By Dr. Thomas D. Phelan
Editor’s note: This blog post merely touches on an interesting and important discussion I had with Dr. Tom on The Crisis Intelligence Podcast. I invite you to listen to our full discussion here, or on iTunes or Stitcher.
The issue of emergency management as a profession has been discussed and debated for several years. The issue has all sorts of implications including recognition as professionals, education versus training, classroom instruction versus on-the-job experience, and respect for the work emergency managers do both when responding to a disaster and when doing other things to preserve life, property and the environment. In addition to performing the duties of an emergency manager, there are political and policy-making issues requiring the emergency manager’s attention.
Emergency managers are engaged in a time of significant change
The focus and duty of an emergency manager has shifted from its early beginnings in civil defense during the Cold War through a period, still ongoing, of preparing for, responding to and recovering from natural disasters, to the now and future business of preventing terrorism, mitigating damage from an anticipated natural hazard, and communicating with the public using new and developing technology. The former one-way flow of warnings, information and updates from emergency management to the affected public has become, not just a two-way system, but one of many partners, sources and systems. The traditional role of “trusted advisor” for emergency managers has been altered by the intervention of unlimited sources of information, often delivered more rapidly, in real time, than emergency managers can possibly provide.
Emergency management: profession vs. field
So, in this changing world, especially in crisis and emergency communication, could a “profession” of emergency management do the job, or will the “field” of emergency management succeed by cooperating, coordinating and collaborating with specialists from many disciplines who can gather and provide what is needed by all stakeholders in a disaster? And, can they accomplish their many tasks in real time or rapidly enough to protect the public from harm?
Are we wasting energy discussing what to call our work, rather than devoting more time to learning how to do it better? College and academics, including me, push to increase enrollments in courses, believing in study, research, and degree programs to educate the next generation of emergency managers. There is plenty of resistance from practitioners in the field who worry about college graduates not having field experience. Both is better than just one or the other. EM is not alone in the influx of college graduates into management roles without years of experience in the practice. Other examples are the military, when academy graduates become officers with little or no time in the ranks. Business saw an influx of MBA’s in management roles in plants where none of the MBA graduates had ever worked a day on the plant floor. EM is not alone in recognizing the role of management as different from practitioners in the rank and file. Even in management, new graduates may be hired, but still need to “earn their stripes” to be fully accepted by seasoned veteran managers.
William Waugh and Kathleen Tierney, two highly respected colleagues, have written about the profession of emergency management in their 2007 book, Emergency Management: Principles and Practice of Local Government (Washington, DC: ICMA Press, pp. 14-19). They refer to emergency management as a profession, yet indicate that following Hurricane Katrina in 2005 “…emergency managers were having a difficult time explaining their roles to policy makers and to the public. Discussions within the profession indicated a need for greater clarity about the role and nature of emergency management” (p. 15). Several attempts at creating a “code of conduct” for emergency managers have produced the IAEM Certified Emergency Manager (CEM) designation, the Principles of Emergency Management, including a definition, mission and vision. So we know how emergency management is defined by those in the field, what the mission, vision and principles are, but still no indication of the level of professional oversight, education, licensure, and specialization afforded traditional professions – for example law, medicine, and dentistry.
There are commonly held broad definitions of professions. They are often synonymous with vocations or occupations not requiring “…specialized educational training and legal qualification, … formal or mandatory study, …strict oversight or …self-regulation, and usually requiring being actively engaged to be a member of a professional body1.A review of several lists of common professions did NOT include emergency manager, yet many other occupations were listed. Examples are firefighters, military officers, police officers, search and rescuers, and social workers.
With such occupations considered by some to be professionals, why not include emergency managers? Is it necessary to limit our choices to a discipline, a field or a profession? Which term might work best for all involved?
Why I favor calling emergency management a “field.”
A recent e-mail from a former student, one with a master’s degree in emergency management, is an excellent example of what new emergency managers might expect. She wrote,
I cannot believe that I am just about to start my third year in STATE. I really only thought I would be here for a few years but I guess I grew attached to the place. I am really enjoying my position still although it can be crazy at times. I am half time emergency manager and half time E911 coordinator so I am juggling multiple projects all the time but I enjoy it.
I am the Planning Section Chief for our agency so I write all the incident action plans for planned and unplanned events which I really enjoy. I have done a ton of media work as I am the Public Information Officer as well for our agency. We have had quite a few responses since I have been here – large fires, severe weather and flooding to name a few. I am on call every three weeks and I have to be able to respond within 30 minutes. That has been something that I have had to get used too. It’s only an office of four people so we have many hats and we are always busy.
On the E911 side I am managing a $4 million dollar budget and I coordinate the three 911 centers here in the county on multiple projects. I was even part of a legislative task force that helped pass legislation for the 911 folks out here. I really enjoyed that!
What I like about this position is that even though it was an entry level position I have been exposed and been able to do so much. In a big city I would never have had some of the opportunities that I have had here. For that I am extremely grateful!
I always said that at my three year mark I would keep my eyes open for positions that would enable me to have a supervisory role. That is one thing that I am missing in this position that I seem to need to move up anywhere. I do delegate work to other people but I do not directly supervise anyone. Any thoughts on how I could get this kind of experience would be greatly appreciated. I was thinking about maybe volunteering for an organization where I could supervise individuals.
I am unsure at this point on whether I want to continue in government or go to the private sector. I have seen many government relations and public affairs manager positions that have caught my eye quite a bit in the private sector. I would be happy staying in my position but I think that if I am in it too long that could jeopardize me moving to other roles as well.
I never knew I would have so much experience in such a short amount of time. It seems so long ago that I was at EMI and working on my Masters (Confidential personal correspondence, 2014)2.
I read this personal communication to a class of experienced emergency managers at the Leaders Academy at the FEMA Emergency Management Institute in Emmitsburg, Maryland. As seasoned veterans, they could see how dysfunctional our emergency management agencies have become at the local level. They could see that this person, with a Master’s Degree in emergency management, was clearly in a “field,” not a profession.
In conclusion
In summary, let there be no confusion that emergency managers perform professionally. As a field of collected disciplines, practitioners have benefitted from both experience and education. Unlike doctors, lawyers and other professions, there is no license required to practice as an emergency manager. There are certificates and college degrees that attest to one’s acquired knowledge and understanding of the major issues encountered on the job, and there is research presented in courses and degree programs that will improve performance, if applied.
Now we leave it to you. How do you feel about this matter, what is your stance? Is emergency management a field or a profession? Share your views in the comments section below.
References
1 (Printed in Wikipedia, “Lorne M. Fienberg, ”Examples of Professions”” (PDF). Retrieved 2009-11-07. and Rebecca Parker; Marjorie Suckow (May 2012). “Services Credentials Issued in California 2006-2007 to 2010-2011” (PDF). California Commission on Teacher Credentialing website: California Commission on Teacher Credentialing. Retrieved 11 August 2012. Retrieved September 2, 2014.
2 This county has a population 261,000.
Dr. Tom Phelan consults on instructional programs for adults primarily in emergency management areas of training, exercise design, online course design, incident management teams, and communication. Dr. Phelan has conducted facilitator training for the New York City Office of Emergency Management, Syracuse Research Corporation, Dale Carnegie Institute, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission and several corporate clients across the United States. Dr. Phelan has designed emergency and incident management response training for the City of New York Office of Emergency Management, the National Response Team/CDC/NIOSH, school districts, colleges and universities, corporations such as IBM, Disney, Pearson, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Sanofi-Pasteur, American Electric Power, and training in communications for the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. He has designed exercises for USDA/APHIS, FDIC, Boeing, the Department of the Army, and has presented in the U.K., Singapore, Sri Lanka, Canada and New Zealand. He is a contract adjunct instructor for FEMA at the Emergency Management Institute in Emmitsburg, Maryland.
I agree that Emergency Management is not a profession, in the same way that many other fields that are commonly referred to as “professions” are not. I’m a retired law enforcement officer, and we had vigorous debates about this.
Professions, such as doctors, lawyers, and architects, have a defined nature. There is a defined body of knowledge. They are educated by their peers in a defined educational program and with formalized apprenticeship. There is defined licensure. Professionals have a defines scope of authority, and operate independently. They are licensed and disciplined by their peers. They typically are not employees of an organization, but operate an independent practice (there are always exceptions, but that is the rule).
A licensed doctor is always a doctor, regardless of employment status or current assignment. His authority and function is inherent in himself, as a function of his education and licensure. Someone who is not licensed cannot act as a doctor (or lawyer, or RN, or architect). A physician can open his own practice and operate independently, he does not draw his authority from an employer.
None of that means we can’t act in a professional manner. It doesn’t mean we cannot build a body of knowledge. It doesn’t mean we cannot build the structures of a profession to make our field more professional. And it doesn’t mean that we can’t eventually become a profession. But there’s a long way to go to get there.
I like your way of explaining this. Precise with great analogies. Thanks for taking the time to share your thoughts, Alan!
Alan,
I really appreciate your clear articulation of the differences between emergency management and other occupations. Yes, we can perform in a professional manner without professional licenses.
Best regards,
Dr. Tom