State Certified Instructor Program

State Certified Instructors are the backbone of the Emergency Management Program Training Enterprise. State Certified Instructors are selected, vetted, and empowered by Jurisdictions Having Authority under RCW 38.52 or an applicable city or county code or ordinance pertaining to emergency management and represent the state and their agency while delivering all hazards preparedness training to the whole community. State Certified Instructors must meet training and experiential standards and expectations.

This program is designed to recruit and maintain qualified individuals to become certified to instruct Field Delivery, Local Delivery, National Emergency Management Basic Academy (NEMBA), and All Hazards Position Specific or Emergency Operations Center Skillsets courses that are part of the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) National Disaster Emergency Management University (NDEMU) Emergency Management Institute’s (EMI) curriculum.

Those seeking to become a State Certified Instructor will be required to submit documentation of training, experience, instructional certifications, and an agency endorsement. Please submit your State Certified Instructor request to EMD.training@mil.wa.gov.

Link to Instructor Documents Checklist (as of 9-11-25)

State Certified Instructor Requirements

1. Submit your completion certificates for the below courses (applies to all instructors and must be most recent version from the EMI Independent Study site):

• IS-13 EMI Conduct and Behavior
• IS-100 Introduction to the Incident Command System
• IS-200 Basic Incident Command System for Initial Response
• IS-700 An Introduction to the National Incident Management System
• IS-800 National Response Framework, an Introduction

2. To be certified as a Field Delivery (G course) certified instructor, please additionally submit the following:

• Proof of formal instructor training
  • Such as E/L/K0449 or MGT-906 ICS Curricula Train the Trainer (TtT), L0110 NEMBA TtT, M-410 Facilitative Instructor, E/L0141 Instructional Presentation & Evaluation Skills, PER-266 Instructor Training Course, MGT-323 Instructor Development Workshop, EMI Master Trainer Program, Fire Instructor I & 2, ASTD, CTTI, POST, FLETC, college, private industry, Instructional Presentation and Evaluation Skills, Office for Domestic Preparedness Instructor Course, Valid Teaching Certificate (OSPI or equivalent), or equivalent will be decided on a case-by-case basis.
• Complete and submit a signed letter of endorsement.
  • From an agency or jurisdictional authority under RCW 38.52 or an applicable city or county code or ordinance pertaining to emergency management.
  • This letter serves as a support letter that indicates you are intending on delivering courses in that agency or jurisdiction.
• Documentation of training experience.
  • This can be in a narrative document citing the positions worked, incidents/exercises and dates, your involvement in the preparation of the IAP, and your experience/qualifications as an instructor.
  • This documentation does not need to be complex nor require a resume or curriculum vita if the pertinent information is included.

3. To be certified as an Incident Command System (ICS) certified instructor, please additionally submit the following:

• ICS- 300 & 400
  • You are also required to have passed the new ICS-300 and ICS-400 courses (updated spring of 2019, if you have not, please see the reset process below)
    Completion of E/L/K0449 or MGT-906 ICS TtT Course (See Training Program for specific requirements)*
• IS-2200: Basic Emergency Operations Center Functions
• E/L/K/G0191 Emergency Operations Center/Incident Command System Interface
• E/L/K/G2300 Intermediate Emergency Operations Center Functions (highly recommended)
• Complete and submit a signed letter of endorsement.
  • From an agency or jurisdictional authority under RCW 38.52 or an applicable city or county code or ordinance pertaining to emergency management.
  • This letter serves as a support letter that indicates you are intending on delivering courses in that agency or jurisdiction.
• A resume (no specific format requirement).
  • Not more than 2 pages that outline your experience and use of ICS and NIMS in multiple exercises, activations, or deployments.
  • This documentation does not need to be complex nor require a resume or curriculum vita, if the pertinent information is included.

Note: A 36-month waiver for completion of E/L0449 may be granted on a case-by-case basis for those instructors who have clearly demonstrated knowledge, experience, behaviors, and skills but lack the formal E/L0449 ICS Train-the-Trainer course. Priority seating in the next E/L0449 / MGT-906 course (hosted by WA EMD) will be given to those that currently possess waivers. Instructors who have not completed the E/L0449 / MGT-906 course within 36 months of being placed on the certified ICS instructor list will be removed until they complete the course.

4. To be certified as a National Emergency Management Basic Academy (NEMBA) certified instructor, please additionally submit the following:

• L0110 Basic Academy Train the Trainer

Note: If you have attended Master Exercise Practitioner (MEP), or Master PIO course(s) we will need copies of those certificates as well. E/L0110 will allow you to teach the Basic Academy (including HSEEP – if you have attended HSEEP and meet the experiential requirements). MEP will allow you to teach L0146 (HSEEP), and Master PIO will allow you to teach L0105 without the E/L0110 course.

5. To be certified as a Homeland Security Exercise and Evaluation Program (HSEEP) certified instructor, please additionally submit the following:

• E/L/K0146 Homeland Security Exercise and Evaluation Program (HSEEP)
  • G0146 certificates may not be recognized
• IS-120 An introduction to Exercises
• IS-130 How to be an Exercise Evaluator
• Documentation of Exercise experience: This can be in a narrative document citing the positions worked, exercises and dates, your involvement in the design and preparation of exercises, and your experience/qualifications as an instructor.
  • Experience in the development of a Reports/ Improvement Plans consistent with HSEEP
  • Recent experience (within the last 5 years) in conducting exercise planning and After-Action Meetings consistent with HSEEP (Concepts and Objectives Meetings, Initial Planning Meetings, Midterm Planning Meetings, Master Scenario Event List Meetings, Final Planning Meetings).
  • Recent instructional experience (within the last 5 years) with a target audience compromised of federal, state, territorial, tribal and/ or social emergency response personnel.
  • The Lead Instructor should have a minimum of three years of field experience in designing, developing, conducting, and evaluating HSEEP/ emergency management exercise or as appointment as a Training Officer or Exercise Officer.
• Recommended National Standard Exercise Curriculum (NSEC) Courses:
  • K0052 Exercise Program Management
  • E/L/K0139 Exercise Design and Development
  • E/L/K0050 Exercise Control and Simulation
  • E/L/K0131 Exercise Evaluation and Improvement Planning

Note: Master Exercise Practitioners (MEP) will be certified to teach HSEEP. We will need copies of your MEP certificate. E/L0110 will allow you to teach HSEEP – if you have attended HSEEP and meet the experiential requirements.

6. To be certified as a NIMS All Hazard Position Specific Course (AHPS) certified instructor, candidates must have completed Field Delivery Instructor requirements, NDEMU/EMI AHPS instructor requirements, and be represented on the national instructor roster. AHPS instructors will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis.

7. The Washington State Training Program allows for reciprocity for AHPS, NIMS/ICS, and field delivery instructors from other states on a case-by-case basis. Instructors will be asked to provide documentation of their credentials from the state(s) they are certified in. Instructors seeking reciprocity may be asked to generate a Washington State Instructor packet. Reciprocity determinations are at the discretion of the State Training Officer.

Training & Exercise Program Program Contacts

Training Program – Shared Inbox
General Inbox | EMD.training@mil.wa.gov
Training Phone Number | (253) 512-7021

Exercise Program – Shared Inbox
General Inbox | EMD.exercise@mil.wa.gov