2025 EMS Ready Campus Changes

This document details changes made to the EMS Ready Campus program effective October 2025. For questions on any of the updated requirements, including handling requirements that build on previous work for renewals or upgrades, please email emergency.management@ncemsf.org. 

Overall Changes | Bronze Tier Changes | Silver Tier Changes | Gold Tier Changes

Overall Changes

Certain overall changes have been made to the program and the requirements themselves in an effort to make the application, renewal, and upgrade processes easier. 

• Application Parts 1 and 2 are now available as individual documents in Microsoft Word format.
  • This has been done to simplify the process for completing these pages.
  • These items should be merged into the larger PDF with the remaining responses (except for the Training Documentation Spreadsheet and HVA Worksheet files, which will be submitted separately). 
  • Applicants no longer need to submit a "checked" version of the requirements list from the EMS Ready Campus packet; simply putting application Parts 1 and 2 in a PDF with the remaining information is sufficient. 
• Guidance regarding applying for multiple tiers at the same time has been clarified.
  • Applicants may only apply for a single Tier per Conference cycle, but are free to work forward towards future Tier program requirements.
  • However, any requirements that state specific time frames for completion must still be completed within the prescribed time frame when applying for the higher tier in the future. For example, a school applying for the Bronze Tier is free to start offering Stop the Bleed classes prior to their Bronze application, but the classes will only count for the Silver Tier the following year if the classes continue to be held at least twice per calendar year, with at least one taking place no earlier than four months prior to date of the Conference for which the Silver Tier application will be submitted as required by S.H.1 (so only holding two Stop the Bleed classes prior to submitting Bronze and none the following year when the Silver application is submitted would not count).
• Additional detail has been added to the application packet. This information was added to clarify requirements and/or make it easier for applicants to access related resources. 
• Certain training requirements have an additional statement confirming that they apply to all group personnel, including non-medical volunteers. 
• While the EMS Ready Campus has always required that schools seeking higher Tiers continue to maintain all lower Tier requirements, new clarifications have been added to simplify this process.
  • Section J has been added to the Silver and Gold Tiers detailing the specific lower Tier requirements that require distinct updated information. These are the only items from the lower Tier(s) that will require specific documentation during an upgrade. 
  • When providing lower Tier responses, use the numbering system of the original Tier's requirements. 
• In an effort to simplify processes for applicants, the renewal checklists have been streamlined.
  • Similarly to the upgrade process and lower Tier requirements, only a subset of the full requirements list needs to be submitted in a renewal. This list can now be found in a separate section of the packet. 
  • For all remaining items, if they have not changed since the prior submission, a blanket attestation from a group administrator to this effect is sufficient. This attestation should be in the form of a single letter.
  • If data on one of the other requirements beyond those listed in the renewal checklist has changed, then please continue to provide updated information on those items as well. For example, requirement B.A.2 on demonstrating the ability to campus stakeholders normally does not normally require additional documentation. However, if your original Bronze submission stated that you used phones to reach these groups and you have since acquired radios that allow for this communication, provide an updated response to this requirement with that new information.

Bronze Tier Changes

Most changes to the Bronze Tier are clarifications of existing requirements, but the Special Threat Preparedness and Administration and Other sections have both had more substantial changes. 

• Further clarification on the requirement to meet with key emergency management staff on campus (B.B.2) has been added to ensure that this meeting aligns with the intent of the program.
• An additional clarification has been added regarding the listing of regional resources available to respond to campus in B.E.4. Information should now be provided on how these resources can be requested (in addition to simply listing what those resources are). 
• The Special Threat Preparedness section has been revised.
  • Many applicants using the 2019 version of the EMS Ready Campus checklist reported difficulty in accessing their school's formal HVA. The intent of the requirement was to ensure that CBEMS organizations were informed of key hazards facing their campuses so that they could adequately prepare for them, and the lack of information from campus administrators in this regard made it difficult to meet this requirement's intent. 
  • The updated requirement B.F.1 now guides schools through the process of performing their own HVA. This should both meet the original intent of this requirement as well as provide additional educational value to applicants, as these skills can be used in future careers. 
  • The application packet links to a Microsoft Excel worksheet file to be used in completing this requirement, as well as additional guidance on the NCEMSF website on how to conduct this process. 
• A new Continuity of Operations section has been added. 
  • Requirements in this section set the stage for developing a Continuity of Operations plan (though a full COOP plan will require additional work not covered in any of this program's three Tiers). 
  • In the Bronze Tier, applicants begin by identifying key tasks and responsible individuals along with potential individuals who would assume those duties should the primary staff become unavailable. 
  • This information will be used in the Silver and Gold Tiers and should be maintained over time, especially as staff and/or processes change.
  • While the requirement covers all of your organization's key tasks, the only items that should be submitted is a summary of the tasks you identified along with three specific examples of the data collected in B.G.1, B.G.2, and B.G.3. 
• Further clarification has been added to the Community Outreach section.
  • For groups seeking to use an emergency/disaster preparedness educational event as their outreach activity, a new requirement has been added to have the topic cleared prior to conducting the event.
    • The intent of this option is to conduct an event that is specific to disaster or emergency preparedness, however some past applicants attempted to use recruiting tables or medical education events to meet this requirement. 
    • By submitting the topic to emergency.management@ncemsf.org prior to conducting the event, applicants can have assurance that their planned topic will meet the program requirements (or have a chance to revise their topic prior to expending effort on the event). 
  • Submission for the Community Engagement Program of the Year award can also now be used to meet requirement B.H.2. 
    • Simply submitting for this award is sufficient to meet the EMS Ready Campus requirement (you do not need to be selected as the award winner). However, if your application for Community Engagement Program of the Year is found to be severely deficient (for example, missing all of the required supplemental information), then it may no longer be deemed eligible for use with EMS Ready Campus. 
    • For the EMS Ready Campus requirement, please only submit a statement that your group has been nominated for the award. Please do not resubmit your awards packet as part of your EMS Ready Campus packet (our staff will verify this on our end). 
• The Administration and Other section has been replaced with new requirements regarding supply chains.
  • Requirements in this section set the stage for assessing your organization's vulnerability to supply chain disruptions, specifically with regard to medical supplies. 
  • The requirement to provide an organizational roster was removed, as the Training Documentation Spreadsheet already covers this item.
  • The requirement regarding Triage Tags was removed. In addition to the fact that many regions are moving away from formal Triage Tags in favor of other systems (wristbands, tape, apps), the prior requirement made no tie between this data and anticipated needs, and therefore it did not provide value to the program. 

Silver Tier Changes

More clarification has been provided to several existing requirements in the Silver Tier. In addition, the Silver Tier includes the new HVA, Continuity of Operations, and Supply Chain topics. 

• Additional clarification has been added to S.A.2 to note that it is OK if your group cannot directly submit content for a campus-wide alert, so long as your submission describes the process you would use to recommend that information and which groups or individuals would need to approve that messaging. 
• For the emergency preparedness presentation required in S.B.1, specific allowable topics have been added to ensure that the presentation meets the intent of the program. 
• A new requirement (S.C.4) has been added to the Training section regarding the completion of ICS forms.
  • These forms are to be used during the Tabletop, Functional, or Full-Scale Exercise conducted at the Gold Tier. Adding this requirement to the Silver Tier prepares the group for successful completion of the Gold Tier. 
  • This requirement can be met with the free online IS-201 course, the in-person MGT-347 course (which would normally be requested and hosted by your local or state emergency management agency), or any custom course that covers the ICS forms necessary to develop an IAP. 
• The Exercise requirement has been split into two sections to include providing information from the hotwash and/or AAR process. 
• In the planning section, requirement S.E.3 on seeking outside feedback on your EMS-specific EOP or all-hazards EMS plan has been clarified to ensure that the person providing feedback is a subject-matter expert in emergency planning. 
• The Special Threat Preparedness section has been replaced with the new HVA process.
  • The new S.F.1 builds upon work done at the Bronze Tier and requires the applicant to assess their capabilities and gaps for the previously-identified hazards. 
  • The updated requirement has a more direct connection to EMS operations, and does not rely on data that some institutions considered confidential. 
• A new Continuity of Operations section has been added, again building on the work done at the Bronze Tier.
  • Prior work to identify key tasks and personnel is augmented with collecting documentation on the performance of these tasks to simplify continuity operations should they need to take place.
    • Note that in many cases, the work to develop these job aids likely has already been done within your organization (in the form of field training materials and/or existing procedures).
    • That said, this requirement may also help you identify gaps in those other documents and may allow you to improve them at the same time as you are completing your EMS Ready Campus submission. 
  • Initial outreach to campus staff responsible for institution-wide COOP planning is also done at this Tier. While the data being compiled for the EMS Ready Campus program is not a full COOP plan, feedback from these staff members is nonetheless valuable in helping ensure that your COOP activities are aligned with overall institutional work in this area.
  • It is acceptable to use alternative forms/templates if those are what are recommended by your institution. 
• Further clarification has been added to the Community Outreach section.
  • As with the Bronze Tier, the required emergency/disaster preparedness educational event has a new requirement has been added to have the topic cleared prior to conducting the event.
    • The intent of this option is to conduct an event that is specific to disaster or emergency preparedness, however some past applicants attempted to use recruiting tables or medical education events to meet this requirement. 
    • By submitting the topic to emergency.management@ncemsf.org prior to conducting the event, applicants can have assurance that their planned topic will meet the program requirements (or have a chance to revise their topic prior to expending effort on the event). 
  • Submission for the Community Engagement Program of the Year award can also now be used to meet requirement S.H.3. 
    • Simply submitting for this award is sufficient to meet the EMS Ready Campus requirement (you do not need to be selected as the award winner). However, if your application for Community Engagement Program of the Year is found to be severely deficient (for example, missing all of the required supplemental information), then it may no longer be deemed eligible for use with EMS Ready Campus. 
    • For the EMS Ready Campus requirement, please only submit a statement that your group has been nominated for the award. Please do not resubmit your awards packet as part of your EMS Ready Campus packet (our staff will verify this on our end). 
• The Administration and Other section has had several changes.
  • The previous requirement about resource needs has been removed.
  • Groups must now build upon their prior Supply Chain work from the Bronze Tier and identify contingencies to address supply chain gaps. 
  • The self-critique questionnaire has been merged into the main requirements. This was done to avoid unnecessary completion of these questions by applicants at the Bronze and Gold Tiers. 

Gold Tier Changes

 INTRO

• The requirement at G.B.2 has been updated to only cover a visit to a local EOC. The PSAP visit option has been removed as it was deemed not relevant to the intent of the program. 
• The MCI communications plan requirement at G.B.4 has been revised. Groups should now develop a pre-filled ICS-205 Communications Plan form.
  • This better reflects the original intent of the requirement.
  • This work can benefit organizations by providing pre-arranged communications channels/talkgroups for major incidents. 
• The HVA-related training requirement at G.C.1 has been updated to tie back to the assessment of training needs done for the Silver Tier HVA requirements. 
• Further clarification on the ICS 300 class has been added to make it simpler to find available courses. 
• The prior requirement on MCI training has been replaced with a new requirement (G.C.4) on responder self-preparedness. The updated topic is more relevant to the overall EMS Ready Campus program.
• A new requirement has been added to the Exercise section which requires your group to complete a written IAP for either the Tabletop, Functional, or Full-Scale Exercise you conduct. 
  • Relevant individuals who would participate in this process should have taken training on ICS forms and IAPs as part of the Silver Tier. 
  • Completion of an IAP aligns with the overall goals of the program to educate EMS personnel on emergency management functions.
  • Local or regional forms may be used in place of the standard FEMA ICS forms if applicable. 
• The Planning section has undergone several updates to address concerns from past applicants.
  • The need to integrate an EMS organization's plans with the local jurisdiction's plan has been removed. This requirement was deemed to difficult to complete. 
  • In its place, applicants should now obtain a copy of the local plan and compare it with the CBEMS organization's plan to identify gaps or conflicts that may exist, and begin to identify steps to address these gaps or conflicts. 
  • G.E.2 has additional suggestions on who to meet with and receive feeback from on the EMS EOP or all-hazards EMS plan. The MCI plan is no longer part of this requirement. 
• The Special Threat Preparedness section continues to reference the HVA work done at the Bronze and Silver Tiers.
  • The Gold Tier requires the applicant to assess their gaps and document steps being taken (or that could be taken in the future) to address those gaps.
  • It is expected that for Gold Tier renewals, additional progress would be shown in addressing gaps. 
• For the new Continuity of Operations section, the group is asked to begin the process of developing a formal COOP plan or annex to the campus-wide plan. Completion of a full COOP plan is not required, but a meeting to understand what additional work would be needed is required, as is a follow-up paper on the information gathered from this meeting.