WSEMA member Heather Kelly has over 30 years of public safety service in private and public agencies. Including fire, EMS, healthcare, and emergency management. On this page she provides insights and recommendations about breaking in to and continuing to advance in emergency management.
The best eme
rgency managers have a triangle surrounding them, with the sides representing experience, education, and engagement. A professional emergency manager will embrace and continually develop all three sides equally, as having only one or even two will not provide the structure needed to succeed. You can certainly get a job based on experience, education, or engagement, but your chances of succeeding in the field of emergency management are much greater when all three components are present.
The question is: How do you build capability in all three areas to open the door to a career in emergency management? The simple answer is time and effort; professionalism is a journey, not a checkbox. For those interested in or just starting a career in emergency management, here are some suggestions—listed in no particular order—to help you navigate your way to success.
Experience
Experience means having real-world incident exposure, either in the field or in an operations center. This could include being part of planning and facilitating events such as parades, festivals, or large public gatherings, as well as participating in exercises. Experience doesn’t have to be gained as a first responder in police, military, emergency medical services, or fire service. It can also come from volunteer roles or positions with utilities, healthcare, private businesses, non-profits, or faith-based organizations. Anywhere you are involved in incident or event-related activities that require you to work with others, make decisions, complete tasks, and implement the basic principles of emergency management counts as experience.
Potential Experience Opportunities:
- Non-profit organizations like the Red Cross or Salvation Army
- Local or county emergency management volunteer programs
- AmeriCorps programs, internships, event support staff roles, PTSA/school preparedness programs
- Private sector security or health and safety positions
- Traditional responder roles (volunteer or paid) with police, fire, emergency medical, or military services
Education
There are many ways to gain education in emergency management, both formal and informal. Building a strong understanding of the concepts, approaches, and complexities of emergency management enables you to apply knowledge in the real world. Each year, academia expands opportunities for formal degree programs in emergency management or homeland security. While these are beneficial, they are not required for most positions. There are several options for basic education in emergency management, including free online courses. At a minimum, emergency managers must understand incident management. Therefore, there are three free online courses anyone interested in emergency management should complete, including FEMA online courses:
- IS-100: Introduction to Incident Command
- IS-200: Basic Incident Command System for Initial Response
- IS-700: Introduction to the National Incident Management System
Education Opportunities:
- FEMA Independent Study courses (free online training)
- Professional Development Series (PDS), which includes seven courses covering the basics of emergency management. Completing this series establishes a strong foundation of understanding.
- Hundreds of topic-specific courses to explore.
- Federal, state, and local course offerings, including the Basic and Advanced Academy programs, as well as topic-specific programs.
- Special project-specific courses offered in relation to major events and exercises in an area (check with the local emergency management agency for details).
Engagement
Engagement means getting involved. Emergency management is all about partnerships and networks. Engagement can be accomplished by attending meetings, trainings, or events, as appropriate. Supporting public education opportunities, volunteering for exercises, or attending emergency management seminars or conferences are all great ways to engage. You can also connect with an emergency management mentor, do informational interviews, or participate in a project or event workgroup. Additionally, become a member of emergency management associations, engage on professional digital media platforms, and connect with people who have backgrounds or achievements that you admire. Emergency management is all about who you know and who knows you. These connections can help fill gaps in education and experience and, most importantly, help you succeed.
Additional Tips:
- Be realistic about your expectations. Emergency managers are not in the field for fame, fortune, or glory, and the salary ranges often reflect this. The field demands long hours, weekends, and holidays during normal times, but especially when things go wrong.
- Personal preparedness is a must! You and your family/animals need to be prepared so you can go to work—potentially for days or weeks. Ensure you have supplies at home, at work, during your commute (car, bike, bus), and plans for those who depend on you when you may not be readily available.
- When seeking employment in emergency management, keep your eyes and mind open. Not all job postings will use the title “emergency manager”; titles can vary greatly between organizations and sectors. Take the time to read the job description and assess the position’s potential. Word of mouth is often the most common way of learning about openings, especially for entry-level positions, which is why engagement is so important.
The most successful emergency managers are continually learning, making the most of every engagement opportunity, and finding ways to gain experience. Emergency management at its best is a passion as well as a profession.
Reach out to Heather Kelly if you have any questions about this page at HKelly@kirklandwa.gov or on LinkedIn.
Heather Kelly, Emergency Manager
