Emergency Management Careers in Johnson County, Kansas

Emergency management jobs in Johnson County are coordinated by a special department in the county. Johnson County Emergency Management is the section of the government that directs disaster training, preparedness, and response among the various private, governmental, and non-profit organizations who become involved during an emergency event. A team comprised of personnel from all these organizations is directed by the county’s emergency management coordinators who coordinate with their counterparts in the event of an emergency situation, making decisions based on reports from:

  • Ground Command
  • Reconnaissance
  • Search and Rescue
  • Meteorology
  • Communications
  • First Responders

FIND SCHOOLS
Sponsored Content

Strategizing for Future Emergency Management Careers in Johnson County

Citizens who want to make a positive difference in their communities and are interested in emergency management careers in Johnson County have a variety of options for where to start. Because emergency management coordinators have a range of specializations there is an equal range of degrees and certificates that translate into qualifications.

Each agency that relies on emergency management specialists has their own qualifications that range from certificates to four-year degrees. Online and local educational institutions in Johnson County offer associate and bachelor degree programs in:

  • Psychology
  • Urban Planning
  • Biology
  • Business Administration
  • Emergency Management
  • Emergency Management and Public Health

The Red Cross offers courses in:

  • First aid and CPR
  • Bloodborne Pathogens

Federal emergency management courses include:

  • Emergency and Disaster Management Certificate
  • Certificate in Disaster Preparedness
  • Graduate Certificate in Homeland Security Emergency Management Preparedness and Response

Emergency Management History in Johnson County

Despite being located in the state famous for where Dorothy’s house was blown away by a tornado in the Wizard of Oz, Johnson County has had no fatalities in connection with any of its 40 confirmed tornado touchdowns in the past 60 years, thanks in no small part to the planning of emergency management coordinators. Disaster response agencies make it a point to conduct emergency management training in Johnson County together so all have the same degree of readiness. Emergency management specialists direct the county’s public education courses which help residents know what to do in the event of a tornado or strong wind storm in one of the most effective programs when considered on the merits of lives saved for dollars spent. These include:

  • Community Emergency Response Teams
  • Emergency Management Courses
  • Red Cross Shelter Training
  • Emergency Communications Systems
  • Emergency Operations Center Orientation

In addition to their responsibilities for disaster management, emergency management coordinators are also responsible for being prepared for every possible disaster, which includes the development of contingency plans. One such contingency developed for Johnson County includes a plan for what to do in the event of swarms of grasshoppers. To some this may sound trivial, but as is recounted by historians, in 1875 a locust swarm of biblical proportions, measuring 1,800 miles long and 110 miles wide, ravished Johnson County farms, turning skies black in what would become to be known as the locust plague of 1875. Today Johnson County Emergency Management employs biologists specializing in insect plagues, who working together with emergency management coordinators, develop mobilization plans for what to do if such a catastrophe were to strike again in the county.

Back to Top