Section 301.510  Accreditation of ESDAs

a)         The following ESDAs are eligible to apply for IEMA accreditation:

1)         Mandated ESDAs; and

2)         Non-mandated ESDAs determined biennially by the IEMA Director, or his/her designee, to have demonstrated justification to IEMA for accreditation eligibility based on the following political subdivision criteria:

A)        Heightened, greater than average disaster vulnerability;

B)        An increased need for ESDA services in the political subdivision due to all of the following:

i)          Population size and concentration;

ii)         Insufficiency of county ESDA resources to meet the emergency management needs of the political subdivision; and

iii)        A high concentration of emergency management resources in the political subdivision existing prior to the accreditation eligibility review;

C)        Evidence that the ESDA coordinator provides to the political subdivision a paid emergency management work effort as coordinator of at least 50% of the political subdivision's standard full-time work week, not including exercise hours; and

D)        Documentation of the emergency management services provided to the political subdivision by the ESDA, including, but not limited to, documentation of emergency operations plans, training, exercises, and actual responses, during a minimum of the past 5 years.

b)         For IEMA accreditation, eligible applicants, determined in accordance with subsection (a), shall satisfy all of the following requirements:

1)         Submit a copy of the political subdivision ordinance creating the ESDA affixed with the official seal by the clerk of the political subdivision.

2)         Submit documentation of the ESDA coordinator's Notice of Appointment card.

3)         Submit evidence that the political subdivision supports a paid emergency management work effort of at least 50% of the political subdivision's standard full-time work week, not including exercise hours.

4)         Submit documentation that:

A)        An ESDA coordinator appointed after January 1, 2002 has completed, within 12 months after the date of appointment, the IEMA New Coordinators Workshop Course and the Principles of Emergency Management Course or courses determined by IEMA to be consistent with or at least as stringent as these courses; and

B)        After the first year of appointment, or for ESDA coordinators appointed prior to January 1, 2002, the ESDA coordinator has biennially completed 48 hours of professional development training, of which a minimum of 24 hours is IEMA-sponsored professional development training.  The IEMA-sponsored professional development training program shall, at a minimum, be consistent with and at least as stringent as the FEMA Professional Development Series.  Coordinators may receive credit for up to 24 hours of non-IEMA-sponsored professional development training, including, but not limited to, emergency management conferences, independent study courses, college courses or internet courses, but only if such training is consistent with or at least as stringent as training in the IEMA-sponsored professional development training program and is pre-approved for a specific number of credit hours in writing by IEMA prior to the training.

5)         Complete an EOP that meets the requirements of Subparts B and C.

6)         Conduct an exercise in accordance with the requirements of Subpart D.

7)         Complete and submit all current National Incident Management System (NIMS) compliance documents as established by IEMA.

c)         The term of accreditation shall be at least two years but not longer than four years, with beginning and ending dates indicated on the accreditation document issued by IEMA.  IEMA may extend an existing term of accreditation as long as the total term of accreditation does not exceed four years.  Eligible ESDA applicants may seek accreditation renewal by satisfying the requirements of subsection (b).

d)         IEMA shall issue an accreditation document, including extensions of an existing term of accreditation, under signature of the IEMA Director.

(Source:  Amended at 44 Ill. Reg. 17631, effective October 31, 2020)