UHV assistant fire marshal graduates from FEMA’s national academy
The University of Houston-Victoria emergency management assistant fire marshal recently graduated from FEMA’s National Emergency Management Basic Academy at the Emergency Management Institute in Emmitsburg, Md., to support the university in handling emergencies.
Stuart Sherman completed five courses to graduate. They were “Foundations of Emergency Management,” “Science of Disaster,” “Planning: Emergency Operations,” “Exercise Design” and “Public Information and Warning.”
“We want to expand the emergency management program at UHV,” Sherman said. “The courses teach people how to handle all phases of managing an emergency and FEMA requirements, so that when a disaster happens, we are prepared to respond appropriately and achieve a successful outcome.”
Sherman and other students in the National Emergency Management Basic Academy learned to understand the roles, responsibilities and legal boundaries associated with emergency management. The academy is the first of a three-level academy series in the Emergency Management Professional Program that is designed to provide a lifetime of learning for emergency managers,
“I am happy to have graduated from this program and make myself more knowledgeable about how to handle emergency situations,” Sherman said. “As we continue to expand the university’s emergency management program, I can apply the information I learned to help UHV maintain compliance with state mandates and ensure we will be more capable of handling emergencies.”
In addition to building policies and procedures, fire and safety inspections, and state and local compliance management, Sherman helps ensure the university meets FEMA requirements to receive reimbursements. Sherman has worked in fire service since 1986, he was the City of Victoria’s fire marshal from 2001 to 2008 before retiring. In 2016, he rejoined the safety field in his UHV role to continue his passion to help in times of need.
The University of Houston-Victoria, located in the heart of the Coastal Bend region since 1973 in Victoria, Texas, offers courses leading to more than 80 academic programs in the schools of Arts & Sciences; Business Administration; and Education, Health Professions & Human Development. UHV provides face-to-face classes at its Victoria campus, as well as an instructional site in Katy, Texas, and online classes that students can take from anywhere. UHV supports the American Association of State Colleges and Universities Opportunities for All initiative to increase awareness about state colleges and universities and the important role they have in providing a high-quality and accessible education to an increasingly diverse student population, as well as contributing to regional and state economic development.
