After a four-year hiatus, EMSI is excited to re-launch our blog and newsletter. These tools previously allowed EMSI to communicate with our clients, partners, and the broader emergency management community, and were an effective means to share best practices and new developments from EMSI. 

As the COVID-19 pandemic pushed the world into social distancing and isolation, EMSI received several requests for response assistance. Our resources deployed in support of COVID-19 response and coordination efforts in several communities around the United States. In Atlanta-Fulton County, this support continued for over three years with EMSI resources deployed to coordinate multiple efforts. The largest of those efforts was the management of the Mercedes-Benz Stadium community mass vaccination center, which EMSI managed on behalf of Atlanta-Fulton County Emergency Management Agency (AFCEMA) for three months, administering over 300,000 vaccinations and running one of the largest and most efficient vaccination operations in the nation. EMSI further assisted AFCEMA with the cost recovery and reimbursement process securing over $25 million in reimbursement funding to date. 

The last four years have seen an evolution in the delivery of EMSI services. Like much of the world, we have implemented additional processes to deliver training through virtual platforms. The virtual options have proven effective for delivery of select content and will remain, in addition to our traditional in-person training delivery. We have implemented an “open-enrollment” program for delivery of virtual ICS-300 and ICS-400 training. This is a live, instructor-led training delivery with enabling performance-based activities and interactions. The high demand for enrollment in these courses is indicative of the success of the program, and we continue to increase the frequency of offerings. 

EMSI has also experienced a sharp increase in the demand for our response and Incident Management Team (IMT) services. Several clients across the government and private sector rely on EMSI to provide Type 1 and Complex IMT support for incidents and emergencies worldwide. EMSI has implemented a robust IMT position qualification system – aligned with the ICS qualification programs of the National Wildfire Coordinating Group (NWCG), U.S. Coast Guard (USCG), All-Hazards Incident Management Team Association (AHIMTA), and FEMA National Qualification System (NQS) – and maintains our own IMT position qualification program as a private sector Authority Having Jurisdiction (AHJ) under the National Incident Management System (NIMS). 

While the response and emergency management environment has continued to grow more complex, the EMSI team and capabilities have expanded, and our clients and partners have grown, EMSI’s commitment to innovation and advancement, client-focused solutions, quality assurance, and the design intent and core principles of incident and emergency management remain resolute. In 2024 we we will introduce new resources and tools, update training courses and delivery mechanisms, grow our team, and enhance our services while remaining committed to the core capabilities and principles that have successfully guided us for nearly twenty-five years.  

We look forward to communicating with you through our blog and newsletter and are committed to using these tools to share best practices and foster innovation and advancement in the emergency management community worldwide.