Virginia Department of Emergency Management

What Virginia Department of Emergency Management does

The Virginia Department of Emergency Management (VDEM) is a state government agency of the Commonwealth of Virginia, headquartered in Richmond, that coordinates the state's emergency management activities across preparedness, response, recovery, and mitigation on a 24/7/365 basis. The agency serves all Virginia localities, local emergency managers, school divisions, and public safety telecommunicators through a portfolio of divisions including the Operations Bureau, Preparedness Bureau, Administration & Finance, Training & Exercises, and the Virginia Emergency Support Team (VEST). Its operational technology stack comprises VEST for multi-agency emergency activation and status monitoring (including real-time Yellow/Monitoring status), Next Generation 911 (NG911) public safety communications, a Geographic Information Network for geospatial coordination, and Emergency Support Functions linking state and local responders.

VDEM does not generate commercial revenue; it is funded through Virginia state appropriations and federal emergency management grants, and in turn administers grant programs that fund local resilience projects. The agency's go-to-market is direct government coordination rather than sales: services and grant funding are distributed to localities, schools, and organizations through embedded regional support staff and statutory authority. Recent activity illustrates this model, including a $450,000 VDEM grant combined with $2.1 million from private partner Secure Solar Futures to deploy a solar-powered microgrid with battery storage at two Roanoke City Public Schools, part of a 10.1-megawatt solar program across 32 school sites projected to save $60.2 million over 35 years while creating emergency shelter capacity. Leadership rests with a Governor-appointed State Coordinator; Lauren Opett was formally appointed to that role on June 29, 2026, after serving as acting coordinator from May 18, 2026.

Name

Virginia Department of Emergency Management

Legal name

Virginia Department of Emergency Management

Website

https://vaemergency.gov

Company type

Public

Founded year

1942

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

The Virginia Department of Emergency Management is a Virginia state agency headquartered in Richmond that coordinates statewide emergency preparedness, response, recovery, and mitigation, serving all Virginia localities, local emergency managers, schools, and public safety telecommunicators 24/7/365.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Government Emergency Management Services

NAICS

Justice, Public Order, and Safety Activities (922)

SIC

Services-Management Services (8741)

akta.pro primary industry

Emergency Management & Disaster Response (EOC, Civil Defense) (BPAIAGAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Incident Response, Business Continuity & Crisis Management (HDABANAJ), Business Continuity & Disaster Recovery (BC/DR) Planning (BPABANAB), Business Continuity & Operational Resilience (BCM/OR) (HDADAIAK)

Keywords

• Emergency management services
• Disaster preparedness coordination
• Emergency response operations
• Public safety communications
• State government grants

Headquarters

HQ city

Richmond

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. State Government Funding: VDEM operates as a state government agency funded through Virginia state appropriations and federal emergency management grants
2. Emergency Management Grants: VDEM distributes grant funding to local governments, schools, and organizations for emergency preparedness projects including the $450,000 grant for Roanoke school microgrid project

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

The Virginia Department of Emergency Management (VDEM) is the state agency of the Commonwealth of Virginia responsible for coordinating emergency management across all phases — preparedness, response, recovery, and mitigation — operating 24/7/365. It delivers services through divisions including Operations, Preparedness, Training & Exercises, NG911 Public Safety Communications, the Virginia Emergency Support Team (VEST), and Administration & Finance, and administers grant programs that fund local emergency preparedness and community resilience projects.

Product overview

The Virginia Department of Emergency Management (VDEM) is a government agency providing emergency management coordination services rather than a commercial product company. VDEM operates as a centralized agency offering a portfolio of services including emergency coordination, grants administration, NG911 services, the Virginia Emergency Support Team (VEST), training and exercises, and preparedness programs. These services function as interconnected divisions under a unified agency structure, with the Grants Program funding local initiatives like emergency shelter infrastructure, and VEST providing the operational response capabilities. The agency does not offer commercial software products but delivers government services through its organizational divisions.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Emergency Management Coordination Services

Quantifiable outcome

• Projected $60.2 million in energy cost savings over 35 years from solar installations

Named customers1 record

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Secure Solar FuturescoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 25 February 2026Solar partner contributing $2.1 million supplement to VDEM's $450,000 grant for Roanoke City Public Schools microgrid project. Partner provides solar installation expertise and battery storage technology for first-of-its-kind emergency shelter microgrid at Virginia public schools.
• National Weather Service (NWS)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFederal partner for severe weather awareness and emergency preparedness coordination. VDEM operates in partnership with NWS for annual Severe Weather Awareness Week campaigns and ongoing weather emergency coordination.
• Roanoke City Public SchoolscoreOthersRecipient of $450,000 VDEM grant plus $2.1 million from Secure Solar Futures for solar-powered microgrid installation. Schools serve as designated emergency shelters during disasters.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Florida Division of Emergency Management (FDEM): Florida's state emergency management agency, directly comparable to VDEM in coordinating statewide disaster response, administering grants, and operating emergency support functions in a hurricane-exposed state. FDEM serves a similar jurisdictional role and uses a comparable multi-division structure.
• Texas Division of Emergency Management (TDEM): Texas's state emergency management division, performing the same core functions as VDEM (preparedness, response, recovery, mitigation) across a large state with significant hurricane and severe weather exposure. TDEM is a direct structural and functional peer.
• Illinois Emergency Management Agency (IEMA): Illinois's state emergency management agency, comparable to VDEM in coordinating statewide preparedness, response, and recovery with a similar mid-sized state structure and focus on severe weather and natural disaster preparedness.
• Georgia Emergency Management and Homeland Security Agency (GEMA/HS): Georgia's state emergency management agency, comparable to VDEM in coordinating the same disaster preparedness, response, recovery, and mitigation functions for a single state in the Southeast region with overlapping disaster risk profiles.
• Maryland Emergency Management Agency (MEMA): Maryland's state emergency management agency, comparable to VDEM as a neighboring mid-Atlantic state agency performing the same core emergency management functions with similar scale and disaster risk profile.
• Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency (PEMA): Pennsylvania's state emergency management agency, directly comparable to VDEM in providing statewide emergency preparedness, response, and recovery coordination, with a similar mid-Atlantic state profile and grant administration role.
• North Carolina Department of Public Safety - Emergency Management: North Carolina's state emergency management division, comparable to VDEM as a regional Southeast emergency management peer with similar hurricane and severe weather exposure and comparable grant administration responsibilities.
• California Governor's Office of Emergency Services (Cal OES): California's state emergency management agency, comparable to VDEM as a designated state-level coordinator of preparedness, response, recovery, and mitigation across a large, disaster-prone jurisdiction. Cal OES operates the same statutory mandate structure and serves as a strong functional peer for capability and funding scale comparison.
• New York State Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services: New York's state-level emergency management and homeland security agency, providing directly comparable services to VDEM including emergency preparedness, response coordination, and grants administration across a single state jurisdiction.

Broad incumbents

• Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA): FEMA is the federal-level emergency management agency that funds and coordinates with state agencies like VDEM. While not a direct competitor, FEMA is the broader incumbent that sets standards, distributes grants, and provides surge capacity that VDEM relies on.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/vdem
• Facebookfacebook.com/vaemergency

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Virginia Department of Emergency Management