FEMA - Emergency Management Institute, FREE Distance Learning Incident Command Courses



“The Emergency Management Institute (EMI) offers self-paced courses designed for people who have emergency management responsibilities and the general public. All are offered free-of-charge to those who qualify for enrollment.”

Online curricula are available for students to study on topics covering; Mitigation, Preparedness & Tech, Professional Development, Disaster Operations and Recovery and how to Integrate Emergency Management.

“EMI replaced its Incident Command System (ICS) curricula with courses that meet the requirements specified in the National Incident Management System (NIMS). EMI developed the new courses collaboratively with the National Wildfire Coordinating Group (NWCG), the United States Fire Administration and the United States Department of Agriculture.”

On Apr. 1, 2015, the FEMA Emergency Management Institute (EMI) began to use the FEMA Student Identification (SID) number when submitting Independent Study (IS) final exams. All individuals (U.S. citizens and citizens of other countries) may register for a FEMA SID here.

How to apply for a FEMA Independent Study course (Online Course)

   •   Register for a Student Identification Number (SID) if you have not done so already. How do I obtain my FEMA SID?

   •   Select a course from our course list.

   •   Review course materials by choosing any one of the options.

   •   Select the "Take Final Exam Online" link (found on each Course Overview page).

   •   Enter your SID and your additional Student Information.

   •   Answer the exam questions and submit your answer choices.

International Association of Emergency Managers International Members

IAEM Members in Councils outside the United States may be eligible to obtain IAEM sponsorship that will allow them to receive credit for the U.S. Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Emergency Management Institute (EMI) online Independent Study courses. For more information, please visit their page here

Requests for certificates, transcripts, online test scores/results, please contact the FEMA Independent Study program office at 301-447-1200 or email Independent.Study@fema.dhs.gov for further assistance.