KAMM Committees
We encourage KAMM members to participate in KAMM committees. Participation in committees allows KAMM members to promote issues, challenges, and best practices that are important to them and provides an opportunity to network. Ultimately, the committees will help develop and recommend policy to the KAMM Board.
Committee Contacts
Each committee has an assigned Committee Lead and/or a KAMM Board member/s as a mentor. Contact KAMM’s Committee Chairs at help@kymitigation.org.
Community Rating System (CRS)
Chair – Alex VanPelt
CRS Background
CRS is a voluntary incentive program that recognizes and encourages community floodplain management best practices that exceed the minimum requirements of the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP). Over 1,500 communities participate nationwide.
In CRS communities, flood insurance premium rates are discounted to reflect the reduced flood risk resulting from the community’s efforts that address the three goals of the program:
- Reduce and avoid flood damage to insurable property.
- Strengthen and support the insurance aspects of the National Flood Insurance Program.
- Foster comprehensive floodplain management.
Mission Statement
KAMM’s CRS Committee is a collection of KAMM members interested in reducing flood risks within the Commonwealth of Kentucky through FEMA’s Community Rating System (CRS) program. The committee works with local, state, federal, and other partners to promote CRS participation, increase the CRS classes of existing participants, and to develop CRS action plans for the benefit of interested KAMM members.
Committee Goals
1. Increase CRS community participation within the Commonwealth;
2. Assist current CRS communities in improving their community’s CRS class;
3. Educate CRS coordinators of potential point opportunities and other CRS related activities;
4. Develop KAMM materials and documents that are focused on CRS in the Commonwealth; and
5. Promote CRS education & training opportunities for local CRS coordinators.
Resources on KAMM website
CRS Fact Sheet
CRS Program
CRS Committee Meeting Minutes
2024 KAMM Conference CRS Committee Meeting Minutes
CRS Committee September 2023 Meeting Minutes
Nov 2023 CRS Committee Meeting Minutes
NFIP/CRS Newsletters
The CRS Update Newsletter is a publication to provide local officials and others interested in the CRS with news they can use. Sign up for CRS email updates.
CRS Webinars
The CRS offers one-hour webinars to help communities understand and meet their CRS requirements. Many will be recorded, so they can be accessed later.
Registration is free but required, as space is limited. Some courses provide continuing education credits for certified floodplain managers (CFMs).
For dates and topics, link to CRS Training and Webinars. See all of the CRS webinar trainings available on the CRS Resources website. If you have questions about or suggestions for the CRS Webinar Series, contact Becca.Croft@atkinsglobal.com.
Emergency Management Committee
Chair James Allen
Board Mentors Moose Massey & Joe Sullivan
Mission Statement
The Emergency Management Committee will assist both Emergency Managers and Floodplain Managers to better utilize the synergy that exists with their positions. This committee will strive to develop programs that will identify those areas within which Emergency Management and Floodplain Management can best benefit from partnerships on common projects and goals for the safety of their citizens.
Committee Goals
With several disasters over the last few years and multiple levels of personal experience within those disasters represented on the committee, the committee felt it was vastly important to have the roles of Emergency Management and Floodplain Coordinator personnel clearly defined. Our goal over the next year is to aid the local governments on how to fill these positions, what roles each personnel should play, and how to best provide real time recovery efforts.
Ways to achieve these goals are
o Provide assistance to local governments regarding Emergency Management and Floodplain Management personnel, their respective roles, and how to best provide real-time recovery efforts.
o Identify, define, and quantify the roles of Emergency Managers and Floodplain Managers in a format tailored to
local officials – County Judge Executives, Mayors, Commissioners, and others.
o Create trainings for governments, hired personnel, conferences, etc.
2024 KAMM Conference Meeting Report
2019 Emergency Management Committee Newsletter
Membership & Outreach Committee
Chair – Katherine Osborne; Board Mentor Meghan Brown
Mission Statement
KAMM’s Membership and Outreach Committee is an organization of mitigation, floodplain, planning, and emergency management professionals committed to promoting the KAMM organization, providing educational opportunities, enhancing local partnerships, sharing of best practices and latest technologies, and developing engagement tools for use in the Commonwealth of Kentucky. The committee works with the KAMM Board and other partner agencies to promote and increase professional education opportunities to KAMM members, promote policies and activities that increase mitigation and risk awareness, and to develop community services of benefit to KAMM and its members.
Committee Goals
1. Promote the KAMM organization and benefits of membership.
2. Communicate and support appropriate training opportunities for KAMM members.
3. Increase the effectiveness of training opportunities delivered by KAMM.
4. Enhance networking and partnership opportunities.
5. Provide hazard mitigation outreach and engagement in the Commonwealth.
6. Share best practices.
Supporting Tasks
- Establish a schedule for regular contacts (every 6-8 weeks) to discuss committee topics and monitor ongoing activities.
- Leverage the KY Floodplain Coordinators contact spreadsheet and other distribution lists (EM, KLC, KACO, new KAMM members) to promote membership.
- Promote Regional Trainings and provide additional web-based training opportunities to those unable to attend in-person trainings.
- Encourage students at higher education facilities in fields related to floodplain management and mitigation to join KAMM and attend the annual conference. For example, students obtaining the Floodplain Management Minor at WKU may benefit from being KAMM members.
- Develop a Comprehensive Outreach Plan for KAMM.
- Leverage the annual KAMM conference survey results to ensure proper flood risk messaging and topics of interest.
- Develop additional surveys to obtain & share best practices, and to determine potential assistance that may be offered by KAMM.
- Leverage ADD Districts for engagement, existing trainings, Risk MAP product use, and local mitigation champions. ADD-hosted opportunities are preferred.
- Maintain relationship with Kentucky Association of Counties (KACo) & Kentucky League of Cities (KLC).
- Coordinate a joint-training opportunity where KAMM can support KY statutory continuing training requirements.
- For more information, link to Kentucky Revised Statutes – Chapter 147A statute.aspx (ky.gov) at 147.a.027
Awards & Grants
Chair – Mario Sebastiani
Mission Statement
The Awards Committee focuses on Awards, Community Grants, and Scholarships. The main roles of the committee are to:
1. Determine the winners for Mitigation Project of the Year and Mitigation Manager of the Year for annual KAMM awards.
2. Distribute scholarships for annual KAMM conference.
3. Award mitigation grants to communities.
Mitigation Awards
- Solicit nominations from KAMM membership for mitigation awards.
- Determine winner for each of the awards based on rubric.
- Present award plaque to award winner/s at the annual conference.
Annual Scholarships at KAMM Conference
- Promote scholarship opportunities.
- Evaluate and respond to requests for scholarships.
- Award scholarships by KAMM Regions according to guidelines.
Community Mitigation Grants
The Awards Committee is responsible for the administration of any grant program established by the KAMM Board of Directors. KAMM will allocate funds towards a grant program for its members on an annual basis or as directed by the Board. These grants may vary by year depending on KAMM’s budget and the availability of funds.
Grants responsibilities of the Awards Committee may include:
- Advertise the availability of grant funding.
- Receive and review the grant applications.
- Award grants.
- Oversee grant implementation.
Proceeds from the annual Community Mitigation Grant fundraisers will be used to fund any grants.
Conference Committee
Chair- Angela Herndon
The Conference Committee assists with the planning and implementation of the annual KAMM conference through participation in planning calls, volunteering for conference responsibilities and tasks, and providing resources wherever available.
KAMM Official Documents
KAMM Bylaws
KAMM Constitution
KAMM Code of Conduct
KAMM Non-Discrimination Policy
KAMM Events Code of Conduct
Archived Documents
KAMM Annual Reports
KAMM Newsletters
KAMM’s Association with ASFPM
KAMM is a Chapter Member of the Association of State Floodplain Managers (ASFPM) (www.floods.org).
Link to KAMM’s Charter as a new association.
ASFPM Certified Floodplain Manager (CFM) Program Information
The ASFPM has established a national program for certifying floodplain managers. This program recognizes continuing education and professional development that enhances the knowledge and performance of local, state, federal, and private-sector floodplain management professionals.
The role of the nation’s floodplain managers is expanding due to increases in disaster losses, the emphasis on mitigation to alleviate the cycle of damage-rebuild-damage, and a recognized need for professionals to adequately address these issues. This certification program will lay the foundation for ensuring that highly qualified individuals are available to meet the challenge of breaking the damage cycle and stopping its negative drain on the nation’s human, financial, and natural resources.
CFM Digital Exam
If you’re looking to become a Certified Floodplain Manager, ASFPM is now providing exam candidates with the convenience and flexibility of an online exam.
Whether taken at a testing center or through the secure online remote proctoring service, the new online format means you can take the national CFM® exam when and where it’s convenient for you, as soon as you are ready.
Benefits of the CFM digital exam
- Convenience: Take the exam at any approved Scantron testing center or take it from your home or office with remote proctoring.
- Flexibility: Take the exam on your schedule, not ours.
- Immediate results: You’ll receive your score as soon as you complete the exam. No more waiting for weeks to find out if you passed.
- Usability: The best testing technology platform means a better testing experience. The platform is simple to navigate and allows you to flag questions you are unsure of and easily revisit them at the end.
- Security: A high-stakes professional exam demands security to protect its integrity and reputation. The online exam does just that.
Ready to get started? Learn more about scheduling your digital exam here.
Have a question about the CFM Program? Contact ASFPM at cfm@floods.org.
KAMM Partners & MOAs
KAMM Memorandums of Agreements (MOAs): KAMM has signed five MOAs with sister or partnering associations.
American Planning Association — KY Chapter (APA-KY)
APA-KY brings together practitioners, planning officials, students, and interested citizens into a single and stronger community development forum. APA-KY is dedicated to promoting planning statewide in order to enhance the quality of life in Kentucky. They provide current information on planning issues, practices, and techniques.
KAMM/KAPA MOA
KENTUCKY ASSOCIATION OF PROFESSIONAL SURVEYORS
KAPS is a voluntary non-profit organization of professional land surveyors, surveyors in-training, and others dedicated to serving the public interest and to promoting and advancing the profession of land surveying. KAPS provides professional land surveyors with the opportunity to meet other professionals from all disciplines and management levels along with the opportunity to voice their opinions and ideas, and to provide a single, positive voice for the land surveying profession.
KAMM/KAPS MOA
Kentucky Association of Mapping Professionals
The purpose of the Kentucky Association of Mapping Professionals is twofold:
To foster the understanding and improvement of the management and use of geospatial
information throughout the Commonwealth of Kentucky in all levels of government, academia, and the private sector; and
To provide a mechanism for dialogue and education regarding geospatial information issues of concern or interest to all Kentucky professionals involved in the collection, processing, analysis, use, and maintenance of geospatial information.
KAMM/KAMP MOA
Kentucky Stormwater Association
KSA/KAMM MOA
Founded in November 2009, the Kentucky Stormwater Association (KSA) is a nonprofit organization comprised of municipal separate storm sewer (MS4) communities, stormwater professionals, vendors and other agencies with vested interests in stormwater management.
Kentucky Emergency Management Association
The Kentucky Emergency Management Association is a Kentucky-based non-profit corporation originally established in 1991. KEMA seeks to develop professionalism in the field of Emergency Management both inside and outside the Commonwealth through partnerships across both the public and private sectors.
KAMM/KEMA MOA
KAMM Receives Weather-Ready Nation Ambassador Recognition
We are very pleased to be recognized by the National Weather Service (NWS) as a Weather-Ready Nation Ambassador for the organization’s support to NWS’ goal of creating a Weather-Ready Nation. The Weather-Ready Nation Ambassador initiative is an effort to formally recognize NOAA partners who are improving the nation’s readiness against extreme weather, water, and climate events.
KAMM promoted NWS efforts in the Community Collaborative Rain Hail, and Snow (CoCoRaHS) network by providing several dozen official CoCoRaHS rain gauges as speaker gifts and door prizes at our 2018 conference at Lake Barkley State Resort Park. Everyone that received a rain gauge agreed to participate in the CoCoRaHS citizen science network. Through these efforts, KAMM strengthened an already valuable Weather-Ready Nation partnership. KAMM has collaborated with the NWS offices in Kentucky for over 20 years to promote mitigation of natural hazards in the Commonwealth.
Link to a Story Map
highlighting our recognition (and many others).
VISIT THE KAMM STORE FOR KAMM SWAG!
Mitigation Matters!
Have questions? Contact us at help@kymitigation.org.
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KAMM is a non-profit 501 (c) (3)