Level 3 of 4
Advanced Level Emergency Manager (ALEM)
The Advanced Level certification is an advanced certification for emergency managers, requiring training, service, and experience. Those who earn it are entitled to use the ALEM designation.
All Advanced requirements are in addition to the Intermediate and Basic Level requirements.
- Total training1,000 hours
- Core+250 hours700 total
- Non-Core+100 hours300 total
- Service3 of 13areas of service
- Experience3 or 5 yearsEMA office or EM-related field
- Review fee$75includes plaque
Required Courses
Beginning January 1, 2026, these courses are the required core training. They continue to strengthen an emergency manager’s foundation of knowledge while aligning future directors with the Alabama CLEM requirements.
- IS-29Public Information Officer Awareness
- IS-75Military Resources in Emergency Management
- IS-393Introduction to Mitigation
- IS-552The Public Works Role in Emergency Management
- IS-1006Documenting Disaster Damage & Developing Project Files
- IS-1009Conditions for Public Assistance Grant
- IS-1010Emergency Protective Measures
- AWR 401THIRAIf you have IS-2001 Threat and Hazard Identification and Risk Assessment (THIRA), you may submit that instead. FEMA replaced it with the AWR course in 2025.
- IS-2200Basic Emergency Operations Center Functions
- ICS-300Intermediate ICS for Expanding Incidents (G300), post-2019 updated courseFull in-person class only. It can't be substituted with an online prep course or the Q0464 course through the USFA.
- ICS-400Advanced ICS Command & General Staff (G400), post-2019 updated courseFull in-person class only. It can't be substituted with an online prep course or the Q0466 course through the USFA.
11 required courses, typically about 89 hours. They count toward your 250 additional Core hours, so you’ll need about 161 more hours of Core training.
Additional Requirements
250 Additional Hours of Core
FEMA and other emergency management training. The required courses above count toward the 250-hour total.
100 Additional Hours of Non-Core
Other public safety and general management training and education.
Experience
Three years working for an emergency management office, or five years in an EM-related field (think Emergency Support Functions) where emergency management coordination is a primary job responsibility, with verification of direct EM coordination.
Service: 3 of These 13 Areas
The specific requirements for each area are in Section E of the Master Level requirements in the 2026 rules, and on the Master Level page. All service requirements need supporting documentation attached and uploaded to receive credit.