August 25-28, 2026 | Edgewater Hilton Hotel | Missoula, Montana
NSPS Certified Floodplain Surveyor Training & Certification Program
Training Course: 3-day course to become a NSPS Certified Floodplain Surveyor. Day 4 is 4 hours of examination.
Meet the Instructors
Land Surveyor, Georgia
C. Barton (Bart) Crattie
C. Barton (Bart) Crattie has been working in surveying for 47 years. He holds licenses in Land Surveying in both Georgia and Tennessee. Crattie earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in three-dimensional design from Murray State University in Murray, Kentucky.
He has been certified as a Floodplain Manager (CFM) since 2008 through the Association of State Floodplain Managers, as well as being a Certified Floodplain Surveyor (CFS TN-003) through the Tennessee Association of Professional Surveyors.
Crattie serves on the National Society of Professional Surveyors Certified Floodplain Surveyors Board of Directors. He served for nine years on the Surveyors Historical Society Board of Directors and was its Secretary for 15 years. His name appears on the masthead of American Surveyor magazine as a Contributing Writer. Crattie now earns his living strictly doing floodplain management services, teaching and consulting as The Flood Specialist.
Professional Engineer, North Carolina
John Gerber, PE, CFM
John Gerber, PE, CFM, was involved in the creation, development, and implementation of the Certified Floodplain Surveyors Program in 2002 while employed with North Carolina Emergency Management. As the program evolved, he became a key instructor for the course and conducted all the renewal training.
He served as the State NFIP Coordinator for North Carolina and retired in 2019 with 32 years of State service. He is a licensed Professional Engineer and one of the original Certified Floodplain Managers (CFM), taking the first exam offered in 1999.
He continues in the field as a consultant conducting no-rise studies, CRS reviews, and post-disaster support. He is a part-time employee of the Robeson County Sheriff’s Office as a pilot for their OH-58 helicopter.
About the Certification Program
The surveyor is well versed in measurement, property law, history, mathematics, and numerous topics related to surveying, mapping, and describing real property.
A number of years ago, FEMA made the surveying community a “partner” in the National Flood Insurance Program. This program is designed to enable the surveyor to learn much that has always been within the discipline of floodplain management, thus filling that gap between land surveying and floodplain management.
It is also intended to prepare participants to take the certification exam offered on the last day of the program. Attending this program and passing this exam allows participants to show that they have the particular expertise required to be recognized as a Certified Floodplain Surveyor and an authority in the field.
The completion of FEMA forms require the skills and knowledge of the surveyor. The vast majority of the questions deal with items that are seldom included in surveying education. Title 44 of the Code of Federal Regulations is the legislative root for all FEMA and NFIP regulations. You will become well versed in CFR 44 and flood insurance.
Following Risk Rating 2.0, the surveyor’s role shifted in importance to the Pre-Construction Elevation Certificate. Upon completion of the course, one should be able to speak knowledgeably about the floodplain regulations and ordinances that will affect your client prior to construction.
Also, following Risk Rating 2.0, you will be serving the public better if you know methods to sometimes reduce their flood insurance premiums. One should be able to submit FEMA MT-1 applications, including LOMR-F and LOMA applications, and know what reviewers require and what other items can be included to make their jobs easier, hopefully speeding up the LOMC process.
Upon becoming certified, you will know that you have taken an extra step to enhance your licensure, perhaps lower financial liability and boost your bottom line. Most importantly, you have taken an active step in protecting the safety, health, and welfare of the general public.
- National Flood Insurance Program
- Code of Federal Regulations Title 44
- Flood Insurance Rate Maps
- Letters of Map Change
- No-Rise Certifications
- Elevation Certificates
Accommodations
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NSPS Certified Floodplain Surveyor Training & Certification Program
August 25, 2026 - August 28, 2026
8:00 am - 5:00 pm