Leadership Within Emergency Management

During any man-made or natural disaster, the emergency management department handles both the preparation and recovery efforts for such events. Catastrophic events can include terrorist attacks, floods, industrial accidents, and earthquakes to name a few. The execution of the response plan normally falls upon the leadership that has been established during a crisis, but what makes a leader? It’s not assigned just to the senior person at the scene, but it’s ordinarily assigned to someone who is of sound mind and judgment; the individual who can react quickly and make the tough calls when necessary. Leadership is a direct reflection of how a situation is coordinated and managed so those who are being led can react swiftly to mitigate any further damage.

The definition of leadership is defined as the act of leading a group of people or an organization, but our 35th President of the United Stated, John F. Kennedy, said it best: “Leadership and learning are indispensable to each other” (Brazeau, n.d.). The act of leading is evident when it involves tackling a major crisis, but those efforts would fall short if those leading didn’t learn from their experiences along the way. The ability to be successful has to incorporate not only taking direction, but also giving direction as well and in the case of emergency management, this is no exception.

Emergency management encompasses working with authorities on both the state and federal level, but it can also include members who volunteer to assist during emergencies especially those classified as natural disasters. When managing an abundant amount of personnel at the scene and depending on the severity of the disaster, there has to be a strong sense of communication and urgency when mi...

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