By far the most common natural disasters in Wyoming are wildfires. Each summer blazes burn in different regions of the state, and about every other year they get too close to settlements or grow too large and prompt an emergency to be declared. As Wyomingites also know, floods, tornadoes, and severe winter storms are not altogether uncommon either.
Collaborative agencies ranging from the federal government to the local sheriff’s department work together each time the governor declares a disaster to ensure public safety and the protection of property, while also making sure the basic needs of cities and towns are met during times of crisis. Emergency management training in Wyoming is part of this, along with public service courses and other emergency management certification programs that instruct people on disaster-appropriate procedures.
Preparing for Emergency Management Careers in Wyoming
Whether it be managing a village evacuation or containing a fast-moving wildfire, emergency management jobs in Wyoming are available for the most qualified and thoughtful citizens. Leadership abilities and being unafraid to take the initiative are key traits in management personnel, while quiet thoughtfulness and analytical reasoning help a fire engineer to accurately plot the likely course of a prairie blaze. Both positions are in the emergency management field, and both require a completely different set of skills. Emergency management jobs in Wyoming are as diverse as the people who hold them, and the only limiting factor to finding the right career for the right candidate is time.
From IT professionals to security guards, having a relevant emergency management degree in Wyoming can also greatly benefit the beholder, who will most likely find he or she has more options for employment and more opportunities for career advancement and promotion. Some useful programs that easily transfer to the emergency management sector in Wyoming include:
- Criminal Justice
- Homeland Security Policy and Coordination
- Business Administration
- Public Administration
- Public Works
- Law Enforcement
- Human Services
Flammable Streets with the Danger of House Explosions
People living in the Cowboy State over two decades ago may remember one of the more unusual disasters to be declared in the region’s history, officially known as the 1987 methane gas seepage. Those working in Wyoming emergency management careers may have a distinct memory of this event after seeing entire communities forced to abandon their houses and permanently relocate to other areas.
The direct cause of the disaster was coal buried just below the ground level, which began to emit toxic and explosive gasses as residents of Rawhide Village moved in oblivious to the dangers. County commissioners ordered an evacuation of the village after researching strange odors and phenomenon such as flammable streets, lawns that bubbled after being watered, and creeks that wouldn’t freeze in the dead of winter, determining the cause to be poisonous and combustible gas wafting up from the coal seam.