Draft:Institute of Civil Protection and Emergency Management (ICPEM)

The Institute of Civil Protection and Emergency Management(ICPEM) is an independent professional association for emergency management, disaster management, disaster risk reduction, disaster risk management, crisis management practitioners, academics and pracademics.

ICPEM is a charitable organization in the United Kingdom. Over three-quarters of the members are located in the UK, while the rest are located in more that 20 other countries.

History
ICPEM's roots go back to 1938 but was formed by the merger of two much older Institutes on 1 January 2009.

In its earliest iteration, ICPEM was formed when Europe approached World War II. In 1938, initially named the Air Raid Protection League, it later became the Institute of Civil Defence (ICD) as its remit broadened to incorporate the broader civil defence requirements during war time. Following the war, a further widening of its scope due to threats and hazards including that of the nuclear war age resulted in the Institute becoming known as the Institute of Civil Defence and Disaster Studies (ICDDS). It was, and is, the United Kingdom's oldest learned society wholly dedicated to international disaster studies and research.

Recognising the need to research and improve response to major incidents led to the formation of the Institute of Emergency Management (IEM) in 1996. It wanted to promote the education and training of key members of emergency services, and others including the public, in the essential skills required for civil emergency management.

Both organisations independently pressed for high standards of professional practice at national, regional and local levels. They also exchanged ideas and published research and information.

In 2009 the two organisations recognised the synergies and merged to become the Institute of Civil Protection and Emergency Management. To maintain the historical symbolism of both organisations the heraldic design of both organisations merged to form ICPEM's logo as we know it today.

ICPEM Today
ICPEM remains the oldest learned society wholly dedicated to international disaster science studies, research and its professional application in practice.

It continues to be active in research, providing evidence and professionalising the fields in which it operates. This includes the Covid-19 Public Inquiry , and House of Lords report on Preparing for Extreme Emergencies and other publications which members have written or contributed to including Handbook of Emergency Management Concepts. Works with the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction and the British Red Cross amongst others.

Membership and Professional Qualifications
ICPEM has 5 membership grades: Student, Associate Member, Fellow, and Senior Fellow. A strict admission and upgrade criteria is followed. The list of post-nominal letters for use are only available on award for the following grades of membership indicating increasingly experienced and/or knowledgeable academics and/or practitioners:
 * Members (MICPEM),
 * Fellows (FICPEM) and
 * Senior Fellows (Sen.FICPEM).

Resilience Pracademics
The term pracademic was first used in relation to the UK resilience community at the inaugural conference of the Institute of Civil Protection and Emergency Management in April 2009. Peter Simpson from the London Fire Brigade, who undertook a Master’s programme at Leicester University as a mature student, described people like himself and others in the resilience community as ‘pracademics’ and showed delegates the ‘Pracademic Curve’, which clearly illustrated the inter-relationship between the practitioner and academic communities, particularly as it affects those who go into academia having already embarked on a career as a practitioner.

Awards
ICPEM presents two prestigious awards annually :

The Award of Excellence recognises significant contributions to the fields of civil protection and emergency management.

The Bill Blake Memorial Award (BBMA) provides the opportunity to showcase academic research and critical study. Named in honour of the founder and co-chair of the Institute in its current form and his desire to support those pursing a career in civil protection and emergency management.

Accreditation
ICPEM provides accreditation and CPD accreditation for education providers and employers.

Publishing
ICPEM publishes its own journal, Alert, which is available on its website. It also promotes sharing on knowledge, practice and public preparedness through its newsletter, Communique, and its social media including LinkedIn, Telegram and Instagram

In 2023 ICPEM became the official sponsor of the Journal of Search and Rescue (JSAR) providing Digital Object Identifiers (DOIs) to promote improved understanding, learning and practice in Search and Rescue (SAR).