12d • General discussion
Determining the Size of an Emergency Management (EM) Team.
This depends less on a strict "population-to-staff" ratio and more on the complexity of risks (coastal flood zones vs. stable inland plains) and the available resources of the city. However, for a city to be truly functional and not overwhelmed, guidelines suggest the following benchmarks for staffing:
1. The "Minimum Viable" Team (Small to Mid-Sized Cities). For smaller municipalities, a common pitfall is the "One-Person Shop." When one person handles everything—planning, grants, training, and community outreach—one of those pillars inevitably suffers.
• Recommended Minimum: 2 full-time employees.
• Why: This allows for continuity of operations if one person is ill or deployed, and ensures that "relationship building" (with police, fire, and NGOs) doesn't stop during intense planning phases.
2. General Staffing Benchmarks. While there is no "one-size-fits-all" number, successful city EM departments often scale based on population and risk tiers:
• Small Town, < 50,000 (2 FTE often support by fire/police)
• Mid-Sized City, 50,000 - 250,000 ( 3 - 8 FTE)
• Large City, 250,000 - 1M (8 - 15+ FTE)
• Metropolitan, 1M+ (20 - 50+ often specialized by hazard/function)
3. Essential Roles in a Scalable Team. If you are building or expanding a team, these are the core functions that need to be covered, regardless of whether they are individual people or shared roles:
• Emergency Management Coordinator & Deputy Coordinator: Provides the strategic vision, manages the budget, and liaises with the Mayor/City Council and other departments.
• Planning Specialist: Focuses on the Emergency Operations Plan (EOP) and Hazard Mitigation.
• Training & Exercise Officer: Ensures city staff and volunteers actually know how to execute the plans.
• Grants & Mitigation Manager: Disasters are expensive. This person manages federal (FEMA) and state funding, which is a full-time job in many jurisdictions.
• Logistics/Resource Manager: Manages the physical assets and supply chain needs during a crisis.
4. Factors That Increase the Need for More Staff. You may need a larger team than the population suggests if your city has:
• High Transit Volume: High commuter populations or major airports/ports.
• Complex Hazards: Nuclear power plants, chemical corridors, or high wildfire/hurricane risk.
• Special Events: Cities that host major sports or festivals regularly need dedicated "Special Event" planners.
• Language Diversity: If more than 5% or 1,000 residents have limited English proficiency, you are often required to have dedicated communication staff for these groups.
How would you put your team together?
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Determining the Size of an Emergency Management (EM) Team.
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