Emergency Management Careers in Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania

The commonwealth of Pennsylvania is one of the largest emergency management employers in all of the United States, on a per capita basis. As Philadelphia County is the most populated area in the state, it is an attractive location for anyone looking to get into the emergency management field.

The reasons why there are so many emergency management opportunities in Philadelphia County, and the rest of the state, is because of the state’s location along the East Coast. Pennsylvania experiences very severe snow and ice storms during the winter, and then during the summer the area is prone to hurricanes and tropical storms coming from the southern Atlantic Ocean. Just in the last two years, the state has experience three severe tropical storms and hurricanes (Hurricane Irene and Tropical Storm Lee in 2011 and Hurricane Sandy in 2012.

Emergency Management Degrees, Training and Certification

In order to obtain an emergency management job in Philadelphia County, applicants are required to meet certain qualifications. The qualifications and requirements include a degree, training and certification in a field closely related to emergency management.

Degrees: There are numerous options when it comes to emergency management degrees in Philadelphia County, including the following:

  • Bachelor of Arts in Geography- Emergency Management
  • Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice- Homeland Security Technology
  • Master of Science in Emergency Management
  • Master of Science in Disaster Medicine and Management

Training and Certification: in most cases, those who want to gain more recognition in the emergency management field and be considered for higher positions pursue training and certification. In order to be eligible for emergency management certification in Philadelphia County, a person must complete training courses in the following areas:

  • Emergency management coordination
  • General management, leadership and facilitation skills
  • Initial damage reporting
  • Technology and communication
  • Multiple death response and coordination
  • Hazardous weather and flood reporting
  • Environmental mitigation

The certifications received upon completion of the courses listed above include Emergency Management Specialist, Homeland Security- Leadership & Policy, Emergency Management with Special Populations, Civil Security and Damage Management, First Aid and CPR, among many others.

While most emergency management jobs in Philadelphia County do not specifically require certification, it may give an applicant preference over other candidates when seeking out a specialized job in the field.

Emergency Management Careers in Philadelphia County

The primary emergency management job providers in Philadelphia County operate on the county and city-levels. The Philadelphia County Office of Emergency Management (OEM) is the largest employer of emergency management professionals in the region. Professionals working for the OEM are responsible for coming up with emergency and disaster scenarios and then drafting plans that ensure public safety. Public outreach, relations and education is also a large part of the emergency management careers in Philadelphia County, as it is one of the largest metropolitan areas in the region.

Back to Top