The future of emergency management: Building a professionalized discipline for the 21st century

Abstract

Emergency management (EM) has undergone dramatic evolution over the last 50 years. While progress has been made toward professionalization over this time, there is currently no standardized professional definition of EM across academia, accreditation organizations, or practice. This gap in consensus limits cohesion across EM and makes it difficult to develop measurable standards of accountability. Qualitative thematic analysis of peer-reviewed literature, federal doctrine, accreditation criteria, and frameworks such as the Sendai Framework and Federal Emergency Management Agency’s Community Lifelines found (1) a lack of standardized professional definition, (2) siloed governance, and (3) absence of operationalized equity metrics. Doctrine is beginning to emphasize systems thinking and adaptive governance, but practice is largely incident-driven. Emerging accreditation and credentialing efforts have shown promise for professionalization; however, they have not collectively agreed upon a single definition and set of performance standards. This analysis provides a definition that positions EM uniquely as an interprofessional profession founded on the principles of systems governance, operationalized equity, and measurable standards of community resilience. Recommendations for reform include (1) establishing a universal professional definition, (2) defining and utilizing equity metrics, (3) utilizing Community Lifelines across all phases, and (4) normalizing interdisciplinary education and credentialing. When built upon a common professional definition, language, and standards, governance, accountability, and equitable outcomes throughout all aspects of EM can be enhanced.