Pam Finley honored for FEMA certification

SANDPOINT — Bonner County Emergency Management Deputy Chief Pam Finley is being honored for graduating from FEMA’s Emergency Management Institute.

Jay Baker, Panhandle field officer for the Idaho Office of Emergency Management told county commissioners on Tuesday that Finley’s achievement underscores the high degree of importance public officials place on emergency management.

Baker had never heard of the field when he was approached by Boundary County’s disaster coordinator while an active-service Idaho National Guard solider in the early 1980s. The coordinator needed sandbags and Baker wanted to know more about the duties of a disaster coordinator.

Baker asked about the training requirements for the post and discovered it was a three-day affair that involved socializing, meeting state officials, a couple of presentations and a golf tournament.

Baker said Finley represents a new generation of emergency manager and the heightened level of training underscore the importance the public places on safety following 9/11 and the string of natural disasters that struck the nation over the years.

“Pam is one of those people, as we move forward in the professionalism of the discipline, who’s stepping forward and making that effort to make herself much more prepared,” said Baker.

FEMA traditionally hosts certification courses in Maryland, but recently allowed states to host the courses, which is making for easier attendance.

“It made it a lot nicer,” Finley said after Tuesday’s meeting.

Starting in August, Finley traveled to Boise for one week each month for four months to undergo the training. The four weeks of instruction was split between classroom instruction and disaster science.

“It was pretty eye-opening,” she said.

Finley said FEMA certification is expected to become a basic requirement of an emergency manager in the years to come.

“We wanted to recognize her for her accomplishment and let people know we’re doing the best to train our employees and do a good job for the community,” Howard said after the meeting.

Keith Kinnaird can be reached by email at kkinnaird@bonnercountydailybee.com and follow him on Twitter @KeithDailyBee.