CHANGING EMERGENCY MANAGER’S ROLES
Emergency response to community needs has existed since humans started to gather in groups. Communities early in history had no specific roles. All members of the community were expected to assist when emergencies arose. According to written history, the entire community was expected to respond to fires, to open their homes to allow for triage, and every able-bodied member of the community was expected perform a role. Mayors, sheriffs, and other types of community leaders were by virtue of their office thrust into leadership roles when an emergency affected the community resources regardless of their experience. Today, Emergency Managers are often elected. They usually have a strong education and experience level. Emergency Managers are often trained with government resources, have a military background and are directly linked to Federal resources which continuously assist them in preparing for the next emergency. The most critical different is the speed by which the hazards change today. Early community leaders were rarely dealing with more than one issue at any given time, but today’s managers may be responsible for an enormous population and the additional hazards which lie within. Any natural disaster can initiate a chain of problems from HAZMAT spills to infectious disease outbreaks and today’s Emergency Managers have to be prepared for everything to happen at once. Early American history showed keen understanding of the power fire. Without organized firefighting techniques communities were responsible to one another and to assist in the protection of their communities resources. Each home was equipped with buckets for the sole purpose of the local fire brigade. This could be considered the first voluntary fire department. These volunteers had no training, no expertise, just a strong desire to protect the