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Ryan Buckingham Bio

Ryan M. Buckingham, IPEM, EMT-P

Ryan M. Buckingham was appointed Director of the Franklin County Emergency Management Agency on October 18, 2005. As Director of Emergency Management, Mr. Buckingham oversees the jurisdiction’s efforts to provide emergency medical services and emergency preparedness, prevention, mitigation, response and recovery programs. In addition to programmatic management, Director Buckingham is responsible for all administrative and management functions of the emergency management agency.

Mr. Buckingham has served in various capacities in emergency services since 1997 and holds accreditations from the Illinois Emergency Management Agency (IEMA) and Illinois Emergency Services Management Association as an Illinois Professional Emergency Manager (IPEM) as well as Professional Development Series certifications from IEMA and the Federal Emergency Management Agency. Director Buckingham currently serves as Fire Chief of the City of Zeigler, Illinois, and previously served as Assistant Chief of 911 Telecommunications & Public Safety Answering Point (PSAP) Manager for West Franklin County Central Dispatch Center in Christopher, Illinois.

Honored by the Illinois Emergency Services Management Association (IESMA) in April of 2009, Director Buckingham was named the Emergency Management Coordinator of the Year. Mr. Buckingham served as the President of IESMA for the term of 2013-2014.

After finishing his term as President of IESMA, Mr. Buckingham was once again honored by the State Association with a Presidential Service Award and by Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Regional Administrator Andrew Velasquez III from FEMA Region 5 in Chicago who presented Buckingham with the Regional Administrator’s Award of Excellence Challenge Coin. Buckingham was later presented with an additional Challenge Coin from City of New York Mayor’s Office of Emergency Management Commissioner Joseph F. Bruno for his service as IESMA President.

Buckingham continues to serve on the IESMA Executive Board and the Board of Directors for the Illinois Public Works Mutual Aid Network (IPWMAN). Mr. Buckingham previously served as Chairman of the Illinois Community Preparedness and Education Working Group for the National Level Earthquake Exercise in 2011, the first national level natural disaster exercise ever conducted by FEMA.