Emergency Management Directors

What the job really is

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.

At a glance

• Sector: Management
• O*NET-SOC code: 11-9161
• O*NET job zone: 4 — considerable preparation
• Work sample tasks on file: 12
• Tools and technologies listed: 12

What you actually do

Work sample tasks recorded for this occupation:

• 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.
• Design and administer emergency or disaster preparedness training courses that teach people how to effectively respond to major emergencies and disasters.
• Keep informed of activities or changes that could affect the likelihood of an emergency, response efforts, or plan implementation.
• Inspect facilities and equipment, such as emergency management centers and communications equipment, to determine their operational and functional capabilities in emergency situations.
• Review emergency plans of individual organizations, such as medical facilities, to ensure their adequacy.

Tools and technology

ESRI ArcGIS software, Microsoft Excel, Microsoft Office software, Microsoft Outlook, Microsoft PowerPoint, Microsoft SharePoint, Microsoft Word, Alert Technologies OpsCenter, Chemical protective boots, Chemical protective clothing, Desktop computers, Desktop publishing software

What employers expect you to already be comfortable with.

Where this job leads

Related occupations — the usual moves up and sideways:

• Business Continuity Planners
• Security Managers
• Security Management Specialists
• Health and Safety Engineers, Except Mining Safety Engineers and Inspectors
• Medical and Health Services Managers
• Management Analysts
• Compliance Managers
• Forest Fire Inspectors and Prevention Specialists

Getting in

O*NET assigns this occupation job zone 4 (considerable preparation). The related occupations above are the realistic routes in and out.

Find openings

Browse the verified job sources directory, or explore more occupations.

Check this against the source

O*NET OnLine: Emergency Management Directors — the authoritative public-domain profile this page is derived from, including the full task list, reported skills and the wage estimates for your region.

Derived and rewritten from the public-domain O*NET database (U.S. Department of Labor / Employment and Training Administration). Figures are observations, not promises — always confirm salary, licensing and visa requirements with the employer and the relevant authority.