Organization among just seven such agencies accredited in Florida
On Sept. 29, the Sarasota County Emergency Management Division received accreditation from the Emergency Management Accreditation Program (EMAP), county staff announced this week.
The action is “a measure of excellence that shows Sarasota County Emergency Management’s commitment to a high level of service, education, preparation, response, recovery and mitigation,” a news release explains.
Sarasota County Emergency Management is one of seven such government agencies in Florida to achieve the accreditation, a news release points out, and it is the first program in Sarasota County to do so.
“The EMAP Commission approved Sarasota County’s certification after an in-depth assessment of the county’s emergency response program,” with the team addressing 73 national standards to determine compliance with the Emergency Management Standards, as certified by the American National Standards Institute, the release explains.
“Accreditation fosters excellence and accountability in emergency management programs through a voluntary, peer-review process using these credible standards,” the release adds. “This further demonstrates the county’s commitment to continuous preparedness and improvement,” the release notes.
“Accreditation is a tangible testament to the team’s dedication to ensuring Sarasota County is prepared to respond, recover from and mitigate against disasters with a focus on the community’s best interest,” said Sarasota County Emergency Services Director Rich Collins in the release. “Emergency Management is committed to continuous high levels of service by aligning with industry best practices to provide resources to our community,” he added.
The Emergency Management staff “continually assesses service delivery and performance, as well as opportunity for enhancements,” the release points out.
“This is a great accomplishment for Sarasota County and the community, as achieving accreditation was a detailed and exhaustive process,” said Sarasota County Emergency Management Chief Sandra Tapfumaneyi in the release. “We look forward to using tools from this accreditation in our proactive planning for the future.”
For more information, call 311 or visit scgov.net.