Meet ASFPM’s 10,000th Certified Floodplain Manager

We’ve come a long way: ASFPM celebrates its 10,000th CFM!

At our Portland, Oregon national conference in May 1999, 33 people passed ASFPM’s
first Certified Floodplain Manager exam. This October, Kim Johnson became
ASFPM’s 10,000th CFM!

Johnson is Wyoming’s NFIP coordinator, what we call a state floodplain manager. The retired Air Force Major, who graduated from Texas A&M with a degree in finance, first became
the state floodplain manager in 2006. He served until 2012 when he then worked
as Wyoming’s public assistance officer, and later returned as the NFIP coordinator in 2015.

Johnson said he decided to take the CFM exam because he thought it was the right thing
to do since he was getting back into that line of work.

“It’s an ever evolving and changing field, especially on the insurance side,” Johnson said. “Based on the standards of the exam, it gives you a solid foundation of knowledge. And with any kind of credentialing, it proves that you have an understanding and demonstrated grasp of the profession. Overall, the CFM and body of knowledge that comes with it is a good tool for understanding and implementing flood risk reduction.”

Johnson said he’d encourage others to take the CFM exam as well. “Floodplain management
and flood insurance are complicated disciplines. But I think if you do the study tract and learn that body of knowledge, you will be well versed in the interrelated parts of floodplain management.”

To prepare for the exam, Johnson studied ASFPM guides and products, and took the one-day review course while attending the Colorado Association of Stormwater and Floodplain Managers’ annual conference. He also suggested the FEMA 480 study guide and desk reference, and the Emergency Management Institute’s E273 course. “While it’s not an official
prep for the CFM exam, I would highly recommend it because it is a great way to
prepare,” he said.

That being said, Johnson, an Abilene, Texas native, admitted that the best training came from growing up on a farm with a floodplain and living through the 1981 flood of record.

He said getting the CFM is another extension of wanting to help people, make places
safer and reduce costs. ASFPM wishes him well on this flood-risk reduction path!