EMAP for Public Officials

Enhancing regional preparedness is a national priority, especially in light of lessons learned from hurricanes Katrina and Rita and the September 11 terrorist attacks. Planning for and preparing to respond and recover from natural and human-caused incidents requires that areas overcome inter-jurisdictional challenges and leverage opportunities to do more with less. The application of professionally recognized standards and the development of a robust exercise program are two evaluation methods that, if implemented together, would assist regions in identifying inter-jurisdictional issues and assessing preparedness. The Emergency Management Accreditation Program (EMAP) recently conducted a pilot assessment of the National Capital Region. As a result of project evaluations, EMAP has developed a five-step assessment methodology to help multi-jurisdictional areas, urban and rural, identify emergency management capability shortfalls and opportunities, benchmark progress and identify strategic priorities.

Pilot Assessment of the National Capital Region

EMAP has concluded a successful pilot regional assessment in the National Capital Region - the area including Washington, DC, and surrounding counties and municipalities in Maryland and Virginia. This pilot regional assessment is the first comprehensive assessment to look at a whole region's systems for coordinating disaster preparedness and response. Using national emergency preparedness standards, this project provided the region an assessment of local and regional capabilities and serves as a test for how EMAP standards and assessment processes might be applied in a regional context. The pilot will not result in accreditation for the region. It is designed to identify gaps against national standards to assist the region in prioritizing needs and regional projects.

This project accounted for the emergency management capabilities and activities that occur at the local jurisdictional level. Therefore, assessment data from the District of Columbia and 11 local jurisdictions in Maryland and Virginia was reviewed in aggregate. Furthermore, an assessment of regional strategies and plans was conducted against the EMAP standards, such as a regional homeland security strategic plan and emergency coordination plan, mutual aid agreements and exercise after action reports

In addition to providing the NCR with an assessment of local and regional capabilities against national emergency preparedness standards, this project resulted in key lessons for applying benchmarks to and measuring the capabilities of multi-jurisdictional areas.

A Framework for Assessing Regional Preparedness- EMAP White Paper EMAP recently published A Framework for Assessing Regional Preparedness, a white paper that looks at the opportunities and challenges associated with multi-jurisdictional disaster planning and coordination. The white paper outlines a framework for benchmarking regional capabilities, incorporating concepts gleaned from the pilot assessment in the National Capital Region ? the first application of recognized emergency management standards to a multi-jurisdictional area. The paper discusses the need for tools to look at regional structures and objectives to assist urban area officials, regional leaders and planners, and other state and local officials strengthen regional preparedness and response capabilities.

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Click here to read or download the White Paper

To arrange a regional assessment or for more information about the process, please contact EMAP at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it