There is a professional emergency management designation available through the Coast Guard Office of Emergency Management and Disaster Response (CG-OEM). The Coast Guard Emergency Management Credential (CGEMC) is currently available to any Coast Guard active duty (officer or enlisted), reserve (officer or enlisted), civilian, or auxiliary member regardless of specialty or assigned duty station/position. As of October 2023, the credential opened to DHS as well!
What is CGEMC?
The CGEMC program was rolled out in the Spring of 2021, earning the DHS Secretary’s Silver Medal in 2022. The program is designed to advance the Emergency Management (EM) profession within the Coast Guard and DHS by promoting the principles of EM. The credential consists of mandatory and optional training courses, largely available through the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), documented EM experience showing evidence of participation in full-scale exercises, real-world events (disaster or planned event), or special events. The applicant’s work history must provide clear evidence their work experience in EM encompasses four of the five Mission Areas in the National Preparedness Goal (NPG) - Prevention, Protection, Mitigation, Response, and Recovery - as defined by FEMA. Additionally, professional contributions in the field of EM, education, professional references and test criteria are required. The proctored test is based on the required FEMA IS courses, a score of 75 or better is required to pass.
Who can apply?
There are no prerequisites for the credential other than having experience in emergency management, however, following the credential application guide created by CG-OEM is mandatory. The Application Guide, which is updated from Board feedback after every Board convening, contains all the information needed to provide a successful application. We do have templates modeled after successful applications as well as a frequently asked questions document on the CG-OEM-1 SharePoint site. The burden of proof is on the applicant to prove they have met the requirements. Credential applications are due by September 15, for the October board convening.
The program is recognized by the International Association of Emergency Managers (IAEM) through a Memorandum of Understanding. The CGEMC is considered a creditable professional contribution (under the category of “Certification Related to Emergency Management”) for USCG active duty, civilian, reserve, retirees, auxiliary and DHS personnel who apply for their AEM® or CEM®. If an applicant has recertified through an outside, professional emergency management credentialing program they need only to submit proof of their current credential, for example, the IAEM CEM®, and the CGEMC will be granted by CG-OEM.
We have had great success so far with 150 people credentialed to date!
Qualified applicants seeking to apply for the credential, or any one requiring application guidance, can e-mail CG-OEM-1@uscg.mil for more information. We look forward to continuing to professionalize EM in the Coast Guard, throughout DHS, and continued program success.
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