Assistant fire chief earns certification

South King Fire & Rescue Deputy Chief Jerry Thorson earned the title of "Certified Emergency Manager" (CEM) last month.

South King serves the cities of Des Moines and Federal Way.

The certification in emergency management will be officially presented in Overland Park, Kansas in November.

The credential is an internationally recognized program that certifies achievements within the emergency management profession. The program encompasses all phases of emergency activity, for all types of disasters.

The "comprehensive" aspect of Comprehensive Emergency Management includes all four phases of disaster activity: mitigation, preparedness, response and recovery for all risks - attack, man-made, and natural - in a federal-state-local operating partnership.

The International Association of Emergency Managers created the certification program for emergency managers to raise and maintain professional standards. It is a program to certify achievements within the profession. The Federal Emergency Management Agency and the National Emergency Management Association support development of the program.

Deputy Chief Thorson has been an integral part of emergency management in South King County.

Under his tutelage South King Fire & Rescue has worked with the city of Federal Way and surrounding agencies to prepare for any type of disaster. Currently the department and Federal Way have Emergency Operations Centers that work in tandem or support each other during disasters.

Local ham radio operations are also included as they are a necessary component when the 9-1-1 system is overwhelmed.

Thorson traveled to Hayfork California last week as part of the Seattle Metro Incident Management Team. He worked at the base camp for the Lime Complex Wild Fires, which covered a group of fires of about 102,460 acres.

Members of his team included fire, police, public health, transportation, and others from the Seattle area..