Emergency Management Careers in Burleigh County, North Dakota

Burleigh County, North Dakota, is a county of extremes, with natural disasters of nearly every kind affecting this area of the country. Natural disasters in recent years include:

  • Severe winter storm: April 2010
  • Flooding: February 2010
  • Severe storms and flooding: March 2009
  • Hurricane Katrina: August 2005

The emergency management professionals in Burleigh County are called upon to coordinate all activities associated with preparing for, dealing with, and recovering from natural or manmade disasters using the Burleigh County Emergency Operations Plan (EOP), an all-hazards approach to emergency management.


Emergency Management Degree, Training and Certification in Burleigh County

There is a wide range of emergency management careers at the county, state, and federal level in North Dakota, including Burleigh County’s Office of Emergency Management:

Emergency Management Officer

Emergency management officers analyze problems or challenges with the emergency management program and makes recommendations for revising them. They also conduct programs that include the use of secondary resources and adhere to state and federal regulations. They are also the professionals often called upon to disseminate information to the community via programs and appearances.

Minimum degree requirements for emergency management officers typically include a bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university, along with experience directing emergency programs and operations within a business, governmental or public organization.

Emergency Management Area Coordinator

An emergency management area coordinator, under the Director of Emergency Management, focuses on coordinating the work of emergency management professionals for planning, training, mitigation, and emergency response efforts.

Minimum job requirements for emergency management area coordinators usually include a bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university, along with experience directing the operations of a large agency, particularly in emergency planning or response operations.

Certification is also often a requirement for many emergency management careers. Professional certification among emergency management professionals is often achieved through:

  • The International Association of Emergency Managers (IAEM) Certified Emergency Manager (CEM)
  • The International Association of Emergency Managers (IAEM) Associate Emergency Manager (AEM)
  • FEMA Professional Development Series (PDS) Certificate
  • FEMA Advanced Professional Series (APS) certificate

Emergency Management Training Opportunities

Because of the swiftly changing face of emergency management, professionals in this field are often required to complete frequent formal training. Formal training for emergency management professionals in Burleigh County is provided by the North Dakota Department of Emergency Services and includes programs such as:

  • Emergency, Disaster and Demolition Debris Management Workshop
  • Search and Rescue Conference
  • Emergency Operations Center Operations Planning for All-Hazards Events
  • Critical Incident Stress Management
  • Exercise Design
  • Hazardous Weather – Floods
  • Evacuation and Re-Entry Planning

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