Master Level Certification
Overview
The Master Level certification is reserved for career emergency managers who have maintained membership in the Alabama Association of Emergency Managers for at least five consecutive years. This level of certification requires a total of 1350 hours of training in addition to certain professional contributions.
All requirements for Masters Level certification are in addition to meeting Advanced Level certification requirements.
Those who have earned Masters Level certification are entitled to use the MLEM designation.
Primary Requirements
The following requirements apply for Masters Level certification
Active membership, in good standing, in the Alabama Association of Emergency Managers for the previous five year period
Must have held the Advanced Level Emergency Manager (ALEM) designation for at least five years.
Five years experience working for a government emergency management office (at least 30 hours per week on average) and at least ten years documented experience working in the emergency response or emergency coordination fields.
Emergency Response Field may include other first responder organizations (examples: law enforcement, fire, EMS, 911, EMA).
Emergency Coordination Field may include coordination of services within the five mission areas of the National Preparedness Goal (examples emergency planning coordinators, disaster response or recovery operations).
Working for a government EMA for 10 years satisfies sections 1 & 2 of this rule.
Completion of 350 hours of emergency management/response training during the previous five year period.
Additional Service Requirements
In addition to the primary requirements, this level of certification requires proof of various service within the community and field of work. Beginning May 1, 2024, there are 13 service areas, of which an applicant must document, at minimum, 7:
Conferences: Attend an average of one professional conference per year over the last five-year period. Certificate of attendance/completion is required to receive credit.
Community Leadership: Voluntarily perform a leadership role in an emergency response organization outside of your paid role in EM (i.e., not a part of the applicant’s required job duties). Examples include but are not limited to: volunteer fire department, serve on a board or committee, special projects, etc.
Professional Assignment: Manage or participate in an emergency management special project or working group. Must be greater than 6 months duration and have a recognizable result or product at the end of the project. Credit can be awarded for submitting project membership documentation, timeline and concepts, and completed work product.
Publish an Article: Publish an article in a newspaper, newsletter, or professional journal about an emergency management topic within the previous 5 years. The article must be at least 500 words. To achieve credit, the applicant must provide a copy of or link to the article.
Speaking: Participate in three presentations or panel discussions during the previous 5 years related to the emergency management field. Each speaking engagement must be a minimum of 30 minutes in length. The audience may be community or professional groups. Examples include radio, television, educational, podcasts, conferences, etc.
Professional Instruction:
a) Teach three different classes or conference sessions, each lasting no less than 45 minutes, on a topic within the EM field/profession (think Core not Optional training). Credit can be achieved with course application forms, rosters, schedules, authorization/approval paperwork, letter signed by a supervisor or course lead, etc., or
b) Develop a training session (greater than 3 hours). Proof of course development must accompany the application. Credit can be achieved through letters of participation or support, curriculum development documentation, course presentation, etc.
Disaster Assistance Credit: Obtain five disaster assignment credits in the previous 15 years. Previously applied credit from BLEM, ILEM, and ALEM can count if within the previous 15 years. Credit can be achieved in the form of letters from supervisors or jurisdiction assisted, sign in sheets, time sheets, certificates, WebEOC/EMITS/E-Team type documentation of deployment, etc. See additional rules for guidance.
Legislative Contact: Document a legislative contact on the state or national level about an emergency management issue. Documentation must include the name of the legislator, date contacted, and topic covered, along with supporting materials. This supporting material may include a photo of a sign in sheet, email confirmation or thank you for visiting, phone log of conversation (leaving a message does not count), email or letter to the legislator (including response), agenda, photo with the legislator with time stamp, etc.
CLEM Certification: Receive and maintain the Certified Local Emergency Manager or CLEM Eligible designation from the Alabama Emergency Management Agency. The documentation required is a letter from AEMA with the designation confirmation.
Community Involvement: Participate in or volunteer with a community disaster response/recovery organization such as the American Red Cross, HAM Radio ARES/RACES, CERT, Salvation Army, Civil Air Patrol, Boy Scouts of America, God’s Pit Crew, etc. Confirmation of work may include membership card with name, affiliation, and dates served, letter of support from the organization, etc.
Exercise Credit: Must document a major contributing role in three community disaster drills or exercises. Acceptable exercise types include Tabletop, Games, Functional, and Full-Scale Exercises. Involvement may include planning, coordinating, evaluating, or management roles. Credit can be achieved by submitting exercise documentation with the applicant’s name listed alongside the prominent role, certificate or letter of participation signed by another party, etc.
Professional Certification: Completion of a professional certification from FEMA, IAEM, or other emergency management organization (examples include but not limited to Advanced Professional Series, Master Exercise Practitioner Program, Continuity of Operations, Master PIO, AEM, CEM, EMI National Academies, etc.).
Other: Other contributions may be recognized if they do not apply to one of the other established categories. The burden of proof is on the applicant to convince the review committee that the activity presented contributes to the professionalism of the applicant and the emergency management field. An example of this could be a Mentoring Program.