# TOP TEN COMPETENCIES FOR PROFESSIONAL[^1] EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT

B. Wayne Blanchard

October 7, 2005

# 

The purpose of this document is to provide assistance to academicians
who have the responsibility of designing or maintaining a collegiate
emergency management program (such as a degree, certificate, or
concentration). The design of individual college courses and an
emergency management curriculum should be informed by an appreciation of
the functions of emergency management and skill sets needed to perform
those functions.

A previous and different version of this document was developed in the
Spring of 2003, in preparation for a presentation at the 28^th^ Annual
Workshop on Hazards Research and Applications in Boulder Colorado.[^2]
Since that time there have been two FEMA Emergency Management Higher
Education Project Conferences which included breakout sessions to
discuss emergency management competencies and curriculum as well as a
workshop in Denver Colorado in the Fall of 2004 on The Hazards Manager
of the 21^st^ Century.[^3] In addition, the recent failure of
governments to quickly and adequately respond to Hurricane Katrina in
the Gulf and subsequent levee breaks in New Orleans, has caused me to
re-evaluate and re-write the earlier document.

The format will first be a simple listing, to be followed by amplifying
notes.

1.  **Comprehensive Emergency Management Framework or Philosophy**

2.  **Leadership and Team-Building**

3.  **Management**

4.  **Networking and Coordination**

5.  **Integrated Emergency Management**

6.  **Emergency Management Functions**

7.  **Political, Bureaucratic, Social Contexts**

8.  **Technical Systems and Standards**

9.  **Social Vulnerability Reduction Approach**

10. **Experience**

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1.  Adopts "**Comprehensive Emergency Management**" framework or
    philosophy.

> Comprehensive emergency management can best be summarized as "all
> hazards, all phases,[^4] all actors."
>
> This is in contrast with a homeland security (terrorism) response
> primary orientation. It should be obvious by now that an imbalanced
> focus on uniformed first responders and their response to a terrorism
> event has harmed the development and maintenance of broader
> capabilities for a broader audience and broader range of hazards. The
> best response capability in the world does little or northing to
> address future disaster losses. Only mitigation, reduction, prevention
> and readiness activities address the ever increasing vulnerability of
> the United States to disasters and ever increasing disaster
> losses.[^5]

2.  **Leadership and Team-Building**

> The necessity of good leadership is another obvious lesson to be
> tragically relearned yet once again in the wake of Hurricane Katrina.
> Especially, but not just, in the immediate pre-impact and early
> response phases, leadership is needed -- not just an ability to
> provide a command presence, but the demonstration of vision,
> compassion, flexibility, imagination, resolve and courage.[^6] Without
> leadership, bureaucratic organizations and their personnel will tend
> to stay within more or less business as usual bureaucratic systems and
> methods of operation. It takes a leader to break down theses barriers
> to expeditiously move people and resources to where they are needed.
> Leadership is also needed in the hard-to-sell mitigation, reduction,
> prevention arena of emergency management -- to seek to create an
> culture of disaster prevention and preparedness. Leadership means
> fighting for resources so that not only good risk assessments can be
> made, plans developed, people trained and systems exercised, but
> equipment, facilities, supplies can be procured which allow plans to
> be implemented. Without resources, even the best laid plans are but
> fairy dust.

3.  **Management**

> Leaders need also to be able to manage, or have managers under them --
> people who have the ability to implement, to make happen. This was
> singularly lacking in pre-impact and initial Hurricane Katrina
> response wherein very detailed plans existed at local, state, federal
> levels and in the private sector, many hundreds of people had been
> trained and exercised against those plans, and yet the plans were not
> adequately implemented. This disconnect between good planning,
> training and exercising on the one hand and implementation on the
> other demonstrates, among other things, the criticality of managerial
> implementation abilities.

4.  **Networking and Coordination**

> Emergency management offices are typically short staffed or no staff
> at all -- just someone with the responsibility but insufficient
> resources. This situation requires that emergency managers network and
> coordinate with a broad range of other organizations \-- up, down and
> laterally in government levels, private sector, voluntary associations
> and community based organizations. Particularly in large scale
> disasters, the failure of emergency management officials and their
> supervisors to adequately network beforehand with other levels of
> government, will prescribe a second governmental failure disaster.
> Within a jurisdiction or an organization, stakeholder organizations
> need to plan, train and exercise together. Indeed, one disaster
> researcher has suggested that successful and unsuccessful disaster
> response operations can be predicted beforehand based on knowledge of
> two variables alone -- (1) the extent and variety of an emergency
> managers network (how many different stakeholders are communicated
> with and involved), and (2) the frequency of contact -- once a year,
> twice, monthly, weekly, daily.[^7]

5.  **Integrated Emergency Management**

> Beyond the importance of networking and coordinating with a broad
> range of stakeholders, is the need to integrate hazard, disaster and
> emergency management concerns into broad range of organizational
> entities. In the local government context, for example, this means
> integrating emergency management planning into not just all the
> emergency services, but such other organizations as public works,
> public health, human services, transportation, planning, etc.).
> Emergency managers are seldom thought of until a threat looms, are too
> few, and typically have too little in the way of resources. This
> requires that emergency management organizations work to get other
> governmental organizations within their jurisdiction to "integrate"
> emergency management concerns (such as risk assessment, planning,
> training, exercise participation) into their thinking, systems and
> operations. The more heads the better.

6.  **Key Emergency Management Functions**

> Emergency management functions are variously described and enumerated
> -- as in lists of 10 or a dozen or 16, etc. These should be consulted.
> Herein will be stressed several key functions:

-   Risk Assessment -- what are the hazards facing ones
    jurisdiction/organization, their scope and probability, and the
    demographics, capabilities and resources of ones jurisdiction or
    organization

-   Planning -- emergency operations, mitigation, tie in to
    comprehensive plan

-   Training

-   Exercising

-   Emergency Operations Center Operations -- setting up, equipping and
    managing

-   Establishing interoperable communications within
    jurisdiction/organization

-   Applying lessons learned and research findings to emergency
    management functions on an on-going basis

7.  **Political, Bureaucratic, and Social Contexts**

> Emergency management is situated and must operate within various
> constraining and enabling circumstances. Key among them are the
> political, bureaucratic (or organizational), and social contexts of a
> jurisdiction/organization and those of lower and higher jurisdictions.
> Thus there is a great need to instruct on forms of government and
> bureaucratic politics, but also a need to understand the social
> dimensions of a jurisdiction/organizations and the social dimensions
> of disaster (how people and organizations react to disaster).

8.  **Technical Systems and Standards**

> Students need to learn the tools of the trade, which today include
> such subjects as:

-   National Incident Management System (NIMS)

-   National Response Plan (NRP)

-   NFPA 1600 (National Fire Protection Association "Standard for
    Disaster/Emergency Management and Business Continuity Programs"

-   Certified Emergency Manager credential administered by the
    International Association of Emergency Managers

-   Geospatial and geographical information systems (GPS and GIS)

-   Communications systems

-   Warning systems

-   Computers and hazard and emergency management related software
    packages

9.  **Social Vulnerability Reduction Approach**

> The Hurricane Katrina experience provides yet again the lesson that
> there are groupings of people in most, if not all jurisdictions, who
> are more vulnerable than others and are differentially impacted when a
> disaster crosses a community. The make-up of highly vulnerable groups
> varies across communities, so there is no simple listing of poverty,
> race or gender, for example, that allows one to simply "fill in the
> blanks." The prevailing emergency management approach in the U.S. has
> been variously label, but a label that can be found in the academic
> community is "technocratic" -- getting at reliance on traditional
> governmental managerial approaches, technology, and engineering to
> solve the problems of hazards. In looking at how many emergency
> management organizations spend their too-limited resources, there is
> frequently to be found a utilitarian, or biggest-bang-for-the-buck
> approach. This often translates into what can be done for the largest
> numbers of people in a community -- for the most people. Frequently,
> though, "the most" does not translate into "the most vulnerable" and
> in need of assistance -- "the most" often translates into white middle
> class. The social vulnerability perspective teaches practitioners to
> focus first and foremost on those most vulnerable to disasters in
> their communities, instead of the largest number of people, in
> recognition of the fact of life that most emergency management
> organizations have traditionally not had, and probably will not have
> in the future, the resources to do both things well -- to do their job
> adequately. There is an upper division college course on the FEMA
> Emergency Management Higher Education website precisely on this topic
> -- entitled "A Social Vulnerability Approach to Disaster" -- and
> accessible at:
> <http://training.fema.gov/emiweb/edu/completeCourses.asp>
>
> In my opinion, no upper division or graduate degree program in
> emergency management should be viewed as complete without the
> inclusion of this or a similar course.

10. **Experience**

> It has been stated since the beginning of the FEMA Emergency
> Management Higher Education Project in late 1994, that the three keys
> to emergency management are education, training, and experience
> (preferably disaster experience). Successful disaster operations, for
> example, work best when standard bureaucratic methods of operating can
> be modified to act more expeditiously or outside of normal business as
> usual constraints. This is easier learned through experience than
> taught. There are many ways administrators of collegiate emergency
> management programs can assist their traditional (non-emergency
> management practitioner) students with the gaining of experience --
> such as through internships, service learning,[^8] exercise
> participation, CERT[^9] Team training and membership, and registration
> with disaster response organizations (such as the American Red Cross
> or as a FEMA's disaster reservist. The gaining of even modest
> experience will be of assistance to traditional college students who
> will need to find jobs upon graduation -- and will be competing
> against those without the educational foundation, but with
> experiential credentials.

#  OUTLINES OF COMPETENCIES TO DEVELOP SUCCESSFUL 21^st^ CENTURY 

# HAZARD or DISASTER or EMERGENCY or HAZARD RISK MANAGERS

# 

# 

# 

# By

# 

# B. Wayne Blanchard, Ph.D., CEM

# Higher Education Project Manager

**Readiness Branch**

**Emergency Management Institute**

**National Emergency Training Center**

**Federal Emergency Management Agency**

**Department of Homeland Security**

**16825 S. Seton Avenue**

**Emmitsburg, MD 21727**

**(301) 447-1262**

[**wayne.blanchard@dhs.gov**](mailto:wayne.blanchard@dhs.gov)

[**http://training.fema.gov/emiweb/edu**](http://training.fema.gov/emiweb/edu)

# 

# 

# 

# 2003 Draft

# 

#  

# The development of the emergency management competences outlines below began with an invitation to participate on a panel on "Hazard Managers in the 21^st^ Century: Needs in Higher Education," July 15, 2003 at the 28^th^ Annual Workshop on Hazards Research and Applications, in Boulder Colorado, sponsored by the Hazards Research and Applications Center at the University of Colorado at Boulder.

# 

# The description of the panel in the Workshop Program document read:

# 

# "To meet the challenges of disaster reduction in the 21^st^ century, today's hazard managers must possess some distinctly different characteristics from more traditional emergency managers. Hazard managers must develop a body of knowledge that goes beyond incident response to include expertise in social science and technology. Fostering interdisciplinary opportunities at colleges and universities is one way to build these capabilities. Unfortunately, there is no agreed-upon framework that currently exists to guide these programs. This session addresses the fundamentals of an educational framework for refining a hazard management core curriculum."

# 

# In that I believe that a hazard or emergency management curriculum should be informed by the expected competencies of a hazard or emergency manager, my approach to preparing for the panel was to put on paper thoughts, in an outline format, on hazard/emergency management core competencies. This is a subject that I have some familiarity with, having collected several attempts to address occupational competencies from a range of perspectives -- emergency management, public entity risk management, industrial safety management, and the training and education field -- having participated in one of those exercises, and having observed and participated in discussions of this topic at every Emergency Management Higher Education Conference held at the Emergency Management Institute. 

# 

# My own exercise started with the requirement of the Hazards Center for every panelists to submit an abstract of their remarks in no more than one-page (outline acceptable) prior to the workshop -- for insertion in participant packages. To accomplish this, I sought to put on the hat of an academic who had the task of developing a curriculum to support a degree in emergency management. Having developed the required one-page document I began to solicit comments from academics, practitioners and other interested parties. The responses, acknowledged at the end of this document, tended to fall into three categories: 

# 

# (1) A one-page treatment is just about right -- neither too hot or too cold, as Papa Bear would say -- and all that was needed was tinkering here and there, and a variety of recommendations were forthcoming on that score.

# 

# (2) While essentially on-the-mark, the one-pager struck several reviewers as potentially off-putting to emergency management students or others interested in attempting to join the profession -- could be viewed as too daunting, intimidating, or even impossible of accomplishment. Or, it was just too busy or too long. Thus, could I come up with a shorter, simpler treatment. This I did by changing hats from one of a hazard or emergency management academic to that of someone responsible for hiring a future emergency manager for a political jurisdiction, and drafting the second document of ten "things" I would look for in a candidate.

# 

# (3) The third type of response was that there were many subjects on the one-pager that just cried out for expansion, description, explanation, detail. Thus, would it be possible to expand on the one-pager. In that I was in agreement with such commentaries, I sought to begin the process of expansion -- though with absolutely no attempt to aim at comprehensiveness. As comments came across the desk and as additional thoughts came into my own head based on whatever I happened to be reading at the moment, I have attempted to expand -- in an illustrative manner. The following is the on-going result.  

# Document One:

# Outline of Core Competencies to Develop Successful 21^st^ Century Hazard/Emergency Managers 

1.  **Personal, Interpersonal and Political Skills, Traits and Values**

    a.  Listening, Communicating (oral and written -- superior level)
        and Presentation Skills

    b.  Networking, Facilitating, Partnering, Coalition-Building,
        Community Consultation

    c.  Negotiating, Mediation, and Conflict Resolution Skills

    d.  Representational, Marketing, Salesmanship Skills -- Visible,
        Engaged, Effective

    e.  Bureaucratic, Organizational, Public Policy and Political skills

    f.  Committed, Dedicated, Enthusiastic, Reliable, Imaginative,
        Creative

    g.  Diverse Social/Cultural/Class/Special Needs/Disadvantaged
        Sensitivity and Activity

    h.  Leadership and Motivational Skills -- walks the talk,
        compassionate, has integrity

    i.  Proactive, Progressive, Open to Change and New Ideas, Life-Long
        Learner

    j.  Problem Solving, Critical Thinking, Decision Making

    k.  Flexibility, Adaptability and Improvisational Skills

    l.  Strategic (long term) thinking and planning, visionary, ability
        to anticipate

2.  **Administrative, Management, Public Policy Knowledge, Skills and
    Principles**

    a.  Personnel Mgmt.\--Recruiting, Retaining, Managing People
        (staff/volunteers), Teams

    b.  Program Management \-- Developing and Managing Programs

    c.  Fiscal Management \-- Acquiring and Managing Funding (Budgets)

    d.  Resource Management -- technical and physical

    e.  Information Management -- gather, analyze, interpret, sort, act
        upon

    f.  Organizational Management (normal and crisis)

    g.  Creating Public Value Skills -- getting others to value and
        promote disaster reduction

3.  **Subject Matter Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities -- i.e., Theory,
    Principles, Fundamentals of Hazards, Disasters, and U.S. Hazard,
    Disaster, Risk, Emergency Management**

    a.  What Are Hazards and Disasters, including Related Terms and
        Definitions

    b.  Hazard Taxonomies or Categorization Schemes (natural,
        technological, intentional)

    c.  Theories of Disaster (acts of God, acts of nature, social/nature
        intersection, societal)

    d.  Hazards Foundation, and exposure, risk, vulnerability, risk
        communication treatment

    e.  History and Theory of Emergency Management

    f.  Hazard/Risk/Emergency/ Management Scope/Approaches, Public and
        Private Sectors, including Traditional Technocratic, Social
        Vulnerability, Risk-Based approaches.

    g.  Emergency Management Models, e.g. CD, Emergency Services, Public
        Administration

    h.  Emergency Management Fundamentals, e.g. CEM, IEM and
        intra-governmental context, 4-Phases, Intergovernmental (local,
        state, federal) context

    i.  Emer. Mgmt. Functions/Practice/Operations, e.g. risk assessment,
        planning, public ed.

    j.  Roles and Responsibilities of Key Players in Emergency
        Management

    k.  Roles of Other Disciplines (e.g. engineering, geology,
        sociology, psychology, met.)

    l.  Sustainable Development, Community Organization, and Urban and
        Regional Planning

    m.  Legal, Ethical, Social, Economic, Ecological, Political
        Dimensions and Context

    n.  Emergency Management Best Practices -- Identification and
        Application

4.  **Technical Skills and Standards -- i.e., Tools of the Trade**

    a.  Technological tools e.g. computers (software), GIS, mapping,
        modeling, simulations

    b.  Scientific Method; Research, Analysis, Evaluation Tools and
        Methods

    c.  Experience (practicum, internship, service learning,
        volunteerism, professional orgs.)

    d.  Professional Standards, Procedures, Certifications,
        Organizations

    e.  Emergency Management Systems \-- EOC Operations, ICS, warning,
        communications

## Document Two:

April, 2003

## Top Ten Things BWB Would Look For in 21^st^ Century Professional Emergency Manager

1.  **Philosophy: Disaster Reduction through Building Disaster Resilient
    Communities**

2.  **A People-Person --** Personable with people-oriented skills,
    traits, and values e.g. communicating, networking, representational,
    customer service oriented

3.  **Politically Savvy** -- Organizational, Community, EM "System" --
    knows importance of partnerships, networking, inclusiveness, and
    flexibility

4.  **A Leader \--** who walks the talk and demonstrates integrity and
    compassion.

5.  **A Professional,** with Executive-Level Administrative and
    Management Skills

6.  **A Visionary \--** Strategic, Big-Picture Thinker, Strategic
    Planning Ability

7.  **Motivated and Energetic** -- Positive attitude hard worker -- can
    motivate others

8.  **Hazards Foundation and Legal, Ethical, Social, Economic,
    Ecological, Political Contexts**

9.  **Technical Skills and Standards**, e.g., computers, GIS, research,
    analysis, evaluation

10. **Has Experience -- And Learned From It -- Successful at
    Improvisaton**

# Document Three:

# Expanded Outline of Competencies for Successful 21^st^ Century Hazard/Emergency Managers 

1.  **PERSONAL SKILLS, TRAITS, ABILITIES AND VALUES**

    a.  **Committed**, Dedicated, Reliable, Hark-Working

    b.  **Imaginative,** Creative, flexible, can improvise

    c.  **Enthusiastic**

    d.  **Proactive**, Self-Starter, Displays Independent Initiative,
        Willing to Take Risks

    e.  **Progressive**, Open to Change, New Ideas and Research
        Findings, Flexible, Adaptable

    f.  **Life-Long Learner**

    g.  **Problem Solving** -- knowing the rational thinking processes
        that assist problem-solving

    h.  Demonstrated **Decision Making** Skills, Decisive

    i.  **Ethical,** Responsible, Tolerant, Demonstrates Integrity,
        Promotes Diversity, Inclusive

    j.  **Compassionate**

    k.  **Can Apply Lessons Learned**

    l.  **Ability to Respond Appropriately to Criticism**, Advise,
        Guidance, Direction

    m.  **Can Function Under Stressful Conditions**

    n.  **Intellectual Versatility** -- ability to recognize, explore
        and use a broad range of ideas and practices -- thinking
        logically and creatively without undue influence from personal
        biases

    o.  Demonstrates **Sound Judgment and Discretion**

    p.  **Can Obtain, Evaluate, Analyze, Synthesize, Organize Data and
        Information**

    q.  **Customer Service Oriented**

2.  **INTERPERSONAL SKILLS AND TRAITS**

    a.  **Listening** (sometimes referred to as "Active Listening") and
        **Observational Skills**

    b.  **Communicating Skills** (oral, written, via visual mediums --
        superior level)

        1.  Recognizes that communication is a two-way street

        2.  Open to participative communication

    c.  **Presentation Skills**

    d.  **Networking, Coordinating, Facilitating, Partnering,
        Coalition-Building, Community Consultation, Outreach Skills and
        Abilities**

        1.  Understands Obstacles to Successful Coordination, etc.,
            e.g., independent or egotistical individual or
            organizational mindsets, competition for scarce resources,
            personal and organizational rivalries, lack of trust, no
            history of, lack of upper-level support, lack of common
            terminologies and understanding.

        2.  Knows how to address networking, coordination obstacles and
            challenges

    e.  **Tactful and Diplomatic Traits**

    f.  **Negotiating, Mediation, and Conflict Resolution Skills**

    g.  **Diverse Social/Cultural/Class/Special Needs/Disadvantaged
        Sensitivity and Activity**

3.  **POLITICAL SKILLS AND TRAITS**

    a.  **Bureaucratic, Organizational, Public Policy and Political
        Skills**

        1.  Familiar with political and legal institutions and processes

        2.  Familiar with economic and social institutions and processes

    b.  **Representational, Marketing, Salesmanship Skills** -- Visible,
        Engaged, Effective

4.  **LEADERSHIP AND MOTIVATIONAL SKILLS AND TRAITS**

    a.  **Visionary**

    b.  **Strategic** (long term) **thinking and planning**, ability to
        anticipate

    c.  **Walks the Talk**, sets the example

    d.  **"Creating Public Value"** Skills -- getting others to value
        and promote disaster reduction

    e.  **Capacity to act as agent promoting needed change in
        organizations, communities, society**

5.  **ADMINISTRATIVE, MANAGEMENT, PUBLIC POLICY THEORY, PRINCIPLES,
    SKILLS**

    a.  **Understands Basic Management Theory, Principles and Tools**

    b.  **Familiarity with Organizational Management, Theory, Concepts,
        Environment and Behavior (Normal and Crisis)**

    c.  **Familiarity with Public Policy Environment**

        1.  Understanding of policy formulation, implementation and
            evaluation processes

    d.  **Demonstrated knowledge of Administrative Roles of an Emergency
        Manager**

        1.  Personnel (Human Resource) Management\--Job Analysis and
            Design, Recruiting, Interviewing, Selecting, Placing,
            Training, Coaching, Retaining, Managing, Delegating,
            Appraising, Counseling, Rewarding People (staff/volunteers)

        2.  Team Building -- knowing the factors that inhibit team
            effectiveness and what can be done to promote teamwork

        3.  Program Management \-- Developing and Managing Programs

            1.  Proficiency in program formulation, implementation and
                evaluation

        4.  Fiscal Management \-- Acquiring and Managing Funding
            (Budgets)

        5.  Resource Management -- technical and physical

        6.  Information Management -- gather, analyze, interpret, sort,
            act upon

        7.  Technical Writing Skills (e.g. grants writing)

        8.  Adult Learning Understanding -- knowing how adults acquire
            and use knowledge, skills, and attitudes -- understanding
            individual differences in learning

        9.  Time Management

        10. Can identify, set, review and assess goals and objectives.

6.  **SUBJECT MATTER KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND ABILITIES\--THEORY,
    PRINCIPLES, AND FUNDAMENTALS OF HAZARDS AND DISASTERS**

    a.  **What Are Hazards and Disasters**, including Related Terms and
        Definitions

    b.  **Hazard Taxonomies or Categorization Schemes** (natural,
        technological, intentional)

    c.  **Theories of Disaster** (acts of God, acts of nature,
        social/nature intersection, societal)

    d.  **Hazards Foundation** -- causes, characteristics, consequences,
        terminology, categorizations (meteorological, hydrological,
        geological, extra-terrestrial, etc.), countermeasures, trends,
        stakeholders

        1.  Can describe and discuss the trends in disaster losses in
            the US

        2.  Can describe and discuss major hazard specific stakeholders
            -- Local, State, Regional, National

        3.  Familiarity with Hazards Terminology, e.g.,

            1.  Fujita scale

            2.  Mercali scale

            3.  Richter scale

            4.  100-year flood

    e.  **Understanding of Key Hazard-Related Concepts**, e.g. Exposure,
        Risk, Vulnerability, Resiliency, Risk Communication

    f.  **Understanding of Societal Context of Hazards and Disasters**

        1.  Understanding of the societal variables that bear on hazards
            exposure, vulnerability, resiliency and risk, e.g.,

            1.  Population growth/decline

            2.  Development, particularly inappropriate development
                (location, construction, materials)

            3.  Interdependencies, particularly technological and
                infrastructure

            4.  Countermeasures or lack thereof

            5.  Extent to which knowledge and lessons learned are or are
                not applied

7.  **SUBJECT MATTER KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, AND ABILITIES--THEORY,
    PRINCIPLES, FUNDAMENTALS OF HAZARD/DISASTER/RISK/EMERGECNY
    MANAGENMENT**

    a.  **Scope of Hazard/Disaster/Risk/Emergency Management (Public and
        Private Sectors)**

        1.  Terminology and Definitions

            1.  Understanding major U.S. public sector terms and
                concepts, e.g.

                a.  Emergency management or services

                b.  Disaster management or services

                c.  Hazards management

                d.  Hazards risk management

            2.  Understanding of major U.S. private sector terms and
                concepts, e.g.

                a.  Business contingency planning

                b.  Business continuity planning

                c.  Business crisis or consequence management

                d.  Business disaster recovery planning

                e.  Business impact analysis

                f.  Business resumption planning

                g.  Business risk management

            3.  Understanding of major International terms and concepts,
                e.g.

                a.  Civil defense

                b.  Civil emergency preparedness

                c.  Civil protection

        2.  What Does the Field Cover?

        3.  History of Emergency Management

    b.  **Legal, Ethical, Social, Economic, Ecological, Political
        Dimensions and Context of EM**

        1.  Social Dimensions and Context of Hazards and Emergency
            Management:

            1.  Develop a critical understanding of how society and
                social institutions operate

            2.  Acquire basic knowledge of social science research
                methods, advantages and limitations

            3.  Understand social science theory of the disaster
                behavior of organizations

            4.  Understand social science theory of the disaster
                behavior of individuals

            5.  Be able to adequate address "Disaster Mythology"

            6.  Be able to apply basic principles of sociology to the
                design of effective community warning systems

        2.  Knowledge of Economic Development Strategies and Community
            Impact

    c.  **Approaches to Hazard/Risk/Emergency Management (Public and
        Private Sectors)**

        1.  Traditional Technocratic/Managerial Approach

        2.  Social Vulnerability Approach

        3.  Risk-Based Approaches

        4.  Building Disaster Resistant and Resilient Communities
            Approach

        5.  Business Impact Analysis, Business Contingency Planning

    d.  **Emergency Management Models**

        1.  Civil Defense Model

        2.  Emergency Services Model

        3.  Public Administration Model

    e.  **Emergency Management Fundamentals**

        1.  Comprehensive Emergency Management (i.e. all hazards,
            actors, phases)

        2.  Integrated Emergency Management and intra-governmental
            context

            1.  Understands why it is necessary to integrate
                hazard/disaster/emergency management and community
                planning.

        3.  Four Phases of the Disaster Life Cycle Model

            1.  Mitigation

                a.  Understand mitigation legal basis, history,
                    philosophy, strategies, methods, programs,
                    obstacles, issues, concerns, and consequences

                b.  Can discuss structural and non-structural mitigation
                    approaches

                c.  Can discuss historical and current trends in
                    mitigation practice

                d.  Can discuss major Federal mitigation programs,
                    including strengths and weaknesses, e.g.,

                    i.  FEMA, National Flood Insurance Program, major
                        elements

                        1.  Can describe the Community Rating System

                    ii. FEMA pre- and post-disaster mitigation programs

                    iii. National Earthquake Hazard Reduction Program

                         1.  Can summarize roles and responsibilities of
                             the four primary NEHRP
                             agencies/organizations

                e.  Can discuss the Disaster Mitigation Act of 2000

                f.  Can discuss major mitigation stakeholders \-- Local,
                    State, Regional, National

                g.  Can discuss major obstacles/challenges to
                    implementing mitigation

                h.  Can discuss the role of insurance in hazards
                    mitigation

                    i.  Describe adverse selection

            2.  Preparedness

            3.  Response

            4.  Recovery

        4.  Functional Approach

        5.  Intergovernmental Context (i.e., local, state, federal)

    f.  **Knowledge of Key Players/Stakeholders in Emer. Mgmt.\--Roles
        and Responsibilities**

        1.  Public Sector

            1.  Local, State, Federal Legislators

            2.  Local, State, Federal Policy-Makers

            3.  Local, State, Regional, Federal, International
                Decision-Influencers, Decision-Makers, and Stakeholders
                e.g.,

                a.  Budget and Finance

                b.  Building and Inspections Departments

                c.  Communications Centers

                d.  Community Affairs

                e.  Community Right-To Know (Hazardous Materials)
                    Committees

                f.  Convention Center Administration

                g.  Councils of Government

                h.  Economic Development

                i.  Educational Services, such as school districts

                j.  Emergency Services Personnel (Fire, Police, EMS/EMT,
                    SAR, Public Health)

                k.  Floodplain and Storm-Water Management

                l.  Homeland Security

                m.  Land Use, such as planning, zoning

                n.  Law Enforcement

                o.  Legal Affairs

                p.  Military (Federal and State National Guard)

                q.  Natural Resources, e.g., agricultural, timber,
                    water, environmental, fish and wildlife

                r.  Parks and Recreation, especially highly visible
                    tourist attractions

                s.  Planning

                t.  Public Affairs

                u.  Public Health

                v.  Public Works

                w.  Public Utilities

                x.  Risk Management

                y.  Seismic Safety Commissions

                z.  Social and Human Services

                a.  Transportation

                b.  United Nations International Strategy for Disaster
                    Reduction, etc.)

            4.  Emergency Management Personnel

            5.  Community and Faith-Based Organizations

            6.  Associations, Professional and Voluntary Organizations
                (e.g., IAEM, State EM Associations, NEMA, NFPC, PERI,
                CUSEC, Western States Seismic Policy Council,
                Association of State Floodplain Managers, Project Impact
                Coordinators Association, ACP, DRI Inc., American Red
                Cross)

            7.  Issue Organizations (e.g. Sierra Club)

            8.  Business and Industry

                a.  Architects and Engineers

                b.  Better Business Bureaus

                c.  Building Administrators

                d.  Communications Sector

                e.  Construction Industry

                f.  Developers

                g.  Energy and Fuel Sectors

                h.  Health, Medical and Care-Giving

                i.  Insurance Industry

                j.  Safety, Preparedness, Recovery Specialists, e.g.
                    business continuity planners (Association of
                    Contingency Planners), recovery planners (Disaster
                    Recovery International, Inc.), risk managers

                k.  Shopping Mall Administrators

                l.  Special Events Cite Administrators and Organizers,
                    e.g. sports, concerts

                m.  Transportation Sector

                n.  Utilities

            9.  Academia

                a.  Recognizing, understanding, using contributions from
                    such disciplines as:

                    i.  Atmospheric Sciences

                    ii. Communications Studies

                    iii. Earth Sciences

                    iv. Economics

                    v.  Engineering

                    vi. Environmental Science

                    vii. Planning

                         1.  Knowledge of land use planning & strategies

                         2.  Familiarity with community comprehensive
                             plans

                    viii. Political Science

                    ix. Public Administration

                        1.  Knowledge of community organization

                        2.  Knowledge of community development

                        3.  Knowledge of community change processes

                        4.  Understands formal community power
                            structures

                        5.  Understands informal community power
                            structures

                        6.  Understands community norms, values, culture

                    x.  Public Health and Medicine

                    xi. Sociology

                b.  Recognizing and using contributions from Disaster
                    Research Orgs. e.g.,

                    i.  Natural Hazards Center, University of Colorado
                        at Boulder

                    ii. Disaster Research Center, University of Delaware

                    iii. Hazard Reduction and Recovery Center, Texas A&M

            10. Media

            11. Other Private Sector Entities

                a.  Dam Administrators

            12. General Public

    g.  **Emergency Management Functional Areas**, e.g.,

        1.  Communications

        2.  Continuity of Government

        3.  Direction and Control

        4.  Energy

        5.  Essential Public Services Maintenance

        6.  Health and Medical

        7.  Information and Planning

        8.  Public Safety Maintenance

        9.  Public Works and Engineering

        10. Resource Support and Management

        11. Transportation

    h.  **Emergency Management Practice**, e.g.

        1.  Legal Basis (e.g. relevant laws, codes, ordinances,
            regulations, statutes, standards, governing authorities,
            standard operating procedures, guiding policies) and
            Liability Issues

            a.  Be able to identify and discuss local, State and Federal
                legal provisions relevant to emergency management

            b.  Be able to identify and discuss legal issues relevant to
                emergency management

        2.  Hazards Risk Assessment (hazard identification and analysis,
            community analysis/demographics/resources, risk assessment,
            vulnerability assessment)

            1.  Has an awareness of a variety of risk assessment
                methodologies

            2.  Can apply at least one risk assessment methodology

        3.  Hazards Risk Management

            1.  Plans -- e.g., emergency operations plans, mitigation,
                recovery plans

                a.  Demonstrate knowledge of emergency operations
                    planning

            2.  Procedures (e.g. standard operation procedures)

            3.  Policies (e.g. families of emergency services personnel
                in disaster)

            4.  Programs, e.g., public education, mitigation,
                preparedness, training, exercises

                a.  Demonstrate knowledge of emergency management
                    training programs

            5.  Measures, e.g., insurance, mutual aid agreements

            6.  Systems, e.g., warning, sheltering, communications, and
                Equipment

        4.  Hazards Risk Communication, e.g.,

            1.  Familiarity with risk communication theory, e.g.,

                a.  Actively seek to engage publics

                b.  Understand value systems and perceptions of various
                    publics

                c.  Be open, fair, inclusive, transparent, don't keep
                    secrets

                d.  Treat audience as equals -- respect the concerns of
                    others, respect other points of views

                e.  Seek to empower the audience

                f.  Be truthful

            2.  Familiarity with risk communication models, such as
                Mileti's eight steps to new behavior adoption process
                through risk communication:

                a.  Hearing the warning

                b.  Believing the warning

                c.  Confirming that the threat exists

                d.  Personalizing the warning, confirming that others
                    are heeding it

                e.  Determining whether protective action is needed

                f.  Determining whether protective action is feasible

                g.  Determining what protective action to take

                h.  Taking the protective action

            3.  Understand how to tailor information characteristics
                based on specific communications goals, such as
                awareness or behavior change

                a.  Can translate technical risk information,
                    terminology and data into the non-technical language
                    of each communication partner or audience

            4.  Working knowledge of message characteristics, e.g.,
                amount of material, speed of presentation, number of
                arguments, repetition, style, clarity, ordering,
                forcefulness, specificity, consistency, accuracy, and
                extremity of position advocated

            5.  Working knowledge of the major obstacles to
                communicating hazards risk and changing behavior, such
                as competing demands for attention, complacency, denial,
                the "levee effect," conflicts with existing beliefs,
                differing value systems, the "hazard adaptation
                phenomenon"

            6.  Conversant with risk averse, risk tolerant and risk
                seeking typologies

    i.  **Emergency Management Systems**

        1.  Knowledgeable of the theory, purpose, design, management of
            or role in the range of emergency management systems, e.g.,

            a.  Emergency Operations Center Operations

            b.  The Incident Command System

            c.  Warning Systems

                i.  Can distinguish between watches and warnings

                ii. Can discuss the major components of a wide range of
                    specific hazard warning systems, e.g. hurricane

                iii. Can discuss the functions of warning systems, e.g.,

                     1.  Detection

                     2.  Measurement

                     3.  Collation

                     4.  Interpretation

                     5.  Decision to warn

                     6.  Message content

                     7.  Dissemination

                iv. Can apply basic principles of sociology to the
                    design of effective community warning systems

                v.  Can discuss the various warning system "players" and
                    stakeholders

            d.  Communications Systems

    j.  **Emergency Management Emergency Operations**

        1.  Knowledgeable of Full Range of Emergency Operations
            Activities, such as:

            a.  Warning

            b.  Emergency Public Information

            c.  Emergency Operations Center Management

            d.  Evacuation

            e.  Mass Care, e.g. sheltering, feeding and provision of
                emergency services

            f.  Urban Search and Rescue

            g.  Damage Assessment

            h.  Debris Removal

            i.  Donated Goods Management

            j.  Volunteer Management

            k.  Restoration of Essential Services

            l.  Critical Incident Stress Debriefings -- possess
                background and knowledge of the theoretical concepts and
                practice of critical incident stress management

        2.  Capable of Coordinating Jurisdictional Emergency Management
            Operations

        3.  Knows how to seek immediate and short-term disaster recovery
            assistance

    k.  **Sustainable Development, Community Organization, Urban and
        Regional Planning**

    l.  **Emergency Management Best Practices -- Identification and
        Application**

    m.  **Emergency Management Theory**

        1.  Can discuss the major variables put forth as determinants of
            successful emergency management

8.  **TECHNICAL SKILLS AND STANDARDS -- i.e., TOOLS OF THE TRADE**

    a.  **Technological tools** e.g. computers (software), GIS, mapping,
        modeling, simulations

        1.  Can apply technological tools within an emergency management
            context

        2.  Proficiency in state-of-the-art information and
            communications technology

        3.  Able to maintain currency in state-of-the-art information
            and communications technology

    b.  **Scientific Method, Research, Analysis, Integration, Evaluation
        Tools and Methods**

        1.  Ability to understand, evaluate, and analyze scientific data
            and reports (e.g., earth science and engineering information
            related to seismic hazards, reports on risks associated with
            weapons of mass destruction), including the uncertainties
            associated with such data

        2.  Ability to clarify choices, tradeoffs, costs and benefits of
            alternative loss-reduction strategies, so as to improve
            decision-making by households, businesses, community
            officials, owners of critical infrastructure facilities, and
            other stakeholders

        3.  Ability to perform cost benefit analysis -- assessing
            alternatives in terms of their financial, psychological,
            social, environmental and strategic advantages and
            disadvantages

    c.  **Experience** (practicum, internship, service learning,
        volunteerism, professional orgs.)

    d.  **Professional Standards, Procedures, Certifications,
        Organizations**

    e.  **Ability to write clearly** for a variety of audiences,
        including other professionals, decision-makers, and the general
        public

## 

**Key Outcomes of and for Academic Programs:**

1.  Achieves a balance between academic (theoretical) and practical
    (applied) aspects of Hazard/Emergency Management

2.  Enhanced emergency management professionalism, credentials, and
    recognition

3.  Enhanced Community Outreach and Service mission of schools of higher
    education.

4.  Contributes to multidisciplinary university initiatives.

**Key Outcomes of and for Students:**

1.  The knowledge, skills, abilities and traits to efficiently and
    effectively manage and lead the hazard/disaster/risk/emergency
    management function.

2.  Personable

3.  Knowledgeable -- hazards, emergency management, research methods,
    analysis, evaluation

4.  Leadership in building disaster resilient and resistant communities

5.  Ability to articulate persuasive case for disaster prevention and
    reduction

6.  Ability to find balance between technocratic and social
    vulnerability approaches to EM

7.  Ability to integrate multi-disciplinary and multi-organizational
    perspectives

## Acknowledgements

I wish to thank the following individuals who have reviewed, commented
upon and/or contributed to this outline: Beth Armstrong, Richard
Bissell, Jane Bullock, Arrietta Chakos, Louise Comfort, Henry Fischer,
George Haddow, Walter Hays, Sam Isenberger, Lorna Jarrett, Ron Kuban,
John Lunn, David McEntire, William McPeck, Jim Mullen, Laura Olson, John
Peabody, Laurie Pearce, Robert Schneider, Guna Selvaduray, Greg Shaw,
Gavin Smith, Stephen Stehr, Richard Sylves, Kathleen Tierney, Frances
Winslow. I also wish to thank the participants of the six annual FEMA
Emergency Management Higher Education Conferences who have discussed and
shared their thoughts on this subject.

[^1]: One would think it apparent by now that emergency managers at all
    levels of government need to have emergency management competencies
    when obtaining their positions. It should no longer be accepted that
    anyone, at any level of government, be put into a lead emergency
    management position without having such competencies as those
    described herein.

[^2]: Accessible at:
    http://training.fema.gov/emiweb/downloads/CoreCompetenciesEMHiEd.doc

[^3]: Findings from these events are accessible at:
    http://training.fema.gov/emiweb/edu/EMCompetencies.asp

[^4]: Refers to all phases of the "disaster life cycle" -- mitigation,
    preparedness, response, recovery.

[^5]: See the Emergency Management Higher Education slide presentation
    at:
    http://training.fema.gov/emiweb/downloads/highedbrief_course2.ppt#265,1,Slide
    1

[^6]: The Hurricane Katrina response at the federal level demonstrates
    how good systems can fail without good leadership, and how
    operations improve with good leadership. We reiterate here the 9/11
    Commission Report on the importance of imagination and how things
    can go terribly wrong without it when working out of bureaucratic
    systems. As an example, picking, this time the local and state
    levels of government, local and state officials have said that
    hundreds of buses were not used to move citizens without
    transportation out of New Orleans prior to hurricane impact (as both
    local and state plans called for) due to lack of drivers. Yet
    gathering in such staging areas for evacuation as the Superdome,
    were thousands of people, many hundreds of whom could have been
    called upon to drive municipal and school buses filled with evacuees
    out of New Orleans along with those other citizens who had cars.

[^7]: Drabek, Thomas E. 2003. *Strategies for Coordinating Disaster
    Responses*. Boulder, CO: Program on Environment and Behavior,
    Monograph 61, Institute of Behavioral Science, University of
    Colorado.

[^8]: See, for example the Emergency Management Service Learning section
    of the FEMA Emergency Management Higher Education Project website
    \-- http://training.fema.gov/emiweb/edu/sl_em.asp

[^9]: Community Emergency Response Teams -- see:
    http://www.training.fema.gov/emiweb/CERT/