The CFM? Credential Explained. ??

Did you know it costs the US a whopping $4.3 billion (per year!) to recoup the losses and repair the damages caused by…wait for it… ??

Floods!? ??

When we first stumbled upon that stat, we thought of big, one-time natural disasters like hurricanes and such. But we were wrong.

Floods are the most common (and costly) natural hazards in the country.

So much so that the government has poured over $20 billion into FEMA grants and USACE projects to prevent and mitigate floods. ??

Demand for Water Resources Engineers to manage those grants and work on these projects is skyrocketing…

But not any Water Resources Engineer.

Enter your next career position…the Certified Floodplain Manager (CFM?). ?? ??

Floodplain Management…What?! ??

Floodplain Management is a program within municipalities focusing on reducing the risk and impact of current and future flooding.

Now, a Floodplain Manager is the person responsible for the implementation of measures and strategies to achieve these goals.

It’s usually a staff person working for the municipality. Think of a civil engineer in the Public Works Department , for example.

What does a Floodplain Manager do?

It may include things like:

• Reviewing and issuing permits for projects in the community’s floodplains
• Updating the community’s flood prevention plan
• Overseeing the design and construction of flood mitigation projects
• Preparing funding applications for the community.
• And more!

If you’re in the Water Resources arena, especially if you’ve been working on flood or stormwater projects, that’s right up your alley.

And we’ll tell you….it’s one route you should take.

Remember the IDF curves on the Water Resources PE Exam? ??

Storms are increasing in intensity, duration, and frequency (there’s your “IDF” ??) due to climate change.

This means the damages and losses from flood will continue to be a problem, which makes the demand for Floodplain Managers continue to rise. ??

The Hallmark of a Floodplain Manager ??

Just like the PE license is the mark of the Professional Civil Engineer, the floodplain management world also has its own credential.

For you to get a position in floodplain management, stamp and oversee flood projects, or even work on your own, like Paige Brue does , you need this certification.

That’s called the National Certified Floodplain Manager Program.

It was established by the Association of State Floodplain Managers (ASFPM) to create a baseline testing of knowledge in the field.

Out of this program…the Certified Floodplain Manager (CFM?) Exam was born.

This exam is handled by ASFPM itself, but if you live in one of their six chapter states, the certification process is handled directly with them. ??

Here we go for another long exam…or will we? ??

Actually, you won’t.

Yes, like the FE and PE exams, the CFM? Exam is CBT and closed-book, with 120 questions, 3 hours, and a passing score of 84 questions.

But… ??

The CFM? Exam doesn’t ask you to work out heavy math problems at all.

It has multiple-choice and true-and-false questions, with a big part based on data you read from flood insurance rate maps and studies you’ll have as PDFs on exam day. ??

The exam tests you on seven floodplain management topics. ??

How You Become a CFM? ??

“You pass the CFM? Exam.” Well, I wish it were that simple. ??

The recommended study materials by ASFPM are kind of…well, all over the place.

The resources you need to learn what’s tested on the exam are scattered across multiple technical references, found in various different places.

This makes it hard for you to organize your studies. ??

So I’ve compiled a list of the best resources you can use to study for this thing. ??

A) FEMA 480

Called Floodplain Management Requirements: A Study Guide and Desk Reference for Local Officials , this is your go-to technical reference for the CFM? Exam…and it’s free!

In fact, the ASFPM goes even further to say that this is “the most frequently cited technical reference for the exam,” which means most of the exam questions are based on this book.

B) PAFPM

A few state associations publish prep materials for the CFM? Exam, but one that ranks really high is the Pennsylvania Association of State Floodplain Managers .

They have a study guide that you can download as slide decks, mapping and elevation certificate exercises, and even a practice exam for you to prepare for the real deal.

Their website is currently down because they’re upgrading it, but I’m pretty sure those will still be available after the website goes live again. ??

C) Flood Resource Center

This is a really nice YouTube channel that has a complete Floodplain Exam Review playlist .

The lecture videos are about 30 minutes, covering the main topics you need to know. From mapping to elevation certificates to the National Flood Insurance Program…and more.

Paige Brue herself used this playlist when prepping for her CFM? Exam. ??

D) CFR, Title 44

One big aspect of floodplain management is the regulations related to it.

So that’s another thing you need to get familiar with, especially parts 59 and 60 in title 44 of the Code of Federal Regulations.

Part 59 covers eligibility requirements for communities to qualify for the National Flood Insurance Program, while part 60 explains the criteria for wise land management and use.

These two cover the requirements that have to be enforced by Floodplain Managers to make sure their community complies with the codes and receives flood insurance.

Do You Have Time to Gather All These Yourself? ??

As a full-time working civil engineer with family and kids, I bet you don’t.

That’s why we teamed up with Matt Fanghella to create The Ultimate Floodplain Manager (CFM?) Review Course.

Matt is a CFM himself who had to go through this journey alone with self-study…and it was a hassle.

Now he’s put everything he learned into the first ever prep course for the CFM? exam.

The course gathers all these technical references and organizes them into a single curriculum that you just need to follow, plus a complete CFM-like practice exam and a study guide.

If you got interested in diving a bit more into the world of floods, click here and go check it out. ??

We hope we answered some of your questions about the CFM? credential.

There’s a lot more to the exam process than that. So, follow Civil Engineering Academy to stay tuned for future guides like this one helping you crush your professional civil engineering exams. ??