SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (WCIA) — The Illinois Emergency Management Program is getting national recognition after the program successfully complied with all 66 national standards.

The Emergency Management Accreditation Program informed the IEMA Office of Homeland Security leaders that Illinois will be rewarded for its safety efforts.

“There is nothing more important than making sure the people of our state are safe,” IEMA-OHS Director Alicia Tate-Nadeau said. “Illinois has seen severe weather and complex disasters so it’s critical that our Emergency Management program is poised to meet those difficult challenges.”

“Numerous state agencies and all elements of IEMA-OHS contributed to our re-accreditation effort, making sure we met or exceeded the national standards in disaster response and recovery,” said Clayton Kuetemeyer, IEMA-OHS Office of Emergency Management Deputy Director.

In April, certified assessors from around the world did a week-long review of Illinois’ program. They found that it met or exceeded all 66 of the EMAP’s standards. The standards cover 13 key areas, such as planning, incident management, hazard mitigation, mutual aid, communications, public information and more.

Illinois visited with the EMAP Program Review Committee in hopes to receive full accreditation. The committee recommended them to the EMAP Commission, who voted in approval. Illinois is now one of 34 states that are EMAP accredited; it is the fourth consecutive accreditation by EMAP, which is a rare achievement.

Accreditation is valid for the next five years.