The EPA is well-known as the government agency in charge of enforcing environmental regulations within the United States. This makes it one of the first organizations to establish an active presence in response to any emergency situation with environmental implications; broadly speaking, such implications are divided into chemical spills, oil spills, radiation leaks, and biological emergencies. These include the effects of certain natural disasters and events, as well as events for which one or more human agencies are responsible. There are a large number of emergency management jobs within the Environmental Protection Agency, representing specialized areas of expertise, depending upon the specific nature of an environmental threat.
Here are some of the different areas of agency jurisdiction within which there are an ever-growing number of emergency management jobs available:
Radiological Emergency Response
The federal government has become increasingly concerned, in recent years, with the possibility of a radiological release on American soil. There are many possibile avenues for such an accident to occur: accidents at aging nuclear power plants, an incident (deliberate or accidental) involving the transportation of nuclear waste byproducts, and the detonation of a “dirty bomb” are all viable possibilities. Such events have been made famous on film and in television, but they all have real-world precedent in the United States or elsewhere. The Environmental Protection Agency fields several teams to deal with radiological disasters, including the Radiological Emergency Response Team. RERT is specifically concerned with deliberate nuclear terrorism. Emergency management careers within RERT involve minimizing the immediate environmental impact of an incident, planning evacuation routes for civilians in the path of any lingering radiation, the management of inter-agency communications, and responsibly reporting to the public in a way that will not incite a mass panic.
Some popular degree programs leading to a career in RERT include communications, emergency management, and health sciences.
Resource: Top 10 Emergency Management Bachelor’s Degrees Online 2016-2017
Biological Consequence Management
The agency’s Consequence Management Advisory Division, or CMAD, assesses and evaluates reports of environmental disasters. One of CMAD’s preliminary duties is to determine the nature of an environmental contaminant. In the case of a biological agent, emergency management personnel are responsible for producing data models tracking and predicting its spread. They must also determine what protective equipment to use in the process of cleaning up the contaminant, and how best to about the cleanup in order to prevent as many people as possible from being exposed.
A varied list of degree programs might qualify an individual to serve work with CMAD. These range from a variety of medical and research-oriented programs, to degrees in communications, statistical analysis, and chemistry.
Emergency Operations Center
The EOC is the focal point for all of the Environmental Protection Agency’s emergency response efforts. A hub for communications and logistical coordination, its goal is to facilitate communication between the Environmental Protection Agency and other concerned organizations within the government (such as the Department of Homeland Security, and various state and local agencies, depending upon the nature of a given emergency). Specific responsibilities upheld by the center range from video conference networking to data analysis and statistical modeling. The Emergency Operations Center is always in operation, helping to ensure quick and efficient responsiveness to the thousands of environmental emergencies that occur within the United States each year. Staff members at the EOC are well-trained administrative individuals and logistics experts.
Sought-after degree programs for finding work within the EOC include information technology, public health, and physical chemistry.
An academic specialization in emergency management opens up the door to a long list of careers at the local, state, and federal level of government. In a world faced with a growing number of man-made threats, and a steadily expanding list of potential environmental hazards, the EPA continues to offer one of the broadest ranges of specialist jobs made available by any U.S. government agency.