMAP helps to ensure emergency management agencies’ commitment to professional excellence in preparing for and responding to emergencies.

“Congratulations to those programs that have maintained their accredited status as well as those who have joined the elite leaders in emergency management having earned accreditation through the Emergency Management Accreditation Program,” stated Nick Crossley, Director of Hamilton County Emergency Management and Homeland Security Agency and the EMAP Commission Chair. “Through their commitment and leadership, they have proven to their communities and stakeholders that their programs are sustainable and that they continue to focus on their communities’ best interests.”

The county’s Emergency Management division is headquartered at the Emergency Operations and Sheriff’s Communications Center on Tiger Bay Road, Daytona Beach. The high-tech facility serves as the central coordination center for emergency response, providing working space for county officials, all disaster-response functions, and representatives from the county’s 16 municipalities.

EMAP, an independent nonprofit organization, is a standard-based voluntary assessment and peer review accreditation process for government programs responsible for coordinating prevention, mitigation, preparedness, response and recovery activities for natural and human-caused disasters.