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What does an emergency management specialist do?

Updated January 8, 2025
6 min read

An emergency management specialist is responsible for planning and facilitating emergency drills and programs for awareness of unforeseen situations and disastrous events. Emergency management specialists coordinate with the community officers and other institutions to identify program resources, including the budget limitations and training responders. They also analyze the occurrence of natural disasters and outline plans ahead to ensure that the community people are well-equipped. An emergency management specialist handles the recovery efforts and funding requests for the community affected by disasters and follows protocols.

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Emergency management specialist responsibilities

Here are examples of responsibilities from real emergency management specialist resumes:

  • Identify facilities and personnel resources within the state to achieve rapid effective dispensing of SNS.
  • Provide hazardous materials (HAZMAT) response capability for unknown or suspect incidents.
  • Receive inbound calls and dispatch roadside assistance for AAA customers who need help.
  • Assist FEMA and coordinate disaster response and recovery activities to include damage assessments, and individual assessments.
  • Use HICS system in all drills/real responses.
  • Instruct various first aid and CPR courses for county employees.
  • Develop and conduct exercises and drills in compliance with HSEEP.
  • Assist EHS manager in OSHA health and safety oversight of production activities.
  • Serve as NSF representative on various interagency NIMS ICS training and policy groups.
  • Activate the EOC for 7 major typhoons , 8 installation exercises, and 5 camp events.
  • Perform semi-annual EAP dry-runs (drills) on the main COMSEC account.- complete NIMS require training.
  • Interpret and apply NFPA and OSHA laws, regulations, principles, theories, policies and procedures.
  • Design and develop several data / information collection and analysis tools to assist EOC staff in their decision making.
  • Authore state-level HAZMAT plan and reviews on biannual basis, share broadly to coordinate response capabilities and operational planning.
  • Provide employee training on health and safety (lockout/tagout, bloodborne pathogens, respirator fit testing, etc . )

Emergency management specialist skills and personality traits

We calculated that 8% of Emergency Management Specialists are proficient in Emergency Management, DHS, and Emergency Response.

We break down the percentage of Emergency Management Specialists that have these skills listed on their resume here:

  • Emergency Management, 8%

    Developed educational seminar on the event and delivered the program at a statewide meeting of all Connecticut hospital emergency management officials.

  • DHS, 8%

    Worked closely with program offices and OCPO portfolio managers to ensure procurement acquisition packages met FAR and DHS requirements.

  • Emergency Response, 6%

    Provided guidance for coordinating resource task requirements with Centers/Offices within CDC and/or scientists as they relate to effective emergency response activities.

  • Emergency Preparedness, 6%

    Coordinate program management activities in areas of national security, emergency preparedness, and Federal inter-agency coordination.

  • Incident Management, 5%

    Develop presentations for and teach blocks of instruction in incident management system planning and the CDC incident management system.

  • Federal Agencies, 4%

    Reviewed and redeveloped Continuity of Operations (COOP) Plans for federal agencies in order to meet federal compliance regulations.

Common skills that an emergency management specialist uses to do their job include "emergency management," "dhs," and "emergency response." You can find details on the most important emergency management specialist responsibilities below.

Communication skills. To carry out their duties, the most important skill for an emergency management specialist to have is communication skills. Their role and responsibilities require that "emergency management directors must be able to clearly convey their emergency preparedness plans, both orally and in writing, to a variety of audiences." Emergency management specialists often use communication skills in their day-to-day job, as shown by this real resume: "implemented technology upgrades to the existing communications equipment at the fixed eoc and also mobile command platform. "

Leadership skills. Another soft skill that's essential for fulfilling emergency management specialist duties is leadership skills. The role rewards competence in this skill because "to ensure effective responses to emergencies, emergency management directors need to organize and train a variety of people." According to an emergency management specialist resume, here's how emergency management specialists can utilize leadership skills in their job responsibilities: "conduct specialized em training for senior wing leadership (i.e., eoc responsibilities). "

See the full list of emergency management specialist skills

Choose from 10+ customizable emergency management specialist resume templates

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Emergency Management Specialist Resume
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Emergency Management Specialist Resume
Emergency Management Specialist Resume

Compare different emergency management specialists

Emergency management specialist vs. Radiological defense officer

If we compare the average emergency management specialist annual salary with that of a radiological defense officer, we find that radiological defense officers typically earn a $7,538 lower salary than emergency management specialists make annually.Even though emergency management specialists and radiological defense officers are distinct careers, a few of the skills required for both jobs are similar. For example, both careers require emergency response, fema, and technical assistance in the day-to-day roles and responsibilities.

There are some key differences in the responsibilities of each position. For example, emergency management specialist responsibilities require skills like "emergency management," "dhs," "emergency preparedness," and "incident management." Meanwhile a typical radiological defense officer has skills in areas such as "radiological," "logistics," "customer service," and "interagency." This difference in skills reveals the differences in what each career does.

On average, radiological defense officers reach similar levels of education than emergency management specialists. Radiological defense officers are 0.6% less likely to earn a Master's Degree and 2.3% more likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.

Emergency management specialist vs. Chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear officer

On average, chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear officers earn a $10,238 lower salary than emergency management specialists a year.Only some things about these jobs are the same. Take their skills, for example. Emergency management specialists and chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear officers both require similar skills like "fema," "hazardous materials," and "dod" to carry out their responsibilities.

In addition to the difference in salary, there are some other key differences worth noting. For example, emergency management specialist responsibilities are more likely to require skills like "emergency management," "dhs," "emergency response," and "emergency preparedness." Meanwhile, a chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear officer has duties that require skills in areas such as "decontamination procedures," "logistics," "nco," and "nuclear biological." These differences highlight just how different the day-to-day in each role looks.

In general, chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear officers achieve similar levels of education than emergency management specialists. They're 4.0% less likely to obtain a Master's Degree while being 2.3% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.

Emergency management specialist vs. Civil preparedness officer

On average, civil preparedness officers earn higher salaries than emergency management specialists, with a $670 difference per year.emergency management specialists and civil preparedness officers both have job responsibilities that require similar skill sets. These similarities include skills such as "federal agencies," "fema," and "technical assistance," but they differ when it comes to other required skills.

There are many key differences between these two careers, including some of the skills required to perform responsibilities within each role. For example, an emergency management specialist is likely to be skilled in "emergency management," "dhs," "emergency response," and "emergency preparedness," while a typical civil preparedness officer is skilled in "humanitarian assistance," "construction projects," "local governance," and "civil rights."

When it comes to education, civil preparedness officers tend to earn higher degree levels compared to emergency management specialists. In fact, they're 5.2% more likely to earn a Master's Degree, and 4.6% more likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.

Emergency management specialist vs. Hazard mitigation officer

Hazard mitigation officers average a higher salary than the annual salary of emergency management specialists. The difference is about $12,281 per year.While their salaries may vary, emergency management specialists and hazard mitigation officers both use similar skills to perform their duties. Resumes from both professions include skills like "federal agencies," "fema," and "disaster response. "

Even though a few skill sets overlap between emergency management specialists and hazard mitigation officers, there are some differences that are important to note. For one, an emergency management specialist might have more use for skills like "emergency management," "dhs," "emergency response," and "emergency preparedness." Meanwhile, some responsibilities of hazard mitigation officers require skills like "foreclosure," "loan modifications," "mortgage loans," and "assistance program. "

The average resume of hazard mitigation officers showed that they earn similar levels of education compared to emergency management specialists. So much so that theyacirc;euro;trade;re 4.1% less likely to earn a Master's Degree and more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree by 0.1%.

Types of emergency management specialist

Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

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