10 Emerging Skills in Emergency Management

By Kate Gibson | February 14, 2024

INDUSTRY ADVICE POLITICAL SCIENCE & SECURITY

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No matter where you live, your life has inevitably been impacted by emergency management.
Nearly every sector of the globe has experienced catastrophic damage or casualties as a result of
natural disasters such as hurricanes, earthquakes, and tsunamis. In fact, according to Our World
in Data, approximately 45,000 people globally have died from natural disasters each year over
the past decade—representing around 0.1 percent of global deaths.

While many of these events aren’t preventable, the emergence of emergency management has
kept the mortality rate of these events lower year after year. Skilled professionals in this field
have contributed to highly impactful innovations like methods of earlier prediction, resilient
infrastructure, and effective response systems.

If you’re interested in this diverse and dynamic field, here’s everything you need to know about
emergency management and the skills you need to excel in the industry.

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Skills Every Emergency Management
Professional Should Have
Emergency management is a growing field that’s constantly evolving with the increased needs of
the people it serves. Professionals who hope to succeed in this industry should consider
developing their skill sets to match the current standards of emergency management services.
Here’s a list of the top ten emerging skills in emergency management job postings.

1. Emergency Management
Emergency management is a broad term often used to describe the coordination and management
of resources and responsibilities in response to an emergency. Some of these responsibilities

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might include gathering, managing, or analyzing data to make informed decisions about
preparedness or recovery.

While part of this skill is reactive to the emergency at hand, its main objective is to become
proactive using data from previous disasters. This data informs future emergency preparedness
plans and effective recovery protocol. Prospective emergency managers, directors, and public
information officers need this skill to effectively manage teams and make high-stakes decisions
that affect the communities they serve.

2. Emergency Preparedness
Much like emergency management, emergency or disaster preparedness focuses on proactively
preparing for various disasters. Emergency management professionals must have experience in
creating effective emergency plans for a variety of threats. This skill has become essential to the
field as a result of communities slowly creating infrastructures and processes to ensure safety.

According to a survey conducted by FEMA, about 68 percent of those surveyed have taken basic
measures to prepare for a possible natural disaster, and that number is growing slowly. One
major cause for this gradual rise in individual emergency preparedness is the fact that only 68
percent of people feel they are financially prepared for an emergency (i.e., homeowners
insurance, flood insurance, renters insurance). Communities that are more susceptible to this
disparity need the support of emergency management professionals with well-developed
preparedness skills.

3. Emergency Response
Emergency management professionals need an ability to respond to disasters or challenging
events as quickly and effectively as possible. Longer response times are often the cause of
increased or permanent damages, more fatalities, and distress and confusion among the
communities affected.

COVID-19 is an excellent example of why this skill is essential to most disasters or emergency
events. Many mistakes made in responding to the pandemic in the first few weeks caused
widespread fear and doubt in the systems intended to mitigate the catastrophic impact this virus
had on several vulnerable communities.

4. Incident Command System (ICS)

Businesses aren’t immune to the damaging effects of ineffective emergency management. As a
result, many companies have emergency response teams that interface with public emergency
services to try and mitigate the impact of disruptions in their operations. This is accomplished
through organized communications and coordination through incident command systems (ICS).
These systems standardize the command, control, and coordination of emergency response.

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A great example of this is in the utilities industry, specifically electricity. Utility company
operations are directly affected by natural disasters such as hurricanes and blizzards. When
thousands of customers lose power, utility companies are expected to respond effectively and
efficiently alongside government and support groups. ICS provides a common hierarchy, leading
responders from different sources to achieve a common goal. Professionals who want to work in
the private sector should consider developing this highly specialized skill in emergency
management to ensure they understand the structure and terminology of business response plans.

5. National Incident Management Systems (NIMS)

The National Incident Management System (NIMS) is a lot like incident management systems in
that it’s meant to standardize emergency response. NIMS is slightly different, however, in that it
focuses on guiding all levels of government, nongovernmental, and private sector organizations
to prevent, protect against, respond to, and recover from emergencies. The main goal of this
system is to provide shared terminology, systems, and processes to ensure effective emergency
response and preparedness. Individuals interested in emergency management in any sector need
this specialized skill to understand the industry standards.

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6. Operations
When a disaster or emergency occurs, the first aspect of business or everyday life that’s affected
is operations. In emergency management, operations identifies an emergency incident, defines
the impact, allocates resources, and communicates the status to others. Prospective professionals
hoping to break into this field need a clear understanding of the various roles within emergency
response, such as incident commanders and public information officers, to ensure the correct
information is shared with the right incident response teams.

7. Planning
Emergency management professionals need to be excellent planners. Planning is an integral part
of several job responsibilities and required skills previously mentioned. The proactive aspect of

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emergency management is crucial to its overall objective of making communities impacted by
disasters prepared and safer to address possible challenges.

8. Communications
Most industries want professionals who are effective communicators, but for employers looking
for emergency management professionals, this skill is a requirement, not a preference.
Depending on the job title, emergency management professionals write reports, create and
present various presentations, and articulate emergency plans. These tasks require effective
communication skills to be accomplished successfully.

9. Coordinating
Coordination is an integral part of emergency management. As mentioned, incident command
systems were created with the sole objective of streamlining the emergency response process.
However, there are still several moving parts of emergency management that live outside of
these systems. In these cases, effective emergency management professionals need coordination
skills to ensure no response tasks slip through the cracks.

10. Management
Management, much like emergency management, deals with the leadership responsibilities that
come with managing a response team. Management requires confidence, effective
communication, and an in-depth knowledge of the industry. Emergency management
professionals who take the time to develop the skills listed above will inadvertently strengthen
their management skills that will help them succeed in any emergency.

The Changing Tide in Security and Resilience

Skill Requirements
The required skills to excel in emergency management have evolved in the last few years. These
shifts in job requirements are a result of technological advancements and the evolving
expectations of the emergency management industry.

According to government data, the following skills have been included in an increasing number
of emergency management job postings over the past two years:

 Management
 Communications
 Emergency response
 Coordinating

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  Operations
 Report writing

The increase in employers seeking these skills demonstrates how emergency management roles
are solidifying as leadership roles in response to crises. Effective managers need to have proper
communication skills and an understanding of operations to successfully lead. This shift isn’t
surprising looking at emergency response jobs in research or data collection.

Emergency response in a globalized world is complex, so the emergency management field

needs effective response and coordination more than ever before. These are just a few examples
of why understanding industry skills and requirements is essential to breaking into the field.

Develop the Right Skills For Success

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Developing the right skill set is essential to any line of work. While there are several technical
aspects of research-related jobs in emergency management that may not require every skill listed
above, it’s still in your best interest to learn more about the industry. One way to do this is
through a graduate program, like Northeastern’s Master of Science in Security and Resilience
Studies program.

“Prospective students may know the technical side really well, but might want to broaden their
other skills. This degree can help them better understand the context where their infrastructure
fits and how it might be dependent upon other infrastructures,” says Ann Lesperance, director of
the College of Social Sciences and Humanities at Northeastern University. “It gives students the
kind of analytical tools to help them look closely at this relationship.”

Experiential learning offers students the opportunity to apply the concepts discussed in
coursework to current situations facing the field to better understand the relationship between the
varying infrastructures of emergency response. In addition, students are supervised, instructed,
and mentored by industry experts, making Northeastern the best place to develop your skill set
and thrive in emergency situations.

If you think you’re ready for this type of immersive education, check out Northeastern’s Master
of Science in Security and Resilience Studies program to see what you can do to jumpstart your
career in security and resilience.
About Kate Gibson
Kate Gibson is a marketing specialist and contributing writer for Northeastern Universi