Emergency Management

Program Highlights

In the unique, two-semester Emergency Management program, you will learn how to create a plan to prepare for and respond to natural and human caused emergencies. You will practice planning and implementing your plan in emergency scenarios, and learn about risk management, liability, and the relevant legislation, regulations, guidelines, and procedures. A vital component of an emergency management plan is to prepare for the disruption of business, with the goals of a smooth and quick recovery of affected business services. You will acquire the fundamentals to prepare for business continuity and disaster recovery and to build a business continuity management program.

Legislation that makes emergency management mandatory has been implemented in many provinces and municipalities across Canada. Program graduates are employed with municipal, provincial and national government agencies. Opportunities are also rapidly increasing in the private sector, as companies and organizations recognize the need for business continuity planning and management.

Emergency planners and business continuity coordinators are trained to prepare for events such as flooding, railroad or highway accidents involving hazardous chemicals, or problems with the water source that endanger health, such as Walkerton. International terrorism is also a consideration. Duties of emergency planners and business continuity co-coordinators include:

• Ensuring operational capability and general state of readiness for the emergency control group and the emergency operations centre
• Liaising with community partners and community leaders to develop and implement the emergency plan
• Assembling a general emergency management plan, as well as common priority plans covering public information, emergency social services, evacuation and telecommunications, and hazard-specific preparedness plans for each hazard facing a community
• Designing emergency exercises and simulations and assessing their effectiveness
• Developing a business continuity program in the event of an emergency to ensure a quick recovery of affected business services
• Examining and performing hazard identification and risk assessment and using mitigation and prevention strategies to eliminate or reduce the impacts of an emergency
• Understanding the legislation, liability issues, roles and responsibilities of government and the private sector

Curriculum in the Emergency Managment program aligns with new Canadian Standards Association Z1600 Emergency Management Business Continuity Program.

Success Stories

Why Choose Fleming

Fleming College has strong strategic partnerships in the emergency services, security and risk management and healthcare fields, through programs such as Pre-Service Firefighter, Police Foundations, Security and Risk Management, Nursing, and Paramedic. As well, our School of Environmental and Natural Resource Sciences is home to several programs that concentrate on environmental issues, assessment and management. As a result, you will benefit from this integrated and comprehensive perspective on emergency management. With our network of contacts and experience, you can be sure that your training will be relevant, your faculty will be highly qualified and possess specialized expertise, and you will acquire the hands-on skills you need to advance your career.

Is this You?

Successful graduates of our Emergency Management program come from a variety of backgrounds, including:

• Police Foundations, Security and Risk Management, Business, Health, and Environmental Sciences college programs
• University graduates from Liberal Arts, Business and Environmental Sciences programs.

If you are changing careers, employment experience in one of the following fields will also be useful:

• police officer, firefighter, ambulance personnel, first responders or volunteers
• occupational health and safety professionals
• security and risk management specialists
• members of the Canadian Forces
• engineers, teachers, nurses
• business and project management specialists

Career Opportunities

Program graduates will be qualified to work in emergency management for municipal, provincial or national government agencies. There are also many employment opportunities within the private sector. Job titles include:

• Emergency Coordinator
• Business Continuity Analyst
• Corporate Emergency Management and Security Coordinator
• Emergency Management Program Analyst

Our grads compete for jobs at the mid-management level, with starting salaries ranging from $55,000 to $75,000.

 “The Fleming College Emergency Management program created a solid foundation for me to begin my new career. The hands-on approach and structured learning allowed me to gain knowledge and experience in many different components of this multi-faceted field. Opportunities ranged from developing exercises, to testing municipalities' emergency plans, to partnering with the Ministry of Natural Resources to create a Business Continuity Plan for an operational unit. The knowledge and passion that the faculty have for their varying fields is inspiring.” 

Katie McQuestion, Ministry of Natural Resources

Minimum Admission Requirements

• Ontario College Diploma or an undergraduate university degree
• Professionals who are currently Emergency Managers and professionals with equivalent and related work experience in the field of emergency management will also be considered for admission on an individual basis.