Join Us / Volunteer

Emergency Management Support Team (Volunteer Position)

Best for:  Local citizens interested in a steady, long term volunteer committment to emergency management

Qualifications:  Min 18 years of age, High school or equivalent education, high interest in emergency management & ability to contribute regular volunteer hours to activities.  Ability to learn quickly and study independently.

Activities involved:  EMST supports EM operations by helping with emergency planning, responding to local & regional disasters, assisting in technical projects, maintenance & operations of the Emergency Operations Center & other technical equipment, helping during disaster exercises & training, & other operations.

Benefits:  EMST recieves technical training/education in emergency operations and are credentialled as staff.  As such, E.M.S.T. members are considered internal candidates for paid position openings - in fact, most of our paid staff are recruited from the E.M.S.T. program!

How to apply:  Interested applicants should contact Emergency Management via phone, email, or facebook - please indicate interest in the EMST program.  

Emergency Management Full Internship (Volunteer/Unpaid Position)

Best for:  Career minded individuals that are interested in pursuing a professional career in public and/or private sector emergency management and able to invest regular volunteer time (similar to studying at a technical school) in exchange for professional education, training, and experience. 

Qualifications:  Min 18 years of age, High school or equivalent education, high interest in emergency management & ability to contribute regular weekly volunteer hours (similar to that of participating at a technical school) to education, training, and operations.  Ability to learn quickly and study independently is essential - abilities in standard microsoft computer programs and interpersonal communications also are vital.

Activities involved:  Full internships provide education, training, and experience in a comprehensive range of emergency management services (see our About Us page) including participating with our C.E.R.T., I.M.T., and E.M.S.T. programs (see descriptions).  Interns will directly be involved in the 12 essential emergency management services over 4 phases:

• Phase 1 (EM Candidate):  Interest/Match/Entry - focuses on the candidate ensuring that emergency management is right for them by establishing their initial involvement, establishing a solid understanding of emergency management concepts, and developing their skills by helping staff with daily activities.  The candidate will start with involvement with our C.E.R.T. program which will provide field training, experience, and involvement with our public safety agencies.  By end of this phase, the candidate has gained significant education, experience, and references for their resume' but also gained enough knowledge to determine if emergency management is a desired career path.

• Phase 2 (EM Trainee):  Education - is characterized by intense emergency management education and active hands on practical skill building.  The core of this program consists of the participant completing nearly 50 independent study lessons each of which are reinforced by on the job study skill building activities.  For example, the candidate will complete an independent study course on basic emergency planning followed by actively reviewing and/or updating a section of the county emergency plan.  Upon completion of this phase, the candidate will have a comprehensive foundation of emergency management knowledge and will be ready to contribute in a full spectrum of activities.

• Phase 3 (EM Specialist):  Experience - involves the candidate continuing their training/education by working and contributing to emergency management efforts in a supportive but independent manner.  Essentially at this point they are working on their own projects and developing into an independent emergency management professional.  Along the way they establish professional relationships with local, state, and federal officials and formal baseline certifications.  Upon completion of this phase, the candidate is a new, but established emergency management professional and is eligible to be '1st up' for internal part-time employment by Osceola EMD (as available) or continue their internship.

• Phase 4 (EM Officer): Final Placement - at this point, the intern is operating independently and developing their own projects using their knowledge, skill, and ingenuity.  They continue to aggressively progress their professional education, experience, and service via Osceola EMD while actively seeking permanent employment.  As hard as it is on our EM family, OCEMD actively supports the intern in exploring, evaluating, and eventually securing their next career opportunity that is most appropriate for them.

Benefits:  Full interns recieve training, education, and experience in emergency management and are officially credentialled as staff.  In addition to full interns being considered 'internal' staff for all temporary and permanent positions, we provide the intern full support in ultimately being placed permanently in the next step of their career.

How to apply:  Interested applicants should contact Emergency Management via phone, email, or facebook - please indicate interest in the internship program.  

Emergency Management Limited Internship (Volunteer/Unpaid Position)

Best for:  Responsible individuals that are interested in developing their existing skills by applying them in a real world on the job experience benefitting their community.  Past actual examples include college interns needing intern credit, young adults seeking their first opportunity in a professional environment, new emergency managers wanting to job shadow program management.

Qualifications:  Min 18 years of age, High school or equivalent education, high interest in emergency management & ability to contribute a particular skill and regular volunteer hours (similar to that of a part time employee) to program operations.  Ability to learn quickly and study independently is essential - abilities in standard microsoft computer programs and interpersonal communications also are vital.

Activities involved:  Limited internships are carefully matched to meet the need's of the intern in developing existing skills for professional development (resume' & reference building) AND the need's of OCEM in project delivery.  As such each is customized and different, however, a basic process is the same:

• Phase 1 (EM Candidate):  Interest/Match/Entry - focuses on matching the candidate's skills, interest, and availability to an emergency management program need.  This involves the candidate studying our program framework, determining what skills/areas they would like to contribute, and developing a proposed project for the internship.

• Phase 2 (EM Trainee):  Education - the intern studies various educational & reference materials on the area of emergency service in which their particular project lies.  Upon completion, the intern will revise their proposal with action steps for completion.

• Phase 3 (EM Project Specialist):  Project Development - the intern begins implementing the steps of their project proposal under guidance of EM staff.  Proposals involve coordination with actual officials and are aimed at investments in one of our service areas.  

• Phase 4 (EM Project Specialist): Completion - upon completing their project, the intern is provided feedback and supported in adjusting their resume' and professional goals.  If interested, interns are allowed to continue their service with EMST as 'project specialists' for further experience.

Past examples of successful limited internships have included:

• Public Administration interns assigned to managing Homeland Security Grant administration

• Criminal Justice interns developing law enforcement plans/procedures or school safety plans

• Marketing/Education interns developing public information and/or preparedness campaigns

• Newly appointed emergency managers building their skills in service of an established mentored program. 

Benefits:  As Limited Interns recieve minimal EM training, they are not considered for 'internal' or ongoing staff positions - however, full support is provided in resume' building and job seeking.  

How to apply:  Interested applicants should contact Emergency Management via phone, email, or facebook - please indicate interest in the internship program.