Submitted photo Allen, center, is congratulated by Barbara Miller, JCHSEM director, and chair of the WV Emergency Management Council, and Tom Hart, accreditation chairman of the WV Emergency Management Council.

Steve Allen, Jefferson County Homeland Security and Emergency Management (JCHSEM) deputy director, received his West Virginia Emergency Manager, Level 3 Accreditation from the West Virginia Emergency Management Council on Aug/ 30, at the West Virginia SERC/LEPC Conference in Camp Dawson.

Level 3 accreditation is the highest accreditation awarded by the council and is awarded based upon achieving excellence in planning, training, exercises and other achievements in emergency management.

The Emergency Manager Accreditation emphasizes applied skills in disaster operations, alongside of and building on professional development, management and coordination skills and the ability to perform essential work in a disaster requires skills in emergency operations and management.