The Crescenta Valley Water District (CVWD), along with other members of the PublicWater Agencies Group (PWAG), trained recently in California’s Standardized Emergency Management System (SEMS) and Incident Command System (ICS) as well as National Incident Management System (NIMS).

Staff and board members from CVWD and employees from neighboring agencies gathered at CVWD’s water treatment facility to take part in an eight-hour certification class to prepare for, respond to, and recover more effectively and efficiently to disasters.

SEMS is California’s emergency response system, the structure for the response phase of emergency management. In order to respond to frequent and multiple disasters occurring anytime and anywhere in the state, it is important that emergency response agencies operate within a clear and consistent organizational structure. Public agencies are increasingly required to manage the costs of emergencies more effectively with fewer resources. Many different agencies must work together effectively to protect lives, property and the environment during disasters. SEMS facilitates priority setting, interagency cooperation, and the efficient flow of resources and information. SEMS is required by the California Emergency Services Act 2015 Edition (ESA) for managing multiagency and multijurisdictional responses to emergencies in California. State agencies are required to use SEMS and local government entities must use SEMS in order to be eligible for any reimbursement of response-related costs under the state’s disaster assistance programs.

Questions should be directed to the district at (818) 248-3925. More information is available on the district’s website www.cvwd.com.