Emergency Management: Careers in Emergency Management

Disaster relief workers assist communities during disasters and in rebuilding communities after disasters. Disaster relief work is commonly divided into four phases: preparedness, response, recovery, and mitigation.

Emergency management coordinators are responsible for the organization of the personnel, resources, and facilities in times of crisis. They coordinate the emergency management agency or organization’s disaster preparedness and response plan in accordance with both state and federal regulations and provide assistance to organizations in the development of their preparedness, response and recovery plans. Emergency management coordinators pay close attention to both state and federal regulations, implementing them in a timely manner.

Emergency management directors prepare plans and procedures for responding to natural disasters and other emergencies. They also help lead the response during and after emergencies, often in coordination with public safety officials, elected officials, nonprofit organizations, and government agencies.

Emergency management specialists can have different job titles and duties. But all of these workers are involved in mitigation, preparedness, response, or recovery activities. Their efforts are critical to homeland security because they help people, businesses, and communities to avoid and better react to crises.

An emergency preparedness specialist is an emergency health professional who works with other team members to plan and prepare ahead of natural disasters. In case there is an accident or fire outbreak, emergency preparedness specialists come together to devise methods and plan on how to help the victims. They also train other emergency professionals and public health workers on how to handle emergencies.

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security is a large team of people who work together to keep the nation safe from threats including terrorism and natural disasters. There are a range of job opportunities available in this field, including becoming a program analyst for homeland security, an air marshal or a coast guard. Homeland security officers aim to reduce the risk of security threats and respond to any attacks on security which happen. They also coordinate and respond to natural disasters, keeping the general public's safety at the forefront of their role.

This professional directs the response to disasters and oversees crisis management in hospitals and other medical facilities. This job holds a great deal of responsibility, as any kind of natural disaster or emergency situation could occur such as earthquake, flood, hazardous material spill or even a hostage situation. Emergency management directors such as this have wide array of duties.

Program managers work closely with other emergency response professionals to develop emergency response plans. They also lead trainings on the implementation of these plans to ensure that everyone knows their role in an emergency or disaster event and can help lead response efforts.

Public health specialists may perform a variety of tasks related to public health, and their specific duties vary by position. For example, they may facilitate the development and implementation of grant-funded projects and other public health programs (both long- and short-term) per established deadlines for the life cycle of the project. In this role, they must carefully evaluate program progress, fiscal accountability, and goal setting when making policy recommendations to the team.

Public information is a vital function in disaster operations that contributes greatly to saving lives and protecting property. Public information entails the processes and systems that enable effective communications with various target audiences.

Information security analysts plan and carry out security measures to protect an organization’s computer networks and systems. Their responsibilities are continually expanding as the number of cyberattacks increases.