If you’re an aspiring emergency management professional, you might be wondering how to launch a career in this field. It’s the classic chicken-and-egg conundrum; to get work in emergency management, you typically need some professional experience with emergencies. Yet how do you get this work experience if you can’t get hired in the first place? What steps can you take to make yourself more marketable as an emergency management professional? Read on to get suggestions and ideas for making connections, gaining needed experience and rounding out your professional skillset in emergency planning.
NIMS Certification: The Most Important Current Credential for All Emergency Management Professionals
NIMS stands for “National Incident Management Systems”. NIMS is currently the federal standard detailing emergency management protocols that all elected officials, emergency first responders and volunteer organizations are expected to follow during emergencies of any magnitude. The cornerstone of this system is known as ICS, which stands for incident command system. You will need to be intimately familiar with both NIMS and ICS if you plan to have a career in emergency management.
To accomplish this goal, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has made training materials available for you. The introductory-level courses and their corresponding course materials and final exams are easily available for downloading online. The first course in the series is IS-100.B: Introduction to Incident Command System, ICS-100. You can find more information about NIMS training at the following links:
- At the FEMA website: The NIMS Training Program
- At the FEMA / Emergency Management Institute (EMI) Website: Incident Command Systems (ICS) and NIMS Courses
The Academic Credentials and Work Experience You’ll Need to Be Marketable in the Field of Emergency Management
Emergency management careers fall into many disciplines. Two of the more common job titles in this field are as follows:
- Emergency Management Director — For this position, you’ll need to have at least a bachelor’s degree. You’ll also need to gain some work experience as a public administrator, disaster planner or emergency first responder, perhaps working as a paramedic or working with a local fire department or police department.
- Emergency Management Specialist— You’ll need at least a bachelor’s degree to get started in a career as an emergency management specialist.
How to Make Connections and Get Work Experience in Emergency Management
FEMA sometimes has paid internship opportunities and volunteer opportunities available for high school, college and graduate students. Interning and volunteering are two of the easiest ways to make connections and gain work experience in emergency management. If you’re currently a student, you can learn more at FEMA’s student opportunities page.
How to Keep Your Emergency Planning Skills Up-to-Date
Massive open online course providers (MOOCS) such as Coursera make a number of emergency planning and disaster preparedness courses available.
FEMA makes many independent study materials available that you can review periodically to refresh your skills in emergency planning.
We hope this information has given you the insights you need to better prepare for your future career in emergency management. If you follow some of the suggestions we’ve provided here, you’ll have a much better chance of landing an excellent job in the field of emergency management.
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