Utah Emergency Management Careers

From fires and floods to severe storms and landslides, Utah sees some form of natural disaster several times each year. Hurricane Katrina’s affects even reached as far as the Beehive State, as many evacuees were sheltered in Utah in the months following the disaster.

An assortment of state, federal, and local agencies train and work together to ensure disaster preparedness at all levels, while a number of private companies also revolve around disaster preparedness and government contracts. In Utah these include:

  • Federal emergency response agencies
  • The Utah Department of Public Safety’s Division of Emergency Management
  • Salt Lake City’s Strategic Deployment Bureau which includes:
    • Community Intelligence Units
    • Homeland Security
    • Salt Lake Information Center
  • Private organizations that provide services under the auspices of or for government agencies

Working in the Utah Emergency Management Sector

Emergency management jobs in Utah include everyone from disaster response coordinators and security guards who monitor supply depots, to those who cook meals for disaster victims and first responders. Preparing for Utah emergency management careers can therefore involve obtaining a wide swath of experiences, training, and education. When it comes to education, there are many appropriate emergency management degree programs available in Utah, including:

  • Bachelor Degree of Science in Criminal Justice – Homeland Security
  • Bachelor of Science in Human Services
  • BS in Criminal Justice – Law Enforcement
  • MS in Criminal Justice – Terrorism, Mediation, and Peace
  • Master’s Degree in Public Administration
  • D.B.A. in Homeland Security Leadership and Policy

At the associates level there are also options for emergency management certification in Utah. Additionally, the Red Cross and other non-profit agencies provide first aid and CPR courses, along with other emergency management training in Utah and its various cities and population centers.

Agency Collaboration and Disaster Relief

Besides conducting integrated and collaborative training, those with emergency management jobs in Utah have several opportunities every year to obtain some real-life experience on the battlefield. There were six federally declared natural disasters in 2012- one severe storm with flooding and five wildfires.  In that year, nearly half a million acres were burned in the 1,453 reported fires statewide, with new blazes igniting before old ones could be squelched. Over 600 of those were started intentionally by arsonists or through carelessness, highlighting the importance not only of firefighting and logistics jobs, but also investigative positions.

With extreme weather across the country on the rise, along with the progressively increasing number of wildfires in Utah, it can be expected that the emergency management sector will only grow in the near future. Job titles in this field include:

  • Wireless Communications Manager
  • Training Unit Leader
  • Environmental Specialist
  • Media and Public Relations
  • Resources Manager
  • Remote Sensing Specialist
  • Engineer and Architect
  • Grant Writer and Resource Manager
  • Deployment Operator
  • Human Services Manager
  • Security and Law Enforcement

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