The Atlanta-Fulton County Emergency Management Agency (AFCEMA) is a partnership between municipal and county governments that oversees the county’s emergency management operations. In case a natural or manmade disaster strikes the region, AFCEMA notifies its staff and Emergency Operations Center (EOC) managers. Once the EOC is activated, the appropriate checklist of responses is implemented. The checklist delineates a set of resources and tasks necessary to mitigate effects and initiate response strategies.
Qualifications to Become an Emergency Management Professional in Fulton County, Georgia
As a major metropolitan area, Fulton County provides a wealth of employment opportunities for emergency management specialists in the fields of engineering, business continuity planning, public health, emergency operations, and homeland security. The exact specifications for these jobs are contingent upon employer needs, but the majority of these jobs have requirements similar to these:
- A bachelor’s degree (some may require a master’s degree) in
- Homeland security
- Terrorism studies
- Public health
- Business administration
- Disaster preparedness
- At least one year of experience managing EM programs and personnel
- Outstanding skills in verbal and written communication
- Familiarity with state, local and federal emergency management programs, laws and regulations
- Ability to work effectively with local, state, federal and private sector personnel
The Georgia Emergency Management Agency provides numerous emergency management courses in Fulton County, Georgia as well as rigorous training exercises modeled on federal disaster templates. These courses include
- Basic public information officer
- Disaster recovery programs: Information and Documentation
- EOC management and operations
- Flood fight operations
- Hazardous materials contingency planning
- Hazardous weather and flooding preparedness
Another portal for emergency management classes in Fulton County, GA is the Emergency Management Institute. This federal agency offers instruction on topics including
- Animals in disasters: awareness and preparedness
- Introduction to Unified Hazard Mitigation Assistance
- Engineering principles and practices for retrofitting flood-prone residential structures
- Tornado mitigation basics for mitigation staff
- Fundamentals of emergency management
- Effective communication
Disasters in Fulton County’s History
In 2008, a series of tornados struck the Southeast with one spawning in downtown Atlanta. The Category Three tornado caused widespread damage to downtown structures including the Westin Peachtree Plaza, Georgia World Congress Center, Omni Hotel, and Philips Arena. The tornado killed one man and injured 30 others. This tornado event is ranked as one of the most costly in U.S. history and produced almost $250 million in damages.
In 1996, Atlanta was the site of the Olympics, which became the target of a domestic terrorist incident. The Centennial Olympic Park bombing killed two visitors and injured 111 others. This was the first of four bombs detonated by Eric Robert Rudolph. The other bomb explosions occurred in nearby Sandy Springs and Otherside; these occurred at an abortion clinic and a lesbian night club. All bombs were composed of steel plates, nitroglycerin dynamite and alarm clocks.