Emergency planning/management officer
Emergency planning/management officers play a key role in planning for, protecting and maintaining public safety. Emergency planning professionals work as part of a team to anticipate and respond to threats to public safety, such as acts of terrorism, natural disasters, epidemics and major industrial accidents.
The profession is growing in scope in the UK due to increased public recognition of the need to prepare for major incidents. The key areas of work are:
The role can also be known as civil resilience or civil contingencies officers. A related but distinct area is international relief and development (see International aid/development worker for more information).
There are distinct career routes within emergency planning and management and business continuity management. Most people choose one of these as a specialist area in which to develop a career, with scope for a possible move into another area after gaining experience.
Typical work activities vary according to the post and level of responsibility, but may include:
Senior officers in local authorities tend to take on more staff management and development responsibilities, moving away from direct planning and response aspects of the job.
A relevant first degree for entry to this area of work would be:
In the absence of a relevant first degree, a relevant postgraduate qualification would then be required.
Examples of current postgraduate courses include:
Entry into this profession is also possible for candidates with extensive relevant pre-entry experience and/or a relevant professional qualification.
Entry requirements vary between institutions. For study at undergraduate level, evidence of potential ability to complete the course is usually required. Alternatively, evidence of recent study and/or demonstrable prior experience in relevant fields is taken into consideration.
There are a number of more specialised courses for professionals working in the voluntary, health, public and other sectors. While these do not necessarily qualify individuals to move into emergency planning roles, they do support a move into work relating to emergency planning and continued professional development. These include a PgD/MSc in Risk, Crisis and Disaster Management at the University of Leicester (distance learning).
Previous work experience or a placement in an emergency planning related role is an advantage for a first role. Practical experience, such as voluntary work for a humanitarian organisation, may be advantageous as well.
Candidates need to show evidence of the following:
For more information, see work experience and internships and search courses and research.
Newemergency planning entrants are usually required to have relevant qualifications that confirm a particular range of skills and competencies. However, a first role, such as assistant emergency planning officer within a local authority, provides the opportunity to learn from more experienced professionals. Responsibilities in this role increase with experience. Hands-on learning is usually supported by in-house courses and external training. Training may cover specific emergency planning topics as well as soft skills such as project management, time management and communication.
Keeping in touch with emerging issues and developments in legislation is essential for both new and more established emergency planning professionals. As this is a developing industry, there is a lot of scope for joining in with new initiatives and projects and helping to shape public safety. Reviewing the impact and implications of specific national and international disasters as they occur also provides learning opportunities.
As well as a range of courses, workshops and special events, the Emergency Planning Society (EPS) operates a continuing professional development (CPD) scheme to support its members in broadening their professional skills. Other professional bodies offer training courses. The Emergency Planning College , the government’s training centre for crisis management and emergency planning, provides a number of professional work-based learning qualifications. In addition, the Health Protection Agency provides health related emergency planning courses while the police also deliver relevant training courses in operational planning and risk assessment. Funding and support for this type of training depends on individual employers.
Training opportunities include:
As an emerging area of work, emergency planning offers a variety of career routes, depending on your specific interests. With a relevant qualification, it is possible to move into:
One of the more established professional career pathways exists within the local authorities across the country, where you may progress from assistant emergency planning officer to emergency planning officer, and then into a senior management role. Emergency planning teams still tend to be quite small in local authorities, emergency services and government agencies, so mobility and a willingness to relocate for jobs may be helpful in the early stages of your career. Officers at more senior levels tend to take on more general management responsibilities, with fewer hands-on emergency planning activities.
Within a local authority role, you may specialise in a specific area, such as human health, animal health and severe weather planning. You may have a specific function as well, such as training, liaising with county emergency support staff, or linking with voluntary organisations.
With experience it is also possible to move into an emergency planning role overseas, supporting the work of government organisations in other parts of the world.
Career progression is also possible by making a move from the public to the private sector.
Key public bodies require the support of emergency planning officers to ensure that they plan for and respond swiftly and effectively to all kinds of emergency situations. Such public bodies include:
On the commercial side, consultancies offer specialist risk management and business continuity management services to small businesses, government, utilities companies, private sector developers and regional development agencies. Employers range from small, specialist consultancies to large multinationals, offering business continuity as part of a package of services.
Increasingly, private companies are taking on business continuity specialists to protect their operations in the event of an emergency, particularly within the financial services. As with consultancy work, these roles usually require a good level of experience in the field and a business continuity qualification.
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