How to Get Started in Emergency Management: There Is More Than One Path

How to Get Started in Emergency Management: There Is More Than One Path

If you are interested in emergency management, one of the first things you should know is that there is no single path into the profession.

Some emergency managers have degrees in emergency management. Others studied public administration, homeland security, business, communications, public health, criminal justice, engineering, or something completely different.

Some started in fire or EMS. Others came from law enforcement, the military, healthcare, government, education, logistics, business continuity, or the private sector.

Some entered the profession through a volunteer organization and worked their way into a full-time position.

The common denominator is not necessarily a particular degree or job title.

It is experience, education, relationships, and a willingness to get involved.

Emergency management is also a profession that continues to evolve. Disasters are not going away, and communities, businesses, governments, and organizations will continue to need people who can prepare for, respond to, recover from, and mitigate hazards.

If you are considering emergency management as a career, here are several ways to get started.

Start With FEMA Training

One of the easiest ways to explore emergency management is also one of the least expensive:

It's free.

FEMA's Emergency Management Institute offers an extensive Independent Study program that is available to the general public at no charge. The program includes courses covering subjects ranging from the National Incident Management System and Incident Command System to mitigation, disaster logistics, emergency planning, public information, volunteers, recovery, and many other topics. (FEMA Training)

You don't need to already be an emergency manager to begin.

For someone just exploring the field, FEMA Independent Study courses can accomplish several things:

• Introduce you to emergency management terminology

• Help you understand how the emergency management system works

• Give you exposure to NIMS and ICS

• Provide documented training for your résumé

• Help you determine which areas of emergency management interest you

• Give you something substantive to discuss during an interview

A good starting point is the FEMA/NDEMU Independent Study program and foundational NIMS courses.

FEMA also maintains hundreds of Independent Study courses, and many provide continuing education units. (FEMA Training)

Don't simply collect certificates. Learn the material.

The goal isn't to have 25 FEMA certificates sitting on a résumé. The goal is to understand the concepts well enough to eventually apply them.

Consider College — But Don't Assume You Have to Major in Emergency Management

A college degree can absolutely be valuable in emergency management.

There are now programs specifically focused on emergency management, homeland security, disaster science, public administration, and related disciplines.

But don't assume an emergency management degree is the only useful degree.

Emergency management is interdisciplinary by nature.

A community needs emergency managers who understand:

• Public administration

• Communications

• Logistics

• Public health

• Infrastructure

• Information technology

• Geographic information systems

• Finance

• Business continuity

• Cybersecurity

• Engineering

• Healthcare

• Environmental science

• Homeland security

• Organizational leadership

A bachelor's degree can open doors, particularly for government and management positions, but the "right" degree depends heavily on where you want your career to go.

And if you already have a degree in another field, you are not starting over.

Your existing education and professional experience may be highly relevant to emergency management.

Get Experience Before You Have the Job

This is one of the most important pieces of advice for someone trying to break into the field:

Find a way to get involved before someone gives you an emergency management job.

Volunteer organizations can provide exposure to real-world disaster operations and help you develop relationships with people already working in the profession.

Depending on your interests and location, opportunities may exist with organizations such as:

• Community Emergency Response Teams (CERT)

• American Red Cross

• Team Rubicon

• Salvation Army

• Medical Reserve Corps

• Local volunteer disaster-response organizations

• Volunteer Organizations Active in Disaster (VOAD) organizations

• Local fire departments and emergency services organizations

• Community or faith-based disaster organizations

Team Rubicon, for example, provides volunteer opportunities that can include training and disaster-response operations. (Team Rubicon)

FEMA also offers Independent Study courses specifically related to CERT and volunteer management, including courses such as IS-317 and IS-244. (FEMA Training)

You don't necessarily need to deploy to a hurricane zone to gain useful experience.

Helping with a local preparedness event, exercise, shelter operation, community planning effort, or volunteer organization can begin building the experience and relationships that eventually lead to a paid position.

Look Locally

Your local emergency management office may be one of the best places to start.

Counties, cities, townships, states, tribal governments, universities, hospitals, airports, utilities, transportation agencies, and other organizations all have emergency management responsibilities.

Look for opportunities involving:

• Exercises

• Community preparedness

• Planning

• Public outreach

• Disaster recovery

• Hazard mitigation

• Emergency operations centers

• Public information

• Continuity of operations

• Volunteer coordination

Don't just search for jobs.

Look for people.

Find the emergency management director in your county.

Find your state emergency management agency.

Attend a public meeting or exercise when appropriate.

Join a professional organization.

Introduce yourself.

Ask someone already working in the profession what they would recommend if they were starting today.

That conversation can be more valuable than another hour of scrolling job boards.

Don't Overlook Nonprofits and NGOs

Emergency management isn't just government.

Non-governmental organizations and nonprofits play an enormous role in disasters.

The emergency management community depends on partnerships among government agencies, nonprofits, voluntary organizations, private companies, healthcare organizations, utilities, and community groups.

That means there are career opportunities outside traditional government emergency management offices.

If you are interested in logistics, public health, communications, sheltering, disaster relief, recovery, or volunteer management, an NGO can be an excellent place to develop experience.

It can also expose you to the broader disaster ecosystem.

Consider FEMA's Reservist Workforce

Another potential route into the profession is FEMA itself.

FEMA uses a workforce that includes permanent employees, temporary local hires, and Reservists organized into specialized cadres. These employees can support disaster response and recovery operations across the country. (FEMA)

For someone trying to build experience, a FEMA Reservist opportunity can provide something extremely valuable:

exposure to large-scale disaster operations.

It can also introduce you to professionals from across the emergency management community.

FEMA is not the only federal agency involved in emergency management, either.

Depending on your interests, opportunities can exist across agencies and organizations involved in disaster preparedness, infrastructure, public safety, national security, health, transportation, and recovery.

Join Professional Organizations

Professional organizations are another important part of building an emergency management career.

The International Association of Emergency Managers (IAEM) is one of the best-known professional organizations in the field and has an international membership.

Professional organizations can provide:

• Networking

• Training

• Conferences

• Mentorship

• Professional development

• Job information

• Exposure to current issues

• Opportunities to meet experienced emergency managers

And you don't have to wait until you're an experienced emergency manager to start networking.

In fact, starting early is better.

Eventually, Consider Professional Certification

As your experience develops, you may want to consider a professional credential.

IAEM offers two widely recognized emergency management certifications:

Associate Emergency Manager (AEM)

and

Certified Emergency Manager (CEM).

The AEM is designed for professionals demonstrating foundational knowledge and commitment to the emergency management profession.

The CEM is intended for more experienced emergency management professionals and requires documented experience, education, training, and professional contributions. (IAEM)

These aren't necessarily credentials you should pursue on day one.

Build your foundation first.

One useful aspect of the IAEM certification system is that FEMA Independent Study courses can count toward the training requirements when properly documented. IAEM currently requires applicants to document 200 hours of training for initial certification — 100 hours of emergency management training and 100 hours of general management training, subject to its detailed rules. (IAEM)

That means the training you complete early in your career can potentially become part of a longer professional-development strategy.

Use LinkedIn — But Use It Correctly

LinkedIn can be extremely valuable in emergency management.

But don't think of networking as simply collecting connections.

Follow emergency management professionals.

Follow FEMA and state and local emergency management agencies.

Follow IAEM and other professional organizations.

Read what emergency managers are talking about.

Comment thoughtfully on posts.

Share useful information.

Attend conferences and connect with people afterward.

And when you reach out to someone, don't immediately ask them for a job.

Try something like:

"I'm interested in getting started in emergency management and noticed your experience in the field. I'm working through FEMA training now and looking for ways to gain practical experience. I'd appreciate any advice you would give someone entering the profession."

That's a much better conversation starter than:

"Can you get me a job?"

Build relationships before you need them.

Then Go After That First Job

Eventually, you have to make the jump from preparation to employment.

Look beyond the title "Emergency Manager."

Your first job might be called:

• Emergency Management Coordinator

• Emergency Management Specialist

• Preparedness Coordinator

• Continuity Coordinator

• Disaster Recovery Specialist

• Emergency Planner

• Resilience Coordinator

• Exercise Coordinator

• Grants Specialist

• Homeland Security Specialist

• Public Safety Coordinator

• Business Continuity Analyst

• Disaster Program Specialist

The first job doesn't have to be your dream job.

It needs to get you closer to the work you want to do.

And remember that emergency management exists at multiple levels:

Local → County → State → Federal → Nonprofit → Healthcare → Higher Education → Private Sector → International

Your career doesn't have to stay in one lane.

Your Existing Experience May Be More Valuable Than You Think

One of the biggest misconceptions about entering emergency management is thinking you have to start from zero.

You may already have valuable experience.

A project manager understands planning and coordination.

A nurse understands healthcare operations.

A logistics professional understands resource management.

A teacher understands training and communication.

A military veteran may have extensive experience with planning, operations, leadership, incident response, and working in complex organizations.

A business professional may understand continuity, risk management, finance, or organizational resilience.

A communications professional may be exceptionally well suited for public information.

Emergency management is a profession built around bringing different disciplines together.

Your job is to understand how your existing skills translate.

And Don't Ignore Exercises

If you want to work in emergency management, learn how exercises work.

Tabletops, drills, functional exercises, and full-scale exercises are one of the best ways to gain exposure to emergency management operations.

Even participating as an observer, evaluator, player, volunteer, or support staff can teach you how organizations prepare for real incidents.

Over time, exercises can also become an important part of your professional portfolio.

Build a Portfolio, Not Just a Résumé

One way to stand out as an entry-level candidate is to demonstrate that you can actually produce emergency-management work.

For example, build samples such as:

• A basic emergency plan

• A continuity plan

• A tabletop exercise package

• An after-action report

• An improvement plan

• A hazard assessment

• A preparedness campaign

• An exercise briefing

• A situation report

• A resource-tracking document

You don't need to use confidential information or represent these as official government documents.

Create fictional scenarios.

The objective is to demonstrate that you understand the work.

That's much more powerful than simply saying, "I'm interested in emergency management."

There Is No Perfect Starting Point

You don't need the perfect degree.

You don't need ten years of experience.

You don't need to know everything about disasters.

And you don't need to follow someone else's career path.

Start somewhere.

Take a FEMA course.

Join a volunteer organization.

Attend a local emergency management meeting.

Find a mentor.

Join IAEM.

Attend an exercise.

Connect with emergency managers on LinkedIn.

Apply for an entry-level position.

Then keep learning.

Over time, those individual steps begin to compound.

Why Emergency Management?

There is another reason to consider the profession.

The need isn't going away.

Communities will continue to face hurricanes, floods, wildfires, severe storms, pandemics, cyber incidents, infrastructure failures, hazardous-material incidents, public-health emergencies, technological disruptions, and other hazards.

The tools will change.

The technology will change.

Artificial intelligence will change how emergency managers work.

But the need for people who can assess risk, make decisions, coordinate organizations, communicate under pressure, build relationships, and lead during uncertainty is unlikely to disappear.

In fact, technology may make some parts of the profession more efficient while increasing the value of the people who can put information into context and coordinate humans and organizations.

And emergency management is increasingly global.

The fundamental challenges of preparedness, disaster response, recovery, resilience, and risk reduction exist around the world.

That makes emergency management more than a government career.

It is a profession that touches virtually every sector of society.

Start Where You Are

There isn't one door into emergency management.

There are many.

College is one.

FEMA training is another.

Volunteering is another.

Military or public safety experience can be another.

A nonprofit can be another.

A local government position can be another.

A career in healthcare, logistics, business continuity, public administration, or another related field can eventually lead into emergency management.

The important thing is to start building knowledge, experience, relationships, and credibility.

You don't have to have the entire career mapped out.

You just need to take the first step.