What You'll Do

  • Keep informed of activities or changes that could affect the likelihood of an emergency, response efforts, or plan implementation.
  • Prepare plans that outline operating procedures to be used in response to disasters or emergencies, such as hurricanes, nuclear accidents, and terrorist attacks, and in recovery from these events.
  • Propose alteration of emergency response procedures, based on regulatory changes, technological changes, or knowledge gained from outcomes of previous emergency situations.
  • Maintain and update all resource materials associated with emergency preparedness plans.
  • Coordinate disaster response or crisis management activities, such as ordering evacuations, opening public shelters, and implementing special needs plans and programs.
  • Develop and maintain liaisons with municipalities, county departments, and similar entities to facilitate plan development, response effort coordination, and exchanges of personnel and equipment.
  • Keep informed of federal, state, and local regulations affecting emergency plans, and ensure that plans adhere to those regulations.
  • Prepare emergency situation status reports that describe response and recovery efforts, needs, and preliminary damage assessments.
  • Design and administer emergency or disaster preparedness training courses that teach people how to effectively respond to major emergencies and disasters.
  • Inspect facilities and equipment, such as emergency management centers and communications equipment, to determine their operational and functional capabilities in emergency situations.

Essential Skills

Service Orientation 4.25/5
Speaking 4.12/5
Complex Problem Solving 4.12/5
Reading Comprehension 4.0/5
Active Listening 4.0/5
Writing 4.0/5
Critical Thinking 4.0/5
Monitoring 4.0/5
Social Perceptiveness 4.0/5
Coordination 4.0/5
Judgment and Decision Making 4.0/5
Learning Strategies 3.88/5

Career Fit Overview

Use this summary to sense whether the day to day rhythm and focus of this path line up with what energizes you.

Top passions

  • Leader: Taking charge and moving ideas forward motivates you.
  • Organizer: Bringing order to data and processes satisfies you.
  • Analyst: Investigating problems and finding patterns keeps you engaged.

Common styles

Integrity, Stress Tolerance, Leadership, Dependability, Adaptability/Flexibility

Want a personal read on fit. Take the free assessment and see your exact compatibility with this career and many related roles.

Key Abilities

This career demands strong capabilities in the following areas:

Oral Comprehension 4.12/5
Oral Expression 4.12/5
Deductive Reasoning 4.12/5
Speech Clarity 4.12/5
Written Comprehension 4.0/5
Written Expression 4.0/5
Problem Sensitivity 4.0/5
Inductive Reasoning 4.0/5

Technologies & Tools

Alert Technologies OpsCenter Desktop publishing software Digital Engineering Corporation E-MAPS Emergency Managers Weather Information Network EMWIN Emergency Services Integrators ESi WebEOC ESRI ArcGIS software Federal Emergency Management Information System FEMIS Geographic information system GIS software Graphics software IBM Lotus Notes MapInfo Professional McAfee Microsoft Excel Microsoft Office software Microsoft Outlook Microsoft PowerPoint Microsoft SharePoint Microsoft Word National Center for Crisis and Continuity Coordination NC4 E Team Relational database software

Work Environment & Style

Common Styles for This Career

  • Integrity (High importance: 4.68/5)
  • Stress Tolerance (High importance: 4.64/5)
  • Leadership (High importance: 4.55/5)
  • Dependability (High importance: 4.45/5)
  • Adaptability/Flexibility (High importance: 4.41/5)

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How to Become One

Most employers require a bachelor's degree in a relevant field. Some positions may also require experience through internships, co-ops, or entry-level work to strengthen your candidacy.

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Also Known As

This career is known by many different job titles across industries. Here are all the variations:

911 Communications Manager Change Management Specialist Civil Defense Director Civil Preparedness Officer Disaster Response Director Emergency Management Coordinator Emergency Management Director Emergency Management Planner Emergency Management System Director (EMS Director) Emergency Manager Emergency Planner Emergency Planning and Response Manager Emergency Preparedness Coordinator Emergency Preparedness Manager Emergency Response Coordinator Emergency Services Director Emergency Services Program Coordinator Production Controller Public Safety Director Response Coordinator Supervisory Emergency Management Specialist