Congratulations to local EMA official

By Staff
John D. James, a Russellville local, was among the 23 candidates to become an IAEM Certified Emergency Manager (CEM), an internationally recognized title and the highest honor in the EMA profession.
He is now one of only 1,021 CEMs throughout the IAEM organization.
That's something for the county to be proud of.
Many good things come out of small communities, but to be recognized nationally for an accomplishment like that is something special.
Candidates wrote essays about how best to prepare for emergency situations, and compiled a portfolio of accomplishments for the Certification Commission to them for the certification.
So, not only is Mr. James knowledgeable in his field, he was developing a plan to save lives on a local level in his application process.
In his duties as Regional Coordinator for with the Alabama Emergency Management Agency (EMA) James also monitors the progress on Emergency Management grants, evaluates the program, and makes recommendations to the State Director in regards to funding for this region.
This includes funding that many of our local firefighters and first responders rely on.
Prior to his employment with the state EMA, James was the Deputy EMA Director for Franklin County, and a firefighter for Russellville.
He is truly an asset to his community and the region.
We offer our most sincere congratulations.