Robert Maloney, one of five deputy mayors in Baltimore City, will soon be returning to a previously held emergency management position. In his current position, Maloney is in charge of managing both the fire and police departments, as well as leading emergency operations. This experience will be beneficial as he changes career paths and goes back to his roots as an emergency manager for the mayor’s Office.
By working solely in emergency management, Maloney will be able to focus his efforts on homeland security, training opportunities and preparedness plans, which are all areas he knows extremely well. Having served an active tour of duty in Iraq for the US Naval Reserves, Maloney knows all too well how important emergency management can be in unpredictable situations.
Maloney served as the Director of the Mayor’s Office in Emergency Management from 2008 through 2013, where he was responsible for coordinating some of the city’s largest events, including the Star Spangled Spectacular, an annual celebration that attracts hundreds of thousands of attendees from across the country.
In addition to overseeing events, the Office of Emergency Management develops emergency preparedness plans for potential disasters, reacts to existing emergencies, and aids the city in recovery from past emergencies. Maloney’s resume includes coordinating the city’s response to violent storms, including the derecho of 2012 that left most of the area without power, and powerful blizzards that have buried the Baltimore area in several feet of snow.
Maloney knows that emergency preparedness is much more than providing all city officials with the proper tools, however. To be effective at responding to and preventing disasters, cities must create their own emergency protocols, as well as ensure that residents understand and respect them.
In his new role, Maloney will work for Kaliope Parthemos, who is the city’s new Chief of Staff.
