EMA receives State accreditation
The Tinley Park Emergency Management Agency (EMA) recently received State accreditation for 2021-23. Accreditation is used by municipalities to prove the capabilities of their disaster preparedness and response systems.
“This is a pretty rigorous program that we do with the State of Illinois and the Illinois Emergency Management Agency,” Assistant Village Manager and EMA Director Pat Carr said. “Getting this accreditation was no small feat, given the challenges COVID-19 presented these past 18 months.”
The Village began planning for COVID-19 in January 2020. During the pandemic, this advance planning helped the Village successfully coordinate contact tracing activities to mitigate the spread of the virus and distribute more than 100,000 pieces of personal protective equipment (PPE) such as face masks and gloves to frontline staff and others in need. The Village also worked with the community to form outreach programs to help those most at risk of contracting the virus.
“It was a total team effort that goes across all of our departments throughout the Village,” Carr said.