Access To Public Records

The Rhode Island Emergency Management Agency (RIEMA) has established the following procedures regarding the inspection and/or copying of public records under R.I. Gen. Laws § 38-2, commonly known as the Access to Public Records Act (APRA).

Submit an APRA Request

There are several ways to submit an APRA request:

• In-person at RIEMA, 8:30 a.m. - 4:00 p.m., Monday - Friday (holidays excluded).
• Complete and return RIEMA's Public Records Request Form. 
• Call the Public Records Officer.
• If you wish to make an anonymous APRA request and choose not to provide any identifying or contact information, contact the Public Records Officer for a case number so that we may respond to your request.
• APRA allows ten (10) business days to respond to requests for public records requests. In some instances, response time can be extended by twenty (20) business days due to the voluminous nature of the request, the number of pending requests, or the difficulty in searching for, retrieving, and/or copying the requested records. All responses from RIEMA will be in writing.
• Any denial of the right to inspect or copy records, in whole or in part, will be made to you in writing and will include the reason(s) for the denial and procedures for appealing the denial.
• The cost to copy documents is fifteen cents ($0.15) per page.
• The cost for search and/or retrieval of documents is fifteen ($15) per hour. There is no charge for the first hour of document search and/or retrieval.

RIEMA's Public Records Officer is Anita Flax. Her contact information is:

Phone: 401-462-7010
Fax: 401-944-1891
Email: anita.flax@ema.ri.gov