Those who want emergency management jobs with their state can choose from various agencies and positions. Additional employment opportunities are available through city and county departments that deal with public disasters and emergencies, such as firefighting law enforcement.
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City Emergency Preparedness Manager
Emergency preparedness managers who work for a city administration will oversee division operations, objectives and priorities. They will develop, implement and update emergency preparedness plans and systems for the city. They must optimize resources, encourage departmental participation and involve business communities. Emergency preparedness managers supervise the activities of staff who deliver services and carry out programs. Their supervision duties include giving feedback, reviewing projects, mentoring staff, guiding citizens, administering discipline and evaluating performance. They directly work with county and federal agencies to coordinate disaster assistance, emergency training and community education programs. They conduct risk and vulnerability analyses for the city in order to review and update policies as needed.
Emergency Response Field Leader
Emergency response field leaders physically travel to the centers of disasters where they coordinate services and programs. They must effectively interact with the public by giving directions, explaining orders and responding to inquiries in respectful ways. They must be able to maintain focus and awareness in chaotic environments with numerous distractions. These include upset civilians, disruptive requests, noisy machinery, unsafe conditions and unpleasant medical injuries. Emergency response field leaders may be armed agents who must maintain a current firearms license. They may work in poor weather conditions, such as intense rain or heat, and they may live in temporary shelters for a few weeks.
Emergency Services Administrator
Emergency services administrators interpret policies, apply procedures, research laws and review regulations relating to emergency activities. They understand the principles of incident response and the practices of disaster response methods. Emergency services administrators use logical reasoning to identify strengths, minimize weaknesses, challenge conclusions and recommend alternative solutions. They may develop and implement new policies and procedures for emergency training, planning and preparedness activities. Emergency services administrators manage the people, systems, resources and equipment used for emergency response and recovery programs. They continually communicate with hotels, schools, businesses, utility companies, communication outlets, private relief agencies and emergency service providers.
Policy Analyst
Policy analysts will review various laws, policies and statutes. They may compare historical decisions and actions taken by employees against official policies to verify compliance and accountability. For example, a citizen may file lawsuits against the government because of damage to their business during a disaster, or injuries received during a law enforcement confrontation. The policy analyst would most likely conclude that the government is not responsible for acts of God that result in damage to residential or commercial property. In the second situation, the policy analyst would likely carefully review police procedures against any defensive actions taken. State policy analysts mostly focus on blanket policies that impact entire communities, regions or counties. They must have the ability to use judgment in resolving problems and discretion in interpreting policies.
All emergency management jobs with the state will require job candidates to pass various tests, interviews and evaluations that demonstrate skills, knowledge and high performance. English proficiency tests may verify reading, writing, speaking and listening competencies. Interpersonal skill tests may verify maturity and flexibility. Background investigations and criminal checks will verify honesty, integrity and dependability. Readers can find their state emergency management agencies on the FEMA website.