Emergency Management Threats and Hazards - Water
Emergency Management Threat and Hazards: Water is a 50-hour course, spread out over 15 weeks. It bridges the work of emergency management practitioners at any level, with that of academic researchers, specifically for water-related incidents. Practitioners who typically follow a disaster phase cycle of preparedness/protection/prevention, response, recovery, and mitigation will find this course to have the distinct actions and missions to reduce or eliminate adverse impacts from both threats and hazards.
The threats around water include threats from the Air, Ocean, Land, and Other Sources. There are water quality hazards , including Human-Made Hazards to Water Sources, Natural Water Source Contamination, and Hazards from Other Incidents. And the course covers quantity hazards with water, including Too Little Potable Water, Drownings, Too Much Raw Water – Freshwater, and Too Much Seawater. Finally, there are those Complex Incidents which include both quantity and quality hazards, such as Tropical Storms, Earthquakes and Tsunamis, Water Treatment Plant Issues, Saltwater Intrusion into Freshwater Rivers, Ice Dams, Frozen Major Lakes, and Cyberattacks.
The course is based on the book of the same name, and examines many of the distinct differences and variances within the specific scope of water-related incidents, crises, emergencies, and disasters. The course will cover examples and practical strategies for protection/prevention, response, recovery, and mitigation against adverse impacts to people, property, and organizations. This course will help Emergency Managers develop plans, organize staff, identify equipment and additional training needed, and design exercises to support your teams.
This 100% virtual course is designed for adult learners of different types, and can be completed self-paced, via attendance at a weekly session, or both.
New Jersey Certified Emergency Manager: The New Jersey Emergency Management Association (NJEMA) administers the New Jersey Certified Emergency Manager (NJCEM) credential and Emergency Management Threats and Hazards - Water can be used to meet the training hours required for recertification. Please visit NJEMA.org for more information about the NJCEM credential, including how to apply.
IAEM Certified Emergency Manager™: The International Association of Emergency Managers (IAEM) administers the Certified Emergency Manager™ (CEM®) credential. The Emergency Management Threats and Hazards - Water course can be used as training hours required for both initial and recertification requirements. *Note:Completion of this or any course does not guarantee that you will receive the CEM® credential by IAEM.
Cost
$350 per person.
Frequently asked questions
How do I get the e-book?
Once you have paid for your course registration, we will collect in batches (of 10) the names and e-mail addresses to send a bulk request for access codes to the online e-book. We will send you an individual e-mail with that code and the instructions for accessing the e-book online. The cost of the e-book is included in your course registration fee. During the first week of class, we can help you gain access to the e-book, if you have any challenges before the course start date.
If I can’t make one of the evening sessions, is that okay?
Generally, yes – we are designing the course to run ‘on its own’ for the most part. You can do the reading on your own time, ask/answer questions online at your own convenience, even work on the team project independently, all away from the ‘set’ weekly course sessions from 7pm to 10pm. Quizzes (there are five of them) can be taken during the course sessions where they are noted (Weeks 3, 6, 9, 12, and 15) or up to a week later, as your own schedule allows.
One of the weeks of this course is the NJEPA Conference (Week 9 – April 7-11, 2025) – Is there a work-around for the session this week?
Yes, in addition to the Week 9 session on Tuesday, April 8th, we will have a ‘pre-peat’ on Sunday night from 7pm-10pm when the same material and info will be offered. You only need to attend one of these two dates (and again, it is not required to pass the course). This is a quiz week though, and because of the conference we will be extending the time to complete the quiz to two weeks instead of one, for this quiz only.
Is there a team presentation, as part of this course?
Yes – and it is optional. One of our goals is to help you with the professional development requirements for both the NJCEM™ and the AEM®/CEM® certifications/recertifications. We will be helping you craft a presentation you could make to a future conference, association meeting, etc. which could then qualify as your professional development item in this category (public speaking). No promises of getting all this approved, awarded, etc. but you can at least get through a practice run, as part of this course (agenda item for Week 14).
Is there a paper to write as part of this course?
Yes, - and this is optional as well. As noted above, having a paper published as an article in an outside journal (one where there is an independent editorial board) also can count towards the professional development requirements of both the NJCEM™ and the AEM®/CEM® certifications/recertifications. We want to offer the chance to have your paper ‘presented’ to your classmates as feedback, and we will help you craft it for possible submission to a journal, as well. No promises of getting your work published, but you can at least get through a practice run of the editorial process, as part of this course (agenda item for Week 14).
Is this course applicable/appropriate outside of the United States?
Maybe. While the framework for each water-related hazard (flooding, drought, blizzards, tropical storms, cyber attacks on critical infrastructure, etc.) aligns to the U.S. national model for incident command, the five mission areas of the U.S National Preparedness Goal, and the FEMA concept of Community Lifelines, these same aspects can be translated – by the student – fairly easily into their own country’s disaster management system. Also, the case examples covered in the book and the class are global; and units of measure were converted into metric as well.