Each member of the Tidewater EMS Council in good standing has a continuing duty to adhere to the principles and tenets of the Tidewater EMS Council Code of Professional Conduct. This obligation of membership extends to all members participating in Tidewater EMS Council business, activities, and/or events, as well as to all individuals, regardless of membership status, who have been awarded certifications by the Tidewater EMS Council. The duty to adhere to the Code mandates that the emergency manager will act prudently and responsibly beyond the requirements of law and codes. The Code of Professional Conduct further embodies the certification program philosophy and objectives.

Preamble

The Tidewater EMS Council Code of Professional Conduct seeks to address a range of issues that impact emergency management professionals in their day-to-day work. Maintenance of public trust and confidence is central to the effectiveness of the Emergency Management Profession. This Code aims to ensure and justify public trust and confidence in the services provided by members.

Principles

The members of the Tidewater EMS Council shall conduct themselves in accordance with the basic principles of RESPECT, COMMITMENT, and PROFESSIONALISM.

RESPECT

Respect for supervising officials, professional colleagues, associates, and the people we serve through compliance with laws, regulations, and recognized standards.

COMMITMENT

Tidewater EMS Council members commit themselves to promote decisions that engender trust among those we serve. We commit to continuous improvement by fairly administering the affairs and responsibilities of our positions, by fostering honest and trustworthy relationships, and by striving for impeccable accuracy and clarity in what we say or write. We commit to enhancing stewardship of resources and the caliber of service we deliver while striving to improve the quality of life in the community we serve.

PROFESSIONALISM

Tidewater EMS Council is an organization that actively promotes professionalism to ensure public confidence in Emergency Management. Our reputations are built on the faithful discharge of our duties as professionals. Our professionalism is founded on Education, Safety, and Protection of Life and Property.

Code

Quality: Members shall aim to maintain high-quality work at all times and apply the "Principles of Emergency Management" in their professional undertakings. Quality may be assessed by audits, monitoring, quality processes, or other appropriate means.

Professional Independence: Tidewater EMS Council members, however employed, owe a primary duty of loyalty to the people in the community they serve and the environment they affect. Their practice should be performed according to high standards and ethical principles, maintaining respect for human dignity. Emergency management practitioners shall seek to ensure professional independence in executing their functions. Professional independence relates to the practitioners' function within the organization in which they practice, whether advisory or executive.

Legal Requirements: Members must abide by the legal and regulatory requirements relating to their practice and have a duty to be aware of the applicable legal and regulatory requirements for the communities they serve.

Objectivity: Members called to give an opinion in their professional capacity shall be honest and, to the best of their ability, objective and reliable. Objectivity and reliability are based on the best current available knowledge, or in the absence of such knowledge, reference to appropriate emergency planning and management principles.

Competence: Members shall not undertake responsibilities as emergency management practitioners if they do not reasonably believe themselves competent to discharge them efficiently and effectively. Members shall acknowledge any limitations in their competence and take all reasonable steps to develop their professional competence by attending to new developments. Competence is maintained by continuing professional development and certification and may be supplemented at appropriate levels by membership in other specialist bodies.

Abuse of Membership: Members shall not improperly use their membership in the Tidewater EMS Council for commercial or personal gain.

Conflict of Interest: Members shall avoid allowing their professional judgment to be influenced by any conflicting interest and shall inform their employer or client of any real or potential conflict between their personal interest and their service and professional obligations to the relevant party.

Confidentiality: Members shall not improperly disclose or disseminate any information, data, or documents that may reasonably be considered confidential or proprietary to Tidewater EMS Council, its officers, directors, or other members, or that may be prejudicial to any current or past employer or client of a Tidewater EMS Council member.

Professional Responsibility: Members shall accept professional responsibility for their work and ensure that those working under their supervision are competent and treated with fairness and equal opportunity. If members have reason to believe their professional advice is not being followed, they shall ensure those overruling their advice are aware of potential adverse consequences. Such actions are advisable to be recorded in writing.

Upholding the Aims and Objectives: Members shall have regard for the reputation and good standing of the Tidewater EMS Council and other members’ professional practice and integrity and shall not knowingly or recklessly bring them into disrepute.

Professional Reputation: Members shall not, in their practice, intentionally, recklessly, or maliciously harm or attempt to harm the professional reputation, prospects, or business of another member of the Tidewater EMS Council.

Member Relations: Members shall treat other members of the Tidewater EMS Council with respect, professionalism, and fairness, and at no time undermine their integrity, reputation, and dignity. Members will seek to work with one another in a professional, cooperative, and productive way.

Financial Propriety: Members shall maintain financial propriety in all their professional dealings with employers and clients. Any inducements that may reasonably be seen as prejudicial to a member’s professional independence, or that breach contractual or moral obligations, should be avoided.

Tidewater EMS Council Code of Conduct: All participants of the Tidewater EMS Council, including those holding certifications, are expected to treat their fellow members and professionals within the emergency management community with utmost dignity and respect during any Tidewater EMS Council event, including, but not limited to the TEMS Non-Discrimination and Anti-Harassment Policy.