As an Emergency Preparation Coordinator (Watch Desk) for the Indiana Department of Homeland Security, my main responsibilities are providing a common operating picture and maintain situational awareness on incidents that may have an impact on public safety. I receive requests for the arson division, department of environmental management, and radiation division. I also create weather assessments and storm summaries for severe weather events. I am on call 24/7 in the case of an emergency.
CAREER
Emergency Management Directors
Overview
Salary Median (2020)
$76,730
Projected Job Growth (2019-2029)
+2.5% (slower than the average)
Career
Roadtrip Nation Leaders in This Career
What Emergency Management Directors Do
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.
Other Job Titles Emergency Management Directors May Have
Emergency Management Coordinator, Emergency Management System Director (EMS Director), Emergency Planner, Emergency Services Director
How Leaders Describe a Typical Day at Work
Every day is different, but you won't be sitting behind a desk or married to a phone for more than 2 hours at a time. Depending on your territory, you could spend a lot of time traveling.
Tasks & Responsibilities May Include
- Keep informed of activities or changes that could affect the likelihood of an emergency, response efforts, or plan implementation.
- Prepare emergency situation status reports that describe response and recovery efforts, needs, and preliminary damage assessments.
- 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.
- 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.
Education
Level of Education Attained by Emergency Management Directors
Most common level of education among people in
this career: Bachelor's degree (52%)
Associate's degree
Bachelor's degree
Master's degree
Majors Related to Career
Educational Paths Suggested by Leaders
Suggested Path
Bachelor
Classics and Classical Languages, Literatures, and...
Graduate
Homeland Security and Emergency Management
Suggested Path
Bachelor
Criminal Justice
Graduate
Masters in Public Administration
Additional Skills & Experiences That Can Help You Excel
Any job in Emergency Management has a large degree of unpredictability mix in due to various reasons. The three main skills necessary to being successful are being a team player, being flexible /adaptable, and having the ability to communicate effectively and in a timely manner. If you can nail those three, then you're on your way!
You have to be comfortable introducing yourself to someone you don't know - and with a smile.
Getting Started
Recommended First Step for:
College Students
Ask to contribute to a team that is working on an academic publication...having your name on a couple of journal articles will open doors for you.
Everyone
This page includes information from theO*NET 26.1 Databaseby the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under theCC BY 4.0license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA.
