The town's Emergency Planning Committee, which prepares for natural disasters such as floods and hurricanes, has received start-up certification.

'The effort over the past year has been a yeomen's effort on the part of a team," Wareham Police Chief Richard Stanley told the Board of Selectmen on Tuesday. "Our preparation levels are at their highest."

The start-up certification was received from the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency. The certification recognizes the town's ability to respond to natural disasters, said Douglas Forbes, the regional coordinator for MEMA in Southeastern Massachusetts.

The committee, which includes two students enrolled in the emergency management degree program at Massachusetts Maritime Academy -- Kyle Sleek and Jeremy Letson -- spent the past year developing a Comprehensive Emergency Management Plan.

The plan contains the procedures and strategy that will be used by public safety officials in the event of an emergency, said Forbes.

The members of the committee include representatives from the Wareham and Onset fire departments, Wareham Police, Harbormaster Department, EMS, Board of Health, and a local citizen, among others.

Sleek and Letson also received certificates of recognition for their contribution to the committee in helping to develop the town's Comprehensive Emergency Management Plan.

This is the first time that the Town of Wareham has ever received the certification, Wareham Police Lieutenant John Walcek said after the meeting.

"The Wareham Local Emergency Planning Committee is to be commended for their hard work and dedication," said Forbes. "Thanks to their efforts, Wareham is a safer and stronger place to live and work."