Located right in the middle of the state, Kent County gets its fair share of intense weather and other natural disasters. In February 2013, a severe snowstorm crippled Kent County for almost a week, and last year the aftermaths of tropical storm Irene and a hurricane Sandy caused a tremendous amount of damage to the area.
It is the responsibility of emergency management organizations and agencies in the area to respond and mitigate the damage caused by these situations. The vast majority of emergency services in Kent County are handled by the State of Rhode Island Emergency Management Agency, which is the primary employer of emergency management professionals not only in Kent County, but also in the entire state.
As the third most populous county in the state of Rhode Island, there are more emergency management jobs in the area than in other, more rural parts of the state. While the majority of emergency management professionals are located in Providence County, there are five emergency management offices located in Kent County. The offices are in the towns of West Warwick, Coventry, Warwick, East Greenwich and West Greenwich.
The employees at the offices include town planners, emergency management consultants, advisors and supervisors and building officials. All emergency management careers in Kent County are available through the State of Rhode Island Emergency Management Agency.
Emergency Management Degrees, Certificates and Training in Kent County
An emergency management degree is the primary requirement for anyone looking to gain employment with the State of Rhode Island Emergency Management Agency (SRIEMA.) There are many emergency management degrees offered in the state, both online and through traditional schooling, including the following:
- Associate degree in Emergency Management
- Bachelor degree in Emergency Management
- Bachelor degree in Homeland Security- Leadership & Policy
- Associate degree in Homeland Security and Emergency Management
- Master degree of Science in Disaster Management
In addition to a degree, many of the emergency management positions in the area also require certification from the state agency. Emergency management certifications in Kent County are offered in three categories: basic, intermediate and advanced. Certification is received through extensive emergency management training. The requirements for certification from the SRIEMA are the following:
- Basic certification: 200 hours of training in core curriculum classes
- Intermediate certification: 250 hours of additional training (450 hours total,) including at least 12 core curriculum classes
- Advanced: 250 hours of additional training (700 hours total,) including at least nine core curriculum classes
Through training, emergency management professionals will learn many of the skills needed to perform the duties called for as part of an emergency management career. Skills learned include emergency and damage mitigation, evacuation plans, citizen preparedness, city planning, communication skills, ethics and disaster planning, among many other subjects and skills.