On October 28th Florida Floodplain Managers Association (FFMA) and the City of Doral began hosting the 4-day FEMA L-273 Managing Floodplain Development through the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP). Doral and FFMA have partnered to host at least one  FEMA-based course annually for the last five years and look forward to continuing this successful and beneficial  partnership.

The L-273 course was recently updated and this was the first time it was being offered in the state of Florida. Another milestone was the FEMA – FFMA instructor partnership. FEMA instructors Roy McClure and Virgilio (Chris) Perez from FEMA Region IV in Atlanta, were deployed to partner with FFMA instructors, Steve Boehning and Mike Rimoldi, to teach the class. The FEMA – FFMA instructor partnership will facilitate additional availability  of FEMA-based courses for FFMA members.

The week began with Doral Vice Mayor Claudia Mariaca welcoming FEMA and 30 students from across Florida as well as a special guest student from Hawaii. The diverse group of students included engineers from the private sector, building officials, building inspectors, environmental specialists, planners, and an elected official.

cfm-examStudents began the week with a pre-test and then discussed learning goals for the week. The updated course curriculum includes mapping, regulations, as well as pre-and post-disaster activities of a floodplain administrator. Group discussions and activities are a large part of the new course, in which students responded well to the updated format. The week concluded with the Association of State Floodplain Managers (ASFPM) CFM exam on Friday.

 

Photos:

Main image: L-273 Students from across the country.

2nd image: City meet and greet with FEMA Instructors:  Mark Hagerty Doral Floodplain Manger, Roy McClure FEMA region IV, Claudia Mariaca Doral Vice Mayor, Virgilio (Chris)Perez FEMA region IV

3rd image: Certified Floodplain Manager Exam