What Do Emergency Management Directors Do (including Their Typical Day At Work)

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Job Description, Daily Responsibilities, and Work Life

Emergency Management Directors

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.

Salary
$84310
Becoming One
Hard
Education
Bachelor's degree
Job Satisfaction
Job Growth

Personality



Job Description

Job Description

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. They also keep informed of activities or changes that could affect the likelihood of an emergency, as well as those that could affect response efforts and details of plan implementation.

Other tasks include:

  • 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.
  • Apply for federal funding for emergency-management-related needs and administer and report on the progress of such grants.
  • Design and administer emergency or disaster preparedness training courses that teach people how to effectively respond to major emergencies and disasters.

We asked Emergency Management Directors how satisfied they are with their job. Here is what they said.

Job satisfaction

86%

How meaningful is this job

79%


86% of them said they were satisfied with their job and 79% said they find that their job makes the world a better place or helps to make someone else’s life better.



Typical Day At Work

On a daily basis, Emergency Management Directors keep informed of activities or changes that could affect the likelihood of an emergency, as well as those that could affect response efforts and details of plan implementation. They develop and maintain liaisons with municipalities, county departments, and similar entities to facilitate plan development, response effort coordination, and exchanges of personnel and equipment.

A typical day for an Emergency Management Director will also include:

  • Maintain and update all resource materials associated with emergency preparedness plans.
  • Prepare emergency situation status reports that describe response and recovery efforts, needs, and preliminary damage assessments.
  • Keep informed of federal, state, and local regulations affecting emergency plans and ensure that plans adhere to these regulations.
  • Design and administer emergency or disaster preparedness training courses that teach people how to effectively respond to major emergencies and disasters.
  • 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.

We asked some Emergency Management Directors a few questions to find out what else does their work day look like. Here is what we found.

Do you have telephone conversations everyday in this job? 81% said yes
How important is it to work in a team in this job? 67% said very important
Do you have group discussions everyday in this job? 56% said yes
Do you talk or work with customers everyday in this job? 56% said yes
Do you have to deal with angry customers everyday in this job? 15% said yes
Do you have to make decisions everyday in this job? 30% said yes

Other responsibilities

Besides their typical day, Emergency Management Directors also develop instructional materials for the public and make presentations to citizens’ groups to provide information on emergency plans and their implementation processes. They may also design and administer emergency or disaster preparedness training courses that teach people how to effectively respond to major emergencies and disasters.

On a weekly to monthly basis, Emergency Management Directors Study emergency plans used elsewhere to gather information for plan development. They might also 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.

In addition, they Attend meetings, conferences, and workshops related to emergency management to learn new information and to develop working relationships with other emergency management specialists.

Although specific duties may vary, many of them Train local groups in the preparation of long-term plans that are compatible with federal and state plans.

To some Emergency Management Directors, it is also their responsibility to Inspect facilities and equipment, such as emergency management centers and communications equipment, to determine their operational and functional capabilities in emergency situations.


Working life

Working hours

More than 40 hours per week

Working schedule

Irregular work schedule that changes depending on weather conditions, customer demand or contract duration.

In a typical work week as an Emergency Management Director, you can expect to work more than 40 hours per week.

Do Emergency Management Directors work in an office-style work environment?

Every day
68%


Once a week
16%


Do Emergency Management Directors work outdoors?

Once a year
44%


Once a month
32%



Is this right for me

Best personality for this career

The Helpers and The Entrepreneurs

People who are suitable for this job tends to like working with, communicating with, and teaching people. They like helping or providing service to others..

They also like starting up and carrying out projects. They like leading people and making many decisions. Sometimes they require risk taking and often deal with business.

You can read more about these career personality types here.



Learn more about Emergency Management Directors

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Related to Emergency Management Directors Job Description

Emergency Management Directors job description, what do Emergency Management Directors do, typical day for Emergency Management Directors, what is it like to work as an Emergency Management Director, how many hours do Emergency Management Directors work, day to day work of an Emergency Management Director

Additional resources

http://www.bls.gov/OOH/management/emergency-management-directors.htm
https://www.nemaweb.org/
http://www.iaem.com/


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