Emergency Management Specialist

Performs difficult technical and administrative work assisting with the coordination of the County’s all hazard emergency management program, including, but not limited to SARA Title III hazardous materials program, and Radiological Emergency Preparedness program, along with serving as Staff Duty Officer for the department during evenings, weekends, and holidays.  Work is performed under the moderate supervision of the Emergency Management Division Director or designee.The following essential functions serve as a general guide for this position. Position functions are subject to change based on departmental needs and external factors including, but not limited to, regulatory requirements.

• Develop plans for preparedness, response, mitigation, and recovery to natural or technological disasters, including domestic terrorism preparedness;
• Effectively develops and maintains partnerships with local first responder agencies, municipalities, state and federal partners, non-government organizations active during disaster, and community groups;
• Provides the day-to-day and detailed work in planning, implementing, and evaluating the emergency management plan; 
• Reviews previous emergency and disaster responses, identifies problem areas, and implements solutions for improving response and recovery outcomes;
• Assists in the development and maintenance of the County’s Emergency Operations Plan, Threat and Hazard Identification and Risk Assessment, Continuity, and other emergency plans;
• Coordinates with and works alongside law enforcement, fire and rescue, EMS, governmental agencies, and volunteer organizations during emergencies and disasters;
• Assures the readiness of the EOC and staffs the EOC when activated;
• Serves as a technical consultant for outside agencies, particularly in Search & Rescue, hazardous materials, and incidents of high consequence;
• Consults with a variety of community groups and facilities such as nursing homes, adult daycare, group homes, schools, and hospitals to assist them in developing emergency response plans;
• Works with other county local governments and area colleges for their emergency plans;
• Administers the SARA Title III hazardous materials and chemicals program;
• Serves as Emergency Management Staff Duty Officer on-call to respond to emergency situations including evening, weekend, and holiday hours;
• Applies for and manages grants, and if applicable, coordinates purchase of equipment in accordance with local, state, and federal purchasing guidelines; 
• Coordinates with State and FEMA representatives during recovery after disasters;
• Provides training and outreach to civic groups, schools, industry groups, and others on emergency preparedness, response, and recovery;
• Conducts training, drills, and exercises for public and emergency response organizations in accordance with Homeland Security Exercise & Evaluation Program standards and best practices;
• Represents the department and County on a variety of committees;
• Attends training necessary to obtain and maintain required certifications and skillsets, and keep abreast of new technologies, available resources, and best practices;
• Deploy, operate, and troubleshoot department equipment including trailers, tents, vehicles, radio systems, telephone and data systems;
• Engages in the use of social media as a tool for communicating with the public;
• Performs complex and difficult projects with limited supervision;
• Performs other related duties as required.

Bachelor’s degree in Emergency Management or related field and two (2) years of experience in emergency management or related field; or an Associate’s Degree in Emergency Management or related field and four (4) years of emergency management field and administrative work experience; or an equivalent combination of education and experience sufficient to successfully perform the essential duties of the job such as those listed above.

• Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with emergency agencies and personnel, volunteer emergency service organizations, public officials at the local, state and federal levels, business and community leaders and organizations, other department heads, superiors, and employees.
• Thorough knowledge of the practices, procedures, standards, and regulations regarding emergency management coordination at the local level;
• Thorough knowledge of procedures involved in the preparation of federal and state grant applications and in disaster recovery procedures including documentation and FEMA-related policies and regulations;
• Thorough knowledge of modern principles, practices, and processes involved in emergency management and hazardous materials handling and storage, and resources available;
• Considerable knowledge of the geographical layout of the County and all municipalities;
• Considerable knowledge of current literature, trends, developments, and best practices in the field of emergency management;
• Ability to communicate effectively in oral and written forms;
• Ability to react quickly, effectively, and professionally in emergency situations and disasters;
• Ability to use sound judgment, develop reasonable strategies, and make critical decisions within the limits of their authority in complex emergency situations; 
• Ability to plan and coordinate tactical and logistical efforts during an emergency.

Physical Requirements
This work requires the frequent exertion of up to 50 pounds of force and occasional exertion of up to 100 pounds of force; work regularly requires speaking, hearing, use of hands and fingers, handling, feeling and reaching with hands and arms, frequently requires standing, walking and sitting and occasionally requires climbing, balancing, stooping, kneeling, crouching, crawling, tasting, smelling, pushing, pulling, lifting and repetitive motions; work has standard vision requirements and requires close vision, distance vision, ability to adjust focus, depth perception, color perception, night vision and peripheral vision; work requires vocal communication to express or exchange ideas orally and to convey detailed or important instructions to others accurately, loudly or quickly; work requires hearing to perceive information at normal spoken levels and to receive detailed information through oral communications; work requires preparing and analyzing written or computer data, using measuring devices, operating machines, operating motor vehicles or equipment and observing general surroundings and activities; work occasionally requires wet, humid conditions (non-weather), working near moving mechanical parts, working in high, precarious places, exposure to fumes or airborne particles, exposure to toxic or caustic chemicals, exposure to outdoor weather conditions, exposure to extreme heat (non-weather), exposure to the risk of electrical shock, working with explosives, wearing a self-contained breathing apparatus and exposure to bloodborne pathogens and may be required to wear specialized personal protective equipment; work is generally in a moderately noisy location (e.g. business office, light traffic).   

Special Requirements
 Must possess a valid North Carolina driver’s license.
 
Prior completion of Incident Command System (ICS) 100, 200, 700, and 800 courses.
  
Must obtain the Hazardous Waste Operations and Emergency Response Standard (HAZWOPER) or equivalent NC Department of Insurance certification, ICS 300 and 400 within six months of employment.
 
Must complete the Radiological Emergency Preparedness (REP) Core Concepts Course. 
 
Must obtain forklift operator certification within 6 months of employment.