Case studies: Emergency planner at a local council: Tom Cowdrey

Tom graduated from the University of Leicester in 2004 with a history degree, and on graduation went to Japan to teach English for three years. Following an MSc in Disaster Management he now works as a civil resilience officer.

On my return to the UK I applied for several graduate training schemes. Despite getting through to the final rounds on several occasions I was not successful in securing a job. Feedback from recruiters indicated that although my CV was strong it was not particularly focused. I acted on this feedback and used the Prospects website to research job areas and found out about the role of emergency planner.

By now, I was working for my local council in Portsmouth in an administration role so I took the opportunity to speak to the head of emergency planning to find out more about what the job entailed. This, together with other research, confirmed to me that this was a career area I would find both exciting and fulfilling. In 2008 I was accepted on the MSc Disaster Management course at Coventry University.

In the summer of 2009 I started working as a civil resilience officer with Stockport Council, as part of a five-strong team. I am currently working on the Council’s flood plan, which, as with all plans, is amended and updated on a regular basis to keep it in line with changes in the borough as well as the latest UK guidance. Late last year, I helped my colleague to set up a swine flu vaccination centre which involved preparing the facility to ensure it was fit for purpose, as well as registering users to the centre.

I have joined the council’s on-call rota, a 24-hour emergency helpline. While on call I am the first point of contact during a major incident. This requires being available for one week every month. I anticipate that on a yearly basis I might be called to deal with a local emergency on three or four occasions. Recently the department has dealt with a gas leak under a roundabout as well as a fire at an old mill. I have also attended exercises at a nearby aerodrome and oil terminal when the department’s emergency plans were put into practice.

I really enjoy my work and derive a high degree of job satisfaction from knowing that I am involved in decisions which ultimately keep Stockport safe. I consider that some of the skills gained during my undergraduate degree, such as the ability to write clearly and analyse documents, have both been of great use. Also, the ability to present information in an easy-to-understand fashion, a skill developed while teaching in Japan, has stood me in good stead in my role as a civil resilience officer.

AGCAS

Sourced by Liz Holford, University of Portsmouth

Date: 

February 2010

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