What is Emergency Management?
When your bosses and colleagues tell you they don’t really know what you do, how do you explain emergency management to them? The question of “What is emergency management” has been argued over since the change from the term “civil defense” and the debates between the terms :”emergency management” and “homeland security”. How do these terms impact our job descriptions and what we do every day?
In the mid-2000s, FEMA’s Emergency Management Institute (EMI) hosted their annual Emergency Management Higher Education conference which brought to light the lack of standard definition, vision, mission, and principles for our discipline. After much discussion among emergency management academics and practitioners, a standard definition, vision, mission, and core principles was developed.
Definition
Emergency management is the managerial function charged with creating the framework within which communities reduce vulnerability to hazards and cope with disasters.
Vision
Emergency management seeks to promote safer, less vulnerable communities with the capacity to cope with hazards and disasters.
Mission
Emergency Management protects communities by coordinating and integrating all activities necessary to build, sustain, and improve the capability to mitigate against, prepare for, respond to, and recover from threatened or actual natural disasters, acts of terrorism, or other man-made disasters.
Principles
Emergency Management must be:
1. Comprehensive — emergency managers consider and take into account all hazards, all phases, all stakeholders and all impacts relevant to disasters.
2. Progressive — emergency managers anticipate future disasters and take preventive and preparatory measures to build disaster-resistant and disaster-resilient communities.
3. Risk-Driven — emergency managers use sound risk management principles (hazard identification, risk analysis, and impact analysis) in assigning priorities and resources.
4. Integrated — emergency managers ensure unity of effort among all levels of government and all elements of a community.
5. Collaborative — emergency managers create and sustain broad and sincere relationships among individuals and organizations to encourage trust, advocate a team atmosphere, build consensus, and facilitate communication.
6. Coordinated — emergency managers synchronize the activities of all relevant stakeholders to achieve a common purpose.
7. Flexible — emergency managers use creative and innovative approaches in solving disaster challenges.
8. Professional — emergency managers value a science and knowledge-based approach based on education, training, experience, ethical practice, public stewardship and continuous improvement.
These are supported by FEMA, the International Association of Emergency Managers, the National Fire Protection Administration, the Emergency Management Accreditation Program, and an array of universities, private partners, and local, state, and federal agencies. What do you think? How do YOU define emergency management?