If your mom ever called your room a disaster area, you'll feel right at home as an emergency management specialist. (Source)

As long as there has been an Earth, there have also been all kinds of disasters: earthquakes, volcanoes, ice ages, meteors, mammoth stampedes, and Expendables sequels. Sure, there's nothing we can do to stop them from happening, but we can put together a plan for getting life back in order more quickly.

This is where an emergency management specialist comes in. They're the kind of person who's equally at home in a quiet office setting, in front of a group of people, or neck deep in the swamp that used to be your backyard. And what do they get for that bevy of amazing skills? About $52,000 a year (source).

So...yeah. That may not sound like much, but since this is a government position, your pay is set to increase the longer you are on the job. So that's nice.

Events over the last fifty years have accelerated the development of a more coordinated system for dealing with disasters (both natural and man-made). 

We have police and fire departments, paramedics, the National Guard, Red Cross, Salvation Army, and other emergency responder groups—but we need someone to get them organized. Without a plan and coordinated leadership, we'd have people running around like Keystone Cops, bouncing off each other and winding up on their backs with their feet in the air.

Most emergency management specialists work for the government, with state and local being the largest employers, though the federal government employs quite a few as well. 

Some private industries also employ emergency managers with various titles such as business continuity planners, risk managers, and disaster recovery specialists. Their focus is narrowly aimed at their particular organization's ability to minimize the chance of bad things happening and getting operations back to normal as quickly as possible.

The military also employs emergency management specialists. As you can imagine, people who work with guns, grenades, and missile launchers have their fair share of emergency situations.

A good emergency management specialist is one part office worker, one part PR person, and one part coolheaded leader. This is someone who's comfortable being in front of people, making decisions, and handling pressure. The bulk of your time will be the behind-the-scenes stuff, starting with the emergency plan. 

This is your disaster playbook that spells out who is in charge of what when disaster strikes. It also outlines what actions to take and who to call for help when the situation is more than your organization can handle.

 

Training others is part of the gig. (Source)

You'll also spend a lot of time interacting with all kinds of people. You may attend or lead a workshop on emergency training, or network with emergency responder groups to ensure you'll all be on the same page when called to action. When that time comes, you'll need to switch into beast mode, handling an avalanche of information and calls as people turn to you for where to go and what to do.

We know, it sounds like three jobs...and it sort of is. That's why a college degree alone isn't enough in most areas to land a position. Hands-on experience is highly valued, which is why a lot of emergency management specialists start out as firefighters, EMTs, paramedics, members of the National Guard, or volunteers with groups such as the American Red Cross.

Once you gain enough knowledge of government regulations, experience as a trainer, and show your stuff handling actual disasters, you may be able to snag a position with the big guys at FEMA. That's where the money and more interesting work is since FEMA handles the hurricane-level scenarios.

No matter where you end up, the field of emergency management offers plenty of variety. Oh, and job security. Let's face it—Mother Nature isn't getting any softer in her old age.

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