In the event of a city-wide emergency, first responders and organizers look to the direction of the Virginia Beach Office of Emergency Management (OEM), coordinated by the Fire Chief in times of crisis and regularly by the Deputy Coordinator of Emergency Management. The OEM provides a structured command to respond to any type of situation through orchestrated efforts involving local and locally-based agencies such as:
- National Weather Service Office in Wakefield
- Virginia Department of Emergency Management
- FBI Office in Norfolk
- Virginia Beach Fire Department
- Hampton Roads Emergency Management Committee
- Virginia Beach Department of Health
Education for Emergency Management Jobs in Virginia Beach
Many emergency management careers in Virginia Beach also require certain levels of higher education. There are several educational institutions in the area – both online and on-campus – where prospective students can find emergency management degree programs at the associate, baccalaureate and graduate levels. An associate’s degree in emergency management will provide a solid foundation in the field, while a bachelor’s and master’s degrees allow for a greater level of specialization in areas including extreme weather phenomena, biological threats and pandemics, or flood management.
Specialists in the emergency management field can consider degrees in the following fields:
- Homeland Security and Crisis Management
- Business
- Human Services
- Leadership and Management
- Public Administration
Emergency management jobs in Virginia Beach are available to skilled applicants who are qualified through experience, training, certification, and academic degrees. Those working in emergency management careers take their jobs and training seriously as countless numbers of lives depend on them:
Police – The Virginia Beach Police Department operates a 55,000 square foot building dedicated to training the next generation of not only police officers but citizens, community groups, and other associations. The training center offers certification classes in:
- Front Line Leadership Workshops
- FBI’s course, Lessons Learned from the Oklahoma City Bombing
- Polygraph training
- Citizens’ Police Academy
Public Health – Virginia’s Department of Health offers a variety of emergency management training courses that serve many specific first responders and emergency management professionals. Emergency management certification courses include
- ABCs of Pandemic Influenza
- Persons with Disabilities during an Emergency
- Business Continuity during a Flu Pandemic
- Public Health Principles
Fire – The Virginia Beach Fire Department operates several emergency management training ranges and facilities where professionals and occasional citizens can gain valuable experience:
- Fire Training Center
- Firefighter Survivability Areas
- Flash-over training
- Partnership training with local natural gas company
- Urban Search and Rescue Sites (including canine)
Throughout the fire department’s training locations classes are held that offer participants the opportunity to gain several types of emergency management training in:
- Arson Detection for First Responders
- Incident Command and Simulation
- STICO (Strategy and Tactics for Initial Company Officers)