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IPEM Application Process

Download the IPEM Application

The applicant must address each of the following:​

Education Requirements

Submit a copy of the applicant’s highest educational degree/diploma. This could include a BS/BA, associates degree, high school or GED diploma. (If the diploma is unavailable, the applicant should submit whatever documentation they have available to show completion of one of these levels.

Training Requirements

IPEM Training Hours

Training: 90 hours Emergency Management training (considered specific to the profession) & General Management Training (content that can be applied beyond emergency management).

No more than 25% of hours can be in a single topic. No more than 45 hours should come from General Management

Must be completed within 3 years.

Defining Emergency Management Training

Training may count for Emergency Management if a majority of course content:

  • Trains the audience on developing and/or improving emergency management skills related to one or more of the functional areas of Emergency Management (mitigation, prevention, preparedness, response, recovery) AND/OR
  • Directly contributes to, enhances, and/or improves emergency management knowledge, skills, and abilities.
  • Technical training for functions involved in emergency response is not acceptable.
    • Example 1:
    • Training that discusses how emergency response vehicles are part of operational response of emergency management is acceptable as EM training.
    • Training on the operation of an emergency response vehicle is not acceptable as EM training.
    • Example 2:
    • Training in a skill related to emergency response, like BLS/ALS or how to operate a forklift, is not acceptable.
    • Examples of Emergency Management Subject Areas
    • Damage Assessment - Technical
    • Disaster Preparedness
    • Emergency Management Foundations (Phases of Emergency Management)
    • Emergency Operations Centers
    • Emergency Planning and Crisis Management
    • Exercise Design
    • Floodplain - Technical
    • Hazard Mitigation - Technical
    • Health, Safety, and Environment Management
    • Incident Command
    • Mass Care
    • Public Information
    • Recovery - Technical
    • Shelter Management
    • Technology, Equipment, and Information Systems specific to Emergency Management processes and systems

Defining General Management Training

Training may count for General Management if it:

  • Contributes to or compliments management skill sets.
  • Improves an individual’s ability to function as an effective employee by improving on an existing skill or learning a new skill.
  • Is generally applicable to a wide variety of non-emergency management professions.
  • Where the class provides general awareness for an emergency management subject, the applicant will list this as GM training.
  • For example:
    • Continuity of Operations technical skill development – EM class
    • General awareness of Continuity of Operations – GM class
  • Examples of General Management Subject Areas:
    • Behavioral and Social Sciences
    • Communication: Written and Oral
    • Decision-Making and Problem-Solving
    • Ethics
    • Executive and Management Development
    • Financial Management and Budgeting
    • Grantsmanship (Development, Evaluation and Reporting)
    • Hazard Mitigation - General
    • Human Resource/Personnel Management
    • Instructor Development
    • Leadership and Influence
    • Logistics
    • Marketing and Public Relations and Media Management
    • Organizational Behavior
    • Public Speaking
    • Public Policy
    • Race and Ethnic Relations; Intercultural Communications
    • Strategic and Tactical Planning
    • Technology, Equipment, and Information Systems
    • Train-the-Trainer (TTT)
    • Volunteer Resources

Training for Renewal of IPEM: Successfully complete seventy-two hours of IEMA/FEMA/IESMA sponsored training and/or conferences. This could include successfully completed Independent Study courses from FEMA. Up to 6 courses, at 2 hours each, may be submitted for credit. Petitions can be submitted to accept up to thirty-six of successfully completed training from other related agencies or conducting training for these other related agencies. These other related agencies could include but are not limited to, the American Red Cross, National Weather Service, Salvation Army, US Military, and the US Army Corps of 11 Engineers. Credit hours from accredited college institutions will also be accepted. The applicant must submit the training objectives and agenda for the other related agency's training. The curriculum objectives and agenda must place heavy emphasis on issues relevant to emergency management and will be evaluated as such.

Exercise Requirements

The list of approved exercise-related positions is included below. Please access the link to the position that you were assigned to view a drop-down box listing the required narrative information, exercise-related documents and verification letter.

Exercise Director/Co-Director

Narrative:

Why were you selected? What was your previous experience/training relevant to this position? Did you choose this position or were you assigned? What do you feel you could have done to better prepare yourself for this position? If you were assigned to identify a person to fill this position in future exercises, what previous experience and/or training do you think would allow a person to be best prepared?

What was your involvement in determining the need for this exercise?

What entities were included on your exercise design team? What was your involvement and what were the selection criteria? What was your involvement in the selection of the controllers and evaluators and what were the selection criteria? What was your involvement in the selection of actors and what were the selection criteria? Describe what you felt you did well and what you need to improve on if you are involved in the selection of controllers, evaluators and actors in future exercises. Please explain your response.

What planning conferences/briefings were you involved with, or that you scheduled/conducted, and what was your role? Do you feel these were productive or could have been more productive and why you feel that way? Describe what you felt you did well and what you need to improve on if you are involved in conducting these planning conferences/briefings in future exercises. Please explain your response.

Describe your role in developing the exercise documents. Which specific documents were you involved with developing and what was your level of involvement? Describe what you felt you did well and what you need to improve on when developing these documents in future exercises. Describe your role during the exercise. Was there any interaction with the controllers, evaluators, members of the exercise design team or simulation cell? Describe what you felt you did well and what you need to improve on when interacting with those positions. Please explain your response.

Were you involved in the exercise Hot Wash? If so, what was your level of involvement? Were you involved in the development of the AAR/IP? If so, how did your involvement and guidance contribute to the completion of the AAR/IP? Describe what you felt you did well and what you need to improve on when conducting an exercise Hot Wash and developing AAR/IPs in future exercises. Please explain your response.

Identify any additional lessons that you learned as the Exercise Director/Co-Director that will allow you to improve your capabilities in future exercises. Please explain your response.

Documents:

Copies of the following documents should be included:

  • All pre-exercise documents, in HSEEP format, that the applicant was involved with developing.
  • AAR/IP using the HSEEP format.
  • Any other exercise-related documents appropriate for the applicant.
  • Letter from the jurisdiction conducting the exercise or IEMA regional/central staff verifying the exercise was conducted and that the applicant served in the position described.

Lead Evaluator

Beginning with the 2019 applications, those submitting the Lead Evaluator position will meet the following additional criteria: Being an active member of the exercise design team, identified in the exercise documents as the Lead Evaluator for the entire exercise and provide a detailed narrative how they selected, trained, coordinated, briefed and debriefed all additional evaluators.

Narrative:

Why were you selected? What was your previous experience/training relevant to this position? Did you choose this position or were you assigned? With the additional evaluators, what was your involvement in their selection and what were the selection criteria? What do you feel you could have done to better prepare you for this position? If you were assigned to identify a person to fill this position in future exercises, what previous experience and/or training do you think would allow a person to be best prepared?

What briefings were you involved with or that you scheduled/conducted and what was your role? With the additional evaluators, what process was used to assign what they were evaluating and what directions were they given? With the additional evaluators, were there any pre/post-exercise briefings conducted with them? If so, what was your role? Do you feel these were productive or could have been more productive? Please explain your response. Describe what you felt you did well and what you need to improve on if you are involved in conducting these briefings in future exercises. Please explain your response.

Describe your role during the exercise. Was there any interaction with the controllers, evaluators, members of the exercise design team or the simulation cell? Describe what you felt you did well and what you need to improve on when interacting with those positions in future exercises. Please explain your response.

Were you involved in the exercise Hot Wash? If so, what was your level of involvement? Were you involved in the development of the AAR/IP? If so, how did your involvement and guidance contribute to the completion of the AAR/IP? How were the completed EEGs used in completing the AAR/IP?

Identify any additional lessons you learned as the Lead Evaluator that will allow you to improve your capabilities in future exercises. Please explain your response.

Documents:

Copies of the following documents should be included:

  • All HSEEP formatted documents that list the applicant as the Lead Evaluator.
  • Letter from the Exercise Director/Co-Director or IEMA regional/central office staff verifying that the event took place and the applicant served in the position described.

Lead Controller

Beginning with the 2019 applications, those submitting the Lead Controller position will meet the following additional criteria: Being an active member of the exercise design team, identified in the exercise documents as the Lead Controllor for the entire exercise and provide a detailed narrative how they selected, trained, coordinated, briefed and debriefed all additional controllers.

Narrative:

Why were you selected? What was your previous experience/training relevant to this position? Did you choose this position or were you assigned? With the additional controllers, what was your involvement in their selection and what were the selection criteria? What do you feel you could have done to better prepare you for this position? If you were assigned to identify a person to fill this position in future exercises, what previous experience and/or training do you think would allow a person to be best prepared?

What briefings were you involved with, or that you scheduled/conducted, and what was your role? Do you feel the briefings were productive or could have been more productive? Please explain your response. With the additional controllers, were there any pre-exercise briefings conducted with them? If so, what was your role? Describe what you felt you did well and what you need to improve on if you are involved in conducting these briefings in future exercises. Please explain your response.

Describe your role during the exercise. With the additional controllers, how did you interact with them? What was your interaction with the Exercise Director/Co-Director, evaluators or others? Was there a simulation cell established? If so, describe your interaction with it? Describe what you felt you did well and what you need to improve on when interacting with the Exercise Director/Co-Director, evaluators and the simulation cell in future exercises. Please explain your response.

Identify and describe any post-exercise conferences/meetings and what your role was during those conferences/meetings.

Identify any additional lessons you learned as the Lead Controller that will allow you to improve your capabilities in future exercises. Please explain your response.

Documents:

Copies of the following documents should be included:

  • All HSEEP formatted documents that list the applicant as the Lead Controller.
  • Letter from the Exercise Director/Co-Director or IEMA regional/central office staff verifying that the event took place and that the applicant served in the position described.

Injects Writing/Master Sequence of Events List (MSEL) Team

Narrative:

Why were you selected? What was your previous experience/training relevant to this position? Did you choose this position or were you assigned? If you were assigned to identify a person to fill this position in future exercises, what previous experience and/or training do you think would allow a person to be best prepared?

What entities were included on the Injects Writing/MSEL Team? Were there other entities that you felt should have been included? Please explain your response.

What conferences/meetings were you involved with and what was your role? Do you feel these were productive or could have been more productive and why? Describe what you felt you did well and what you need to improve on when participating in these types of conferences/meetings in future exercises. Please explain your response.

Describe your role in developing the exercise documents. Which specific documents were you involved with developing and what was your level of involvement? Describe what you felt you did well and what you need to improve on when being a member of the Injects Writing/MSEL Team in future exercises. Please explain your response.

Describe your role during the exercise. Was there any interaction with the controllers, evaluators, members of the design team or simulation cell? Describe what you felt you did well and what you need to improve on when interacting with those entities in future exercises. Please explain your response.

Identify any additional lessons you learned as a member of the Injects Writing/MSEL Team that will allow you to improve your capabilities in future exercises along with why.

Documents:

Copies of the following documents should be included:

  • MSEL Document
  • Letter from the Exercise Director/Co-Director or IEMA regional/central office staff verifying that the event took place and that the applicant served in the position described.

After reviewing the drop-down box for the applicant’s assigned position, please submit the following items:

  • Narrative: A double-spaced, single-sided Word document that addresses all of the required narrative information listed. This detailed narrative will allow the applicant to provide an in-depth picture of their involvement, with special attention directed to what the applicant felt they did well and what challenges they faced.  These “lessons learned,” along with “why” they felt that way, provide the applicant with a baseline of their strengths and what areas they look to improve on during future exercises. The length of the narrative will depend on how long it takes the applicant to address all of the required information for the position they were assigned, with special attention to the “lessons learned.” If the required information is not provided, the narrative will be returned to the applicant for revision and re-submittal.
  • Exercise-related Documents: Copies of the specific documents listed in the drop-down box. 
  • Verification Letter: A letter as described in the drop-down box.

Reference Letter and Experience Requirements

A letter validating the documented role* and number of years in the role, along with a copy of current job description. Acceptable sources of the letter include: current supervisor or past supervisor (within the required number of years), emergency management officials (municipal, county, state or federal), and chief elected official in your jurisdiction. The following scale represents the minimum number of years depending on the applicant’s role:

  • Three years emergency management role at the municipal, county, state, or federal level (full, part-time, or volunteer). At least one year must be Illinois-based.
  • Two years emergency management role, with a bachelor’s degree in emergency management or homeland security, at the municipal, county, state, or federal level (full, part-time or volunteer). At least one year must be Illinois-based.
  • Five years public safety role law enforcement, fire, EMS, public health, military, national weather service, human services, non-governmental organizations.* At least one year must be Illinois-based.
  • Five years private sector role: Risk Management, safety, emergency management preparedness specialist, security/emergency response specialist, security coordinator or access control coordinator.* At least one year must be Illinois-based.

*Applicant may petition IPEM Application Review Committee for roles not listed above.

IPEM Application Submittal Process

An IPEM application must be received by IEMA with a post mark no later than July 15 for consideration of accreditation for that particular year. The IPEM application must include the following:

  • A letter to the Director of IEMA requesting IPEM accreditation.
  • A copy of the completed application form.
  • A copy of the applicant’s highest educational degree/diploma.
  • A copy of all appropriate training course completion certificates that are not currently listed on the applicant's IEMA training transcript. It is the responsibility of the applicant to maintain a record of course completion certificates or other appropriate supporting documentation.  The applicant is asked to review their IEMA training transcript to assist in ensuring that all required training has been completed.
  • A copy of the required exercise documentation.
  • A copy of the required exercise narrative, exercise-related documents and verification letter.
  • A copy of the information/documentation required for only five professional contributions.
  • A copy of the reference letter verifying the applicant’s documented role and number of years in the role, along with a copy of current job description.

Please submit only the documents required as listed above staple free and unbound.​

Applicant is asked to access the Application Review Process to be aware of the review process once the application has been received by IEMA.

The application packet should be mailed to:

IEMA Director
2200 South Dirksen Parkway
Springfield, Illinois 62703-4528
Attn: IPEM Application