Emergency management jobs in Cumberland County are key in the protection of residents and their property. Through public education campaigns, active planning, strategic response, and joint emergency management training, coordinators stay two steps ahead of disasters when they strike, either providing advanced notice to the public or acting on pre-planned and rehearsed contingencies. Emergency management coordinators can seek employment in Cumberland County at a number of agencies, including:
- Cumberland County Emergency Management Agency (CCEMA)
- American Red Cross of Maine
- Maine Emergency Management Agency
- Maine Department of Environmental Protection
- Maine Department of Transportation
Whenever there is an emergency situation that exceeds local and county resources in Cumberland County, the CCEMA is the department responsible for coordinating the response effort among all agencies at the local, county, state, and federal level. This includes events such as:
- Hazardous materials events
- Civil emergencies due to environmental conditions or other causes
- Acts of terrorism
Planning for a Future with Emergency Management Jobs in Cumberland County
The many agencies employing emergency management coordinators in Cumberland County have some varying specializations and therefore look to hire a diversely capable group of emergency coordinators. This means a wide pool of candidates are able to qualify for emergency management jobs in Cumberland County. A range of education requirements help candidates to be eligible for the field in their chosen career path, including programs for emergency management certification or associate and bachelor’s programs leading to an emergency management degree.
University degree programs offered at local and online institutions include:
- Homeland Security
- Emergency Management
- Public Administration
- Criminal Justice
- Meteorology
- Business
- Social Sciences
- Information Technology
- Public Health
The Red Cross of Maine offers certification in:
- First aid, CPR, and defibrillation
- Disaster Training
The Maine Emergency Management Agency offers certification and training for the following programs:
- Rail Safety for Emergency Responders
- Crisis Management for School-Based Incidents
National certification programs open to Cumberland County emergency management coordinators include:
- Emergency and Disaster Management
- Emergency Management and Public Health
- Disaster Preparedness
- Homeland Security Management
Learning from Major Disasters
Because many unfortunate disasters, both natural and man-made, that have happened in the past are doomed to be repeated, emergency management coordinators are very interested to study past lessons learned in the hope of avoiding future preventable catastrophes. In the wake of the recent train derailment and resulting explosion in the Canadian town of Lac-Megantic that killed 47 people and destroyed a significant number of buildings in the town’s center, Cumberland County emergency management coordinators have been asking themselves if they are prepared for such a possibility. County firefighters who recently returned from assisting Canadian emergency management specialists with the recent derailment catastrophe just across the border provided some of the answer.
To begin with, emergency management coordinators in Cumberland County can activate any one of the state’s 19 hazardous materials response teams that are constantly training for scenarios such as oil spills and train derailments. Furthermore, last year Cumberland County fire departments participated in two railroad derailment trainings involving specific railroad companies, with more scheduled in the future. Those working in emergency management careers in Cumberland County know that preparedness can mean the difference between life and death, and take contingency planning seriously especially in light of the recent event which had no forewarning.