By Daryl Lee Spiewak, CEM, TEM, Lead Trainer for the CEM Commission

Last month we prepared our first draft of the emergency management essay. We ran the spelling and grammar checker, corrected any errors it identified, and began the editing process by concentrating on the Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (KSAs) sections. This month we prepared our second draft, ran the spelling and grammar checker, and corrected any errors it identified. Now we will edit the second draft and prepare our final paper for submission.

Download the second draft sample essay at www.iaem.com/documents/Second-Draft-CEM-Essay-Example-July2013.pdf, and refer to it as we go through the CEM Commission essay checklist for the nine KSAs. Track Changes was turned on, so you can see the parts that we deleted and added.

Evaluation of Each KSA

We will look at and briefly evaluate each KSA separately, as we did for the first draft.

• Demonstrated ability to develop a solution for the stated problem. The first draft developed plans, incorporated ICS and NIMS, and engaged the policy group to fix command and control issues. It should receive a one or possibly a two rating, so no changes were made.
• Demonstrated knowledge of the Prevention phase of disaster/emergency management and activities. Our first draft contained a limited discussion, so we decided to add a few more sentences on prevention activities that the program could incorporate. This should ensure a solid one rating.
• Demonstrated knowledge of the Mitigation phase of disaster/emergency management and activities. The first draft contained a limited discussion focused on the mitigation plan. Therefore, we added discussion on how we will fund the projects identified in the plan. The revision should receive at least a solid one rating.
• Demonstrated knowledge of the Preparedness phase of disaster/emergency management and activity. Discussion here is fairly detailed, as it covered planning, training and exercising. We thought it could be a little more specific in some areas, so we included language that tied response, recovery and mitigation to preparedness. It should now receive a two rating.
• Demonstrated knowledge of the Response phase of disaster/emergency management and activity. Discussion was limited here, so we added some discussion regarding ICS, incident command and unified command. It should receive a solid one rating and maybe a two rating.
• Demonstrated knowledge of the Recovery phase of disaster/emergency management and activity. Discussion was limited here also. The essay mentioned the National Disaster Recovery Framework, but that is about all. We added some discussion on short- and long-term recovery. Now it should receive a solid one rating and maybe even a two rating.
• Demonstrated knowledge of the organization and the environment in which it operates. The discussion is detailed throughout the essay. It should receive a two rating, so no changes were made here.
• Demonstrated knowledge of codes, legislation, regulations, plans, policies or procedures that impact the disaster/emergency management function. The discussion is detailed throughout the essay. It should receive a two rating, so no changes were made here.
• Demonstrated skill in written communication as evidenced by the essay that demonstrated the ability to present information in a logical, clear manner. The essay flows well and seems easy to read and understand, but it needs some more polishing in the final draft. Some discussion, such as the funding under the mitigation section, may be deleted or moved to the financial resources section so that the thoughts flow better. As written, the second draft should receive a solid one rating, and it will receive a two when polished in the final version.

Adding up the lowest scores in each category gives us 18 out of a possible 24 points – a passing score. The word count is less than 1,900 and we have a very good second draft that passes with at least a 75% or higher score. A little more revision in our final draft will polish the prose and make the final essay much easier for the CEM Commissioners to read and score.

For Next Month: Edit Final Draft and Prepare to Submit

We have revised our first draft and reviewed the second draft similar to the way in which the CEM Commissioners will review it. We fixed some weaknesses and have what seems to be an essay that will earn enough points to pass. So next month, look for the final draft on the IAEM website under the Certification tab. In the CEM Corner article, we will complete the editing process and prepare the essay for submission.

IAEM Bulletin, July 2013

AEM^® and CEM^® are registered trademarks of the International Association of Emergency Managers.