ACAC Emergency Operations Management Credentials
The American Council for Accredited Certification (ACAC) is pleased to announce a series of certifications for individuals involved in emergency operations management. The following program names describe the expected experience and status of those who hold the credentials. ACAC has developed each of these programs according to nationally recognized third-party accreditation guidelines.
CEOC – Council-certified Emergency Operations Coordinator – Available to individuals with industry knowledge who are currently involved in emergency operations management.
CEOM – Council-certified Emergency Operations Manager – Available to individuals with industry knowledge who have at least two years’ experience in emergency operations management.
CEOP – Council-certified Emergency Operations Professional – Available to individuals with industry knowledge who have at least eight years’ experience in emergency operations management.
Emergencies, by definition, are sudden and unexpected events that must be dealt with urgently. Often the burden of first response falls to those on the scene – individuals in the private and public sectors who aren’t full-time professionals and who aren’t on standby. Furthermore, professional first responders may be overwhelmed by catastrophic events and unable to access those in need. Thus, there is a need for individuals on the scene to step up and manage emergencies in the short term.
Most people rarely consider the immediate needs of victims of earthquake, tornado, hurricane, wildfire, tsunami, terrorist and civil disobedience incidents until they themselves are trapped. Even fewer have the training, knowledge and credentials to begin the mental and physical process of readying for the on-call professionals when they do arrive.
The purpose of these three tiers of the Council-certified Emergency Operations Management credentials is to provide independent, credible certifications for those who know the basic requirements of the first responding professionals and the basics of the Federal CERT programs. These credentialing programs serve individuals in the private, public and governmental sectors.
These credentials will soon be required by insurance companies and may reduce insurance premiums for everything from a parochial school to a sports complex to a manufacturing plant. Check with your employer to see if your company has plans to implement its own in-house emergency response program.
For further information, please see ACAC Emergency Credentials for more information about how to obtain the credentials and http://www.acac.org/certify/prep_courses.aspx to find training and preparatory courses.
