Emergency management in Fayette County is coordinated by the Lexington Division of Emergency Management since the city-county merger of 1974. This agency is the primary employer of emergency management coordinators in the county, and works closely with locally based partner agencies at the federal and state level.
Emergency management coordinators are responsible for three key aspects of disaster management: planning, notification, and response. Most time is spent on planning, which includes the study of previous disasters, creation of contingency plans, and joint-agency emergency management training in Fayette County. Notification is critical, as it has been shown that providing more time for residents to prepare for an incoming threat increases their chances of survival. Response includes everything from the coordination of emergency medical services and utility repairs to search and rescue, damage assessment, and cleanup.
Emergency Management Job Seekers in Fayette County
Because of the many intricacies involved in disaster planning, notification, and response, emergency management coordinators vary in their specializations and come from a diverse education and certification background. Emergency management jobs in Fayette County will each list their own prerequisites which range from undergraduate certificates to graduate degrees.
Candidates have several choices among the institutions that offer these emergency management degree and certification programs in Fayette County, and can choose the appropriate program depending on their specialization. These include:
Emergency management careers in Fayette County may require certain academic degrees, including those offered through local institutes of higher education and online such as:
- Communication
- Psychology and other Social Science subjects
- Engineering
- Business
- Urban Planning
- Environmental Sciences
Emergency management certification and education courses offered through the Lexington Division of Emergency Management:
- Agroterrorism Awareness
- Animal Emergency Management Principles for Veterinarian Professionals
- Community Emergency Response Team
- Emergency Operations Center Training
- Neighborhood Emergency Network Training
Federal certification courses offered online or at sites throughout the country include:
- Emergency Manager – An Orientation to the Position
- Radiological Emergency Management
- Building for the Earthquakes of Tomorrow
- Disaster Preparedness
- Disaster Health
- Emergency and Disaster Management
Equine Disaster Relief in Fayette County
Emergency management coordinators in Fayette County must be prepared for any disaster that may strike, which typically include floods, tornadoes, and severe thunderstorms. With its county seat as the Thoroughbred City, Fayette County emergency management coordinators do consider pets and livestock – including horses – when developing contingency plans and equipping emergency shelters. Horses are an intrinsic part of the county’s economy and heritage, and that is why organizations such as the Kentucky Horse Council work with emergency management coordinators to provide assistance to horses affected by natural disasters, such as the recent spate of tornadoes that struck the county in 2012. The Lexington Division of Emergency Management also has an up-to-date disaster preparedness plan for horses that it makes available to all horse owners.