Emergency Management Specialist
Emergency Management may be the Career for You
- Are you able to act calm under pressure?
- Can you make rational decisions in stressful situations?
- Are you a problem solver at heart?
If you answered yes to these questions, a career in emergency management may be right for you. Public health professionals are responsible for improving the health and well-being of communities and individuals. Emergency management specialists do that through their commitment to creating order in crisis situations.
When a crisis occurs, a response has to be organized to handle the situation. Such crises could include: war, acts of terrorism, technological emergencies, hazardous waste spills, nuclear power plant accidents, floods and other storms.
In order to handle these situations, groups much coordinate the proper responses as quickly and efficiently as possible. Emergency management professionals are the people putting together these responses and making sure all efforts run smoothly.
Emergency management professionals can work for:
- Law enforcement agencies
- Military organizations
- Local, state or federal governments
- Private industry
Emergency management professionals must be able to:
- Prepare emergency plans, provide emergency response training, develop warning systems, and run drills
- Thoroughly understand planning principles and techniques
- Interpret and apply laws and regulations to each crisis situation
Helpful skills for this public health career include:
- Solid oral and written communication skills
- A background in algebra, chemistry, physics, geometry or trigonometry
- Good teamwork skills
- The ability to act calmly and decisively under extremely stressful conditions
The overall goal for these professionals is to make each emergency response effort as efficient and effective as possible.
At Kent State’s College of Public Health, we can help you prepare for a position in this field as well as many other public health careers. Visit our public health careers page to learn more about the job outlook and salary expectations for this dynamic industry.