In the PUBLIC SAFETY arena there are pretty good statistics on the policing function, the FIRE SERVICE, EMT, and even PUBLIC HEALTH. But not so good on the EM field. Who should be considered a qualified Emergency Manager? I would argue that the certificates and degrees certainly help. Education is part of the three legged stool upon which an EM sits. The others of course being training and experience. But since the onset of the EM discipline in the 70's my guestimate is that fewer than 20,000 have cycled through FEMA as an organization either as PFT, DAE, or CORE or consultants. At the STATES and their local levels perhaps more and perhaps less. But on active duty so to speak and excluding retirees and other I would guestimate less than 10,000 full time EMs nationwide. This is a very very tiny proportion of the total PUBLIC SAFETY arena, and by the way IAEM in designing a new mission and logo did use the term PUBLIC SAFETY which I would have avoided doing. But perhaps they wished to encourage larger enrollment in their organization as opposed to some other categories.
It would be interesting however to have FEMA collect the statistics each year on self-identified EM that are employed full time doing the EM mission. And did you know that a statutory definition for the first time ever appeared in PKEMRA 2006? I like the statutory definition even though I have long used a different one that can be found on my website at www.vacationlanegrp.com!
So come on academics, teachers and students let's get some more accurate studies of the EM discipline and identify how they were done and what the statistics show?
