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Emergency Management Directors

Plan and direct disaster response or crisis management activities, provide disaster preparedness training, and prepare emergency plans and procedures for natural (e.g., hurricanes, floods, earthquakes), wartime, or technological (e.g., nuclear power plant emergencies or hazardous materials spills) disasters or hostage situations.

What you’d do

  • Consult with officials of local and area governments, schools, hospitals, and other institutions to determine their needs and capabilities in the event of a natural disaster or other emergency.
  • Develop and maintain liaisons with municipalities, county departments, and similar entities to facilitate plan development, response effort coordination, and exchanges of personnel and equipment.
  • Coordinate disaster response or crisis management activities, such as ordering evacuations, opening public shelters, and implementing special needs plans and programs.
  • Prepare emergency situation status reports that describe response and recovery efforts, needs, and preliminary damage assessments.
  • Maintain and update all resource materials associated with emergency preparedness plans.
  • 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.
  • Develop and perform tests and evaluations of emergency management plans in accordance with state and federal regulations.
  • Collaborate with other officials to prepare and analyze damage assessments following disasters or emergencies.

Skills that matter

  • Service Orientation
  • Complex Problem Solving
  • Speaking
  • Active Listening
  • Coordination
  • Critical Thinking

How to get there

Considerable preparation: most need a four-year bachelor's degree

Also called

  • Emergency Management Director
  • Emergency Management System Director (EMS Director)
  • Emergency Planner
  • Public Safety Director
  • 911 Communications Manager
  • Emergency Management Coordinator

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