IEMC History

A Brief History of the Integrated Emergency Management Course (IEMC) 1982-2007

By Phil McDonald, IEMC Course Manager and Chief Exercise Controller

The Integrated Emergency Management Course (IEMC) was first offered at the Emergency Management Institute (EMI) in 1982. The course initially known as the Emergency Management Course, was brought to the Emergency Management Institute by Louis O. Giuffrida, the first Director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency and Fred Villella, Executive Deputy Director of FEMA who developed a similar course at the California Specialized Training Institute in San Louis Obispo, California. This course brought together the major disciplines that are charged with directing and responding to major emergencies. The target audience included elected officials, and participants from police, fire, EMS and public works agencies, and a variety of people providing support services to include school officials, Red Cross and other groups that actively provide support to communities during times of emergency.

Ron Face, currently the Director of MOSS at the National Emergency Training Center (NETC) managed the initial development of the Emergency Management Course and was the chief exercise controller for the initial pilot offerings of the course. Andrew Casper, former Fire Chief of San Francisco Fire Department, was the first course manager of the Emergency Management Course.

The Emergency Management Course was originally designed to teach the concept of “integrated emergency management.” This concept was fostered throughout FEMA and the name of the course was changed to the Integrated Emergency Management Course (IEMC).

November 9-11, 1982, the first pilot Emergency Management Course was conducted for Arlington County, Virginia; 53 students attended. In January, 1983 the first Emergency Management Course using the Model Community of Central City was conducted. The Model Community version (or “open enrollment” version) of the course allowed the Emergency Management Institute to deliver this training to a national audience. The Model Community is currently being updated and will be presented in FY08 IEMCs in an electronic version called the Virtual Model Community.

Also in 1983 the first Emergency Management Course was conducted in West Trenton, New Jersey. Since the initial delivery, Integrated Emergency Management Courses have trained several hundred local communities and numerous States throughout the United States. Over the years, the Integrated Emergency Management Course has grown into a program consisting of eight distinct courses that focus on special hazards and functions such as hurricanes, earthquakes hazardous materials, homeland security (terrorism), special events, all-hazards, recovery and mitigation functions, and State government functions.

Over its 26 year existence, the IEMC program has helped many communities prepare for many high profile events such as hosting political conventions, Papal visits and major sporting events including The Olympic Games, Pan Am Games, Super Bowls, World Cup Soccer, and NASCAR races.

The IEMC program staff members take great pride in the history of this program and look forward to carrying on its tradition of providing excellent exercise-based training for Federal, state and local government officials.