Pahranagat Valley Fire District earns statewide risk management award

The Pahranagat Valley Fire District has been for its commitment to safety and organizational excellence, receiving the 2026 Enterprise Risk Management Excellence Program (ERMEP) Award from POOL/PACT.

The award, presented June 15, recognizes public agencies that demonstrate exceptional enterprise risk management practices through a rigorous independent evaluation conducted by professional risk management experts. Along with the recognition, the district received an $8,425 grant, which will be used by the department’s Safety Committee to support ongoing enterprise risk management initiatives.

Established by POOL/PACT in 1996, the ERMEP program encourages Nevada public agencies to adopt and maintain best practices that protect employees, volunteers and the communities they serve. Today, the nonprofit organization includes more than 144 public entities throughout Nevada.

To earn the award, agencies undergo an extensive review of policies, procedures and operations across multiple departments, ensuring they meet high standards for governance, fiscal responsibility, human resources, cybersecurity, fleet management, fire services and overall organizational risk management.

Several members of the Pahranagat Valley Fire District team played key roles in achieving the award, including Fire Board Chairman Marshall Davis; Fire Chief Derek Bowman; Deputy Fire Chief and former board member Richard Higbee; former office manager Britt Smallwood; office manager Sarah Charles; ambulance coordinator Ryan Rhodes; account manager Andrea Jorgensen; former Fire Chief Steve Meldrum and Joseph Lamb.

“The board and management staff at PVFD is constantly striving to ensure that our programs and policies are the best they can be for the benefit of the district,” Fire Chief Derek Bowman said. “Achieving POOL/PACT’s rigorous Enterprise Risk Management Excellence Program Award confirms we are on the right track.”

Bowman also praised the POOL/PACT assessment team for its professionalism throughout the evaluation process.

“The POOL/PACT enterprise risk management staff who conducted the audit were professional and skilled in enterprise risk management best practices, and we appreciate their dedication, patience and hard work,” Bowman stated.

The Pahranagat Valley Fire District was established in 1974 to provide emergency services to the rural community of Alamo and the surrounding areas.

“On behalf of the PVFD, I am honored to accept this award and appreciate the dedication of each member of the team that helped earn it,” Bowman said. “This prestigious award from an independent auditing agency shows that we really mean it.”