Program Management and Administration
What this domain tests
Program management is where the exam stops asking "what happens on scene" and starts asking how the jurisdiction authorizes, organizes, funds, and reviews its emergency management program over time. Expect questions on legal authority, budgeting and grant administration, program evaluation, and the leadership commitments in the IAEM Emergency Management Standard (formerly NFPA 1600).
Core rules
- Legal authority: every program element needs a documented basis - a state emergency management statute, local ordinance, executive order, or interlocal agreement. Mitigation authority comes from separate land-use, building code, and floodplain ordinances.
- Program cycle: leadership and commitment → planning → implementation → evaluation → corrective action → management review. Evaluation without corrective action does not close the loop.
- Finance: budgets are multi-year and must fund sustainment (maintenance, training, plan updates), not just start-up equipment.
- Federal funding: the Stafford Act declaration process runs local → state → governor's request → FEMA recommendation → presidential declaration. Public Assistance is generally 75% federal and 25% non-federal.
Worked example
A flood damages a county bridge. Eligible Public Assistance cost is $800,000. The federal share at 75% is $600,000; the non-federal share is $200,000. The state agrees to split the non-federal share 50/50, so the county pays $100,000. If the county also wants to elevate a nearby lift station, that is mitigation, so it competes for Hazard Mitigation Grant Program funds rather than being funded as permanent work.
Traps
Assuming the federal government pays 100%; treating grant documentation and closeout as an afterthought; and answering at the incident level when the question asks about the program.