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Emergency Management Exercise Program, Essay Example

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An emergency management organization should establish a comprehensive physical fitness program to ensure that its employees are prepared for many different types of disasters and possess the agility and strength to accomplish these objectives. An exercise program is highly beneficial within this type of organization as a means of maintaining a minimum level of fitness to provide support during the emergency response process (Santa Clara County Fire Department). An effective level of emergency preparedness is dependent upon these objectives and the ability of employees to be physically fit, flexible, and agile at all times (Santa Clara County Fire Department).

The US Department of Health and Human Services’ Federal Occupational Health program is available for use, in addition to a specialized program known as FedStrive, which is comprised of health and wellness initiatives for federal employees (Federal Occupational Health, 2013). The US Army has established physical fitness programs for its civilian employees so that they improve their health and are physically capable of handling any emergencies that might arise (Wenger, 2013). Also, the Office of Personnel Management has created a number of options for federal employees across a variety of agencies to improve their physical fitness and wellbeing (Wenger, 2013).

Each of the services provided by the federal government play an important role in determining how individual organizations might better prepare themselves in the event of an emergency. The development of these programs is often coordinated with guidance from the Office of Personnel Management in order to ensure that employees are receiving the time and resources that are necessary to participate in physical fitness programs, exercise routines, and nutritional programs to improve their personal health and wellbeing and their level of preparation for emergencies (Wenger, 2013).

Federal Occupational Health (2013). Retrieved from http://www.foh.hhs.gov/

Santa Clara County Fire Department. Training: physical fitness program. Retrieved from http://www.sccfd.org/physical_fitness.html

Wenger, Y. (2013). Federal workers get health and fitness programs. Retrieved from

http://articles.baltimoresun.com/2013-06-14/health/bs-md-healthy-federal-worker-20130614_1_fitness-two-gymnasiums-fort-meade

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• Essay on Management

Good Essay On Emergency Management Program Manager (Empm) Response:

Type of paper: Essay

Topic: Management , Emergency , Emergency Management , Competencies , Organization , Organizations , Incident , Blanchard

Published: 03/08/2023

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I do agree with your choice of important EMPM competencies for an EMPM (Emergency Management Program Manager). Utilizing general ICS principles while conducting incident response, supporting comprehensive preparedness planning via EMP programs in healthcare organizations and incorporating various exercises into EMPs of various organizations are all great points. Additionally, I also feel that an EMPM should have a set of leadership and management competencies as an individual for them to succeed in their duties. For one, an EMPM should have leadership and team building capabilities to propel teams away from the bureaucratic nature of most organizations. This is because bureaucracy could hamper the key competencies mentioned above such as incorporating different exercise into EMP programs and supporting comprehensive preparedness planning as you have clearly outlined. Again, EMPM should ascribe to a Comprehensive Emergency Management Philosophy or Framework that prepares them for all hazards, disaster lifecycle phases, and involvement of all actors. Finally, a good EMPM should be a great manager, able to handle teams and other managers under them to ensure synergy when implementing EMPFs. (Lucus-McEwen, 2010). In response, I have noted that the core competencies you chose deal mainly with the proper execution of emergency operations plan (EOP), incident recovery and resuming daily operations, and developing After-Action Reports (AARs) after the incident. That withstanding, I feel that your core competencies would be well backed by proper networking and coordination. This is because most EM offices have little or no staff at all. Therefore, emergency managers need to network and coordinate with other organizations (Blanchard, 2005). Again to facilitate EOP implementation, there is a need to extend beyond networking and coordination and integrate various activities such as disaster, hazard and emergency management issues into a wide range of organizations.

References:

Blanchard, W. (2005). Top Ten Competencies for Professional Emergency Management" Dr. (pp. 1-6). Emmitsburg, MD: Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). Retrieved from https://www.training.fema.gov/hiedu/docs/Blanchard%20-%20Competencies%20EM%20HiEd.doc Lucus-McEwen, V. (2010). What Is A "Core Competency" In Emergency Management, Anyway?. Emergencymgmt.com. Retrieved 25 March 2016, from http://www.emergencymgmt.com/emergency-blogs/campus/What-Is-A-Core.html

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Essay: The Federal Emergency Relief Administration

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Essay: The Federal Emergency Relief Administration (FERA)

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The Civil Works Administration

The economic collapse of 1929 known as the Great Depression caused widespread hardship throughout the United States. When President Franklin Roosevelt took office in January 1933, 15 million Americans were unemployed. Many had lost not only their jobs, but their also their savings and homes and were dependent on relief money from the government to survive. Businesses and banks had closed, production and sales of goods and services had been severely reduced. Most federal relief efforts had been mired for some time in a quagmire of political and legislative wrangling. Little aid or direction had actually reached the state level.

On May 22, 1933, the Federal Emergency Relief Administration (FERA) was inaugurated. The chief architect of this program was Harry Hopkins, the former president and executive director of the New York State Temporary Emergency Relief Administration and a man who had, by 1933, 20 years of experience in social work and welfare administration. He had worked with (then Governor) Franklin Roosevelt in New York, and the two became good friends, with Hopkins serving as Roosevelt's chief advisor and confidant throughout his administration.

Hopkins sprang into action less than a week after Roosevelt's inauguration, approaching Roosevelt's secretary of labor, Frances Perkins, with a plan for a program of federal relief. Impressed, Perkins agreed to take the proposal to Roosevelt, who quickly agreed to the plan.

"When Roosevelt appointed Hopkins as director of FERA, he called him to his office for a five-minute talk. The president told the Washington newcomer two things: give immediate and adequate relief to the unemployed, and pay no attention to politics or politicians. Hopkins did just that. Thirty minutes later, seated at a makeshift desk in a hallway . he began a program committed to action rather than debate, a program that would eventually put 15 million people to work. Even more important, FERA established the doctrine that adequate public relief was a right that citizens in need could expect to received from their government." (J. Hopkins p. 309)

FERA had three primary objectives: 1) Adequacy of relief measures; 2) providing work for employable people on the relief rolls; and 3) diversification of relief programs.

FERA accepted as elementary that all needy persons and their dependents should receive sufficient relief to prevent physical suffering and to maintain a minimum standard of living." (Williams p. 96) In a report to Congress in 1936, FERA indicated that while actual physical suffering was prevented, it was never fully possible to achieve living standards of minimum decency for the entire population in need of relief.

It has been estimated that during this period of relief, roughly three-fourths of the heads of families on relief were employable. They may not have been generally employable in private industry due to age, but they were considered employable by FERA. The FERA's goals for work relief included not only genuine work (as opposed to "make work projects") but also work opportunities that were sufficiently diversified to give relief workers employment in line with their previous job experience. The working conditions and wages also had to be in line with those found in the private sector.

The purpose of FERA was to work cooperatively with state government, providing federal grants for relief purposes. Grant applications required that states were to provide information on the amounts necessary to meet relief needs in the state and the amounts available from public and private sources within the state to contribute toward those relief needs. States also were to provide information on provisions made to assure adequate administrative supervision of the funds, the methods by which adequate relief levels would be assured, and the purposes for which the funds would be used. The provisions of the Federal Emergency Relief Act of 1933 provided that authorization for FERA would expire in two years from the date of inception.

The most pressing problem for FERA at first was to build up adequate local relief organizations. Few of the existing state relief agencies had been in existence for more than 7 or 8 months at the time of creation of FERA. Those state relief agencies that were deemed to be inadequate or flawed in some way had to be overhauled to meet the requirements of FERA.

Most states had little experience with running genuine work relief programs and almost no experience in providing appropriate work for white-collar workers. Despite directives and orders issued in 1933, states and localities were not quick to cooperate by accepting federal projects. Either through inertia or a desire to institute projects of purely local interest and benefit, state involvement in work relief programs were slow to start in 1933. Faced with continued high unemployment and concerns for public welfare during the coming winter of 1933-34, FERA institute the Civil Works Administration (CWA) as a short-term measure to get people to work.

As the CWA program drew to a close in March 1934, it was replaced by the Emergency Work Relief Program of FERA. This program continued and expanded many of the projects begun under the CWA.

The bulk of the work relief projects, were engineering and construction oriented. Other projects included sanitation improvements, repair or construction of public buildings, national park improvements, real property surveys, library projects, art and theater projects, and archeological excavations. The Washington Emergency Relief Administration (WERA) supervised numerous construction and repair projects in the state. In Seattle, it built the Montlake playfield field house and the Montlake Community Clubhouse, which has since acquired the name "Tudor Building," after its architecture. Other projects in Washington were of an agricultural nature. Among these were a rural electric survey of the state, research on the development of new fruit by-products, research to determine the vitamin C content in Washington apples, a survey of part-time farming, and research on the use of by-products of the fishing industry as feed for the poultry industry. (WSU MASC)

The Emergency Work Relief Program provided for three special classes of projects for white-collar workers: 1) Planning; 2) public health, welfare and recreation; 3) education, arts and research. ." It had been estimated that there were about 560,000 white-collar workers between the ages of 16 and 64 on the relief rolls in March 1935, approximately 11 percent of all employable persons on relief rolls at this time. "Federal encouragement of white-collar projects has been productive of more bitter criticism than any other single activity of the various federal relief agencies.Much of the criticism.has arisen from a misunderstanding of the peculiar problems which beset the relief agencies in attempting to meet adequately the relief needs of those white-collar workers who were forced to apply for relief."

"During 1932 and 1933 a growing number of unemployed teachers applied for relief after their resources had become exhausted. Shortly after the FERA was initiated we attempted to do something for this group of needy teachers. Obviously it was hardly enough to give them direct relief. With thousands of teachers out of work there were, at the same time, hundreds of thousands of men and women in need of educational facilities. We decided to put these unemployed teachers to work teaching those unemployed who wanted instruction." (H. Hopkins p. 113)

In March 1935, at the peak of the emergency education program, more than 44,000 persons were employed and the number of pupils was slightly higher than 1,724,000. Each state could choose to develop or emphasize any or all of the following, depending on local conditions: 1) General adult education; 2) literary classes for adults; 3) vocational education; 4) vocational rehabilitation; and 5) nursery schools for pre-school children from underprivileged homes.

Another part of the emergency education program was the college student aid program. It provided part-time employment for those college students who would otherwise have been unable to continue their education. The projects for the students were planned and supervised in large part by the college authorities.

Funds through the emergency education program were made available for student employment at Washington State University (WSU) in Pullman from 1934 to 1936. During part of this time period there were also funds available through the Civil Works Administration but these were primarily for public works projects. The FERA funds at WSU were administered by a Central Faculty Committee made up of the Dean of Men, the Dean of Women, the Superintendent of the Central Correspondence Office and one faculty member. The Committee operated through the office of the Dean of Men.

The requirements for the use of the funds were that they be used to employ not more that 10% of the total full time student population, of which 25% had to be students not previously enrolled. Although the FERA funds enabled many students to attend WSU who could not otherwise afford to, the program was terminated in 1936 when this relief activity was transferred to the Works Progress Administration.

Prior to FERA, few efforts were made to institute special projects for women. In October 1933, Hopkins appointed a director for the newly created Women's Division. FERA also ordered states to appoint a qualified woman to head a women's division in each state agency. These agencies were to plan special projects that would benefit women and to exert pressure on other divisions of state relief agencies to insure that women had equal consideration for work opportunities for which they were qualified.

"Among the projects providing work for women were sewing room projects in which clothing, bedding, towels, etc., were fabricated for distribution to persons on relief rolls; food canning projects; nursing and teaching projects; and various research and statistical surveys." (Williams p. 132)

Finally, there were three types of special programs within FERA, the Federal Surplus Relief Corporation, the Self-Help Cooperative Program, and the Transient Program. The Federal Surplus Relief Corporation had two main purposes. First, it helped keep farmers above the destitution level by serving as an agency for removing price-depressing surplus commodities from the open market. Secondly, it served as the agency through which these surplus commodities were made available to the state and local relief administrations for distribution to relief clients. At times, processing of the commodities was done by work divisions of the state relief agencies.

The Self-Help Cooperative Program was a small part of FERA which had as its mission to help existing grassroots cooperatives produce goods for themselves and to facilitate the exchange or barter of other goods needed by the members of the cooperative but which could not be produced within this group. The program also helped groups that wished to start cooperatives.

"The need for a special program for transients soon became manifest. Localities have always regarded the indigent transient as an undesirable character and a drain upon local resources. During the depressing this age-old dislike was fanned by the fear that a non-resident who was seeking relief might at any moment take some job which 'properly' belonged to a local person." (Williams p. 147)

The Transient Division of FERA was established in July 1933, volunteering to furnish all the necessary funds for a transient program in those states that drew up an approved plan for dealing with transients. "Local antagonism toward transients was so great, however, that despite the fact that no state and local funds were required, only a few states had applied for funds before September 1933." (Williams p. 148) It was not until late in December that 40 states and the District of Columbia were operating transient programs. Most states required a period of residence of one year to qualify for relief in that state, and FERA accepted this. FERA defined as a transient one who had lived less than the twelve preceding months in the state in which he was applying for aid.

During the period of over two years that the program was in existence, transient relief bureaus existing in most large cities and along the main travel routes. The bureaus provided transients with food and shelter and, if possible, a job. At times, large transient camps were set up on the outskirts of cities.

FERA and the Seattle Salvation Army collaborated in the operation of shelters for homeless men at two locations in Seattle: 213-1/2 Second Avenue South (the former United States Immigration Building) and at 117-1/2 Main Street. Because of Seattle's position as a gateway city to the Pacific and to Alaska, transients who visited the shelters came from all over the United States and even from foreign nations. Because Federal Emergency Relief Act of 1933 mandated that FERA should end two years after its inception, a new program was needed to take its place. The program put in place was called the Works Progress Administration (WPA), and it took over and improved the programs put in place by FERA. The WPA was created May 6, 1935, by authority of the Emergency Relief Appropriate Act of 1935.

References Consulted

Hopkins, Harry L. Spending to save: the complete story of relief. Seattle: University of Washington Press, 1936.

Hopkins, June. "The road not taken: Harry Hopkins and New Deal Work Relief." Presidential Studies Quarterly 29, 2(306-316).

Washington State University Libraries Special Collections web site. Accessed July 31, 2003. https://content.libraries.wsu.edu/digital/custom/collections

Williams, Edward Ainsworth. Federal aid for relief. New York: Columbia University Press, 1939.

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Emergency Medicine and Emergency Care Research Guided Experience (EMERGE)

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$2,500 stipends and housing provided

The EMERGE program at the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis is a six-week program offered to medical students to provide an introduction to emergency care research and emergency medicine careers. 

Students will be paired with emergency medicine faculty to complete an emergency care research project. 

Didactics focused on emergency care methodology and career pathways will be combined with shadowing opportunities in both clinical and clinical research environments.  EMERGE program goals

• Provide program participants with a foundation in emergency care research. 
• Convey emergency medicine research career options to program participants. 

EMERGE program mentors conduct research in the following areas and will be paired with program students according to the student’s research interests:

• Stroke 
• Respiratory failure 
• Sedation 
• Immune response to respiratory infections 
• COVID/Influenza vaccine effectiveness 
• Gun violence prevention 
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• Implementation/de-implementation science 
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• Emergency procedures 
• Cardiac arrest 
• Opioid use disorder 
• Traumatic brain injury 
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Program Benefits 

• Participants will receive a $2,500 stipend for the six week program. 
• On campus housing will be provided by the program. 
• Program will provide some meals at didactic sessions and program events. 

Application Information  

Please following these steps to apply:  

• First, fill in application intake form and return to [email protected] as soon as possible. 
• One letter of recommendation is required. Please ask whoever you choose to directly email the letter of recommendation to [email protected] as soon as possible, but before April 30, 2024. 
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Please note that all application materials must be received no later than April 30, 2024.  Candidates will be notified by May 15 if chosen to participate in the program.

Note: If deadline has passed and you are interested in applying, please contact the EMERGE program coordinator (Allyson Artis at [email protected] ) to determine if a late application can be accepted.   

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The Emergence Program is a unique opportunity for homeland security/public safety professionals who are in the first half of their careers. The program provides an educational forum and innovation lab for participants to explore “emerging” trends in the world around us (e.g., technology, social, and terrorism). Participants will discuss both the challenges associated with these complex trends as well as the opportunities to rethink how we protect our communities and the nation. In addition, program sessions will assist participants in “emergence” strategies for implementing innovative ideas, being a leader, and for a successful homeland security career.

All costs associated with participating—tuition, books and travel—are covered by CHDS through its sponsor, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s National Preparedness Directorate, FEMA.

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Janelle Hahn, Emergency Preparedness Program Administrator / Ventura County Public Health, Emergency Medical Services Agency, Ventura, CA

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Justin Rees, Logistics Readiness Officer, U.S. Air Force, Salt Lake City, UT

For more information on Emergence and other CHDS programs, watch the  National Recruitment Webinar (2023)

• The cohort of 32 participants will be chosen from a national applicant pool and will reflect the variety of professional backgrounds, perspectives, and geographic areas that comprise the homeland security community.
• The network-based learning portion of Emergence includes readings, discussion boards, research and ideation around the change initiatives, and other activities.
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DHS Employees: Read this before starting an application . All DHS components require their employees to apply through their training and education department before submitting an official application on the CHDS website. If you are a DHS employee, see the  list of the points of contact for each component .

Private Sector Applicants: Please note the following before starting an application . Beginning in 2023, private sector organizations are required to pay the travel and per diem costs of participants accepted to either the CHDS Executive Leaders Program or the Emergence Program. There is no charge for tuition. Private sector individuals who are accepted into either of the two CHDS programs will be asked to confirm their organization’s financial support as part of the acceptance process.

Emergence Alum Making a Difference: Paving the Way in the National Guard

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If you have serious needs due to the severe storms, straight-line winds, tornadoes and flooding that began April 26, you may qualify for a one-time $750 payment per household through FEMA’s Serious Need Assistance (SNA). This payment would be in addition to any other assistance. 

SNA is money to pay for emergency supplies like water, food, first aid, breast-feeding supplies, infant formula, diapers, personal hygiene items, or fuel for transportation. It is available in all disasters declared for Individual Assistance and is available to eligible survivors who apply within the first 30 days after the disaster was declared. To qualify for SNA, you must tell FEMA you are displaced, need shelter or have other emergency costs due to the disaster on your application.

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Serious Needs Assistance and Displacement Assistance require an inspection to confirm eligibility before funds are provided to applicants. 

Apply to FEMA

Survivors can apply to FEMA in several ways including online at  DisasterAssistance.gov , downloading the  FEMA App  for mobile devices, or calling the FEMA Helpline at 800-621-3362 . Calls are accepted every day from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. CDT. Help is available in most languages. If you use a relay service, such as video relay (VRS), captioned telephone or other service, give FEMA the number for that service. To view an accessible video about how to apply visit:  Three Ways to Register for FEMA Disaster Assistance - YouTube .

You may be eligible if:

• You complete a FEMA application;
• FEMA can confirm your identity;
• The home where you live most of the year is in a declared disaster area;
• FEMA confirms the disaster damage from an inspection or documents you send; and
• You apply for FEMA assistance while Serious Needs Assistance and Displacement Assistance is available.

To watch an accessible video about Serious Needs Assistance, go to   FEMA Accessible: Serious Needs Assistance (youtube.com) .

For the latest information about Texas’ recovery, visit fema.gov/disaster/4781 . Follow the FEMA Region 6 Twitter account at twitter.com/FEMARegion6 or on Facebook at facebook.com/FEMARegion6/ .

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Krymsk: A Year After the Tragedy

A year ago, at night of July 7, the Krasnodar Krai was struck by the decade’s worst flood. The town of Krymsk was most affected by the disaster – the flood took the lives of 153 persons. The total number of deaths in the Krasnodar Krai was estimated at 171, 7.2 thousand of residencies were flooded, and over 60 thousand people were announced victims. For Krymsk, this is not the first tragedy of that kind; for example, in August of 2002, Krymsk became one of the areas, which were most highly affected by the flood. In 2002, 62 people died and 200 were considered victims .

Krymsk, 2012. Photo: RIA NOVOSTI

The formation and development of the natural disaster that occurred in 2012 was predictable, while its consequences could have been avoided. A few days before the tragedy, EMERCOM of Russia issued a forecast that suggested the possibility of the disaster within the period from July 4 to July 9. The authorities had a few days to inform population and organize evacuations of those residing in the most dangerous areas. However, as in 2002, information on the approaching natural catastrophe did not appear to be of interest or significance to the authorities. Not a single person was evacuated; moreover, residents were not informed about the upcoming flood. The official version of the administration is quite different: “At midnight, rescuers, administration, local public employees, and firefighters were gathered after an alert was raised. An emergency situation was announced through loudspeakers in the cars driving around the town. Evacuation started at 11p.m.”  Krymsk residents, however, did not notice the actions; many of those, who resided in the most dangerous areas and who were not notified by their friends or relatives, died in the flood.

It has been a year since the Krymsk tragedy, and one might believe that everything that happened should be accepted as reality that, unfortunately, cannot be changed. Perhaps, it is quite difficult to get in peace with that situation because of the fact that the Krymsk tragedy revealed a whole range of familiar problems. One might think of negligence, lack of openness, indifference. Recollection of the Krasnodar Krai governor’s words – “Should we have knocked on every door?” – triggers thoughts about a huge gap between the authorities and the people. For some, it may sound surprising, but yes, they should have knocked on every door, everyone should have received the information about the upcoming disaster.

When in 2012, New York City with the population of 8.2 million was preparing for hurricane Sandy, 375 thousand people were evacuated. In the most dangerous areas, police officers stopped by every single apartment, telling citizens about the upcoming threat and persuading them to leave. There was an interesting picture posted in the blogosphere that showed NYC police officers talking to a local resident and Alexander Tkachev.

It happened so that the “victims of the fate” remained the “victims of the state”: calculations showed that financial support provided to the victims was too high and was subject to repayment.

With Sandy approaching New York, all leaders of the state and cities, public officials, reporters were in the immediate proximity to the area, press conferences were held constantly, and alerts were sent repeatedly. An opinion was shared that Obama reacted to the hurricane too quickly; ironically, that opinion belonged to Michael Brown, former head of FEMA in the Bush administration, who had been in the center of criticism for slow response to hurricane Katrina.

The response to hurricane Sandy embraced lessons of Katrina which, according to experts, showed that the American “ nation was not prepared ” to respond to emergencies in a proper way. Those lessons were taken into consideration and the majority of individuals residing in “the most individualistic country in the world,” did not feel that the state was indifferent to them. By contrast, Russian citizens, were left by the authorities and had to face the Krymsk tragedy on their own. Some estimates show that the total number of victims in the Krasnodar Krai was “by 1.5 times bigger than in all countries affected by hurricane Sandy, and 3 times bigger than in the United States.”

Perhaps, the authorities’ indifference is something to which Russians have to get used. One might remember the former mayor of Moscow, who did not want to cancel his vacation plans and come back to the city with a suffocating smog from wildfires, saying with irritation: “What is the problem? Do we have an emergency or crisis in Moscow? Is it a Moscow problem? Is there a crisis in Moscow? What can we, in Moscow, do about this situation? If I need to come back to show that I am here – it is one thing. However, what should have been done in Moscow, is already done. The system was developed.” For some reason, a number of political leaders from time to time try to explain their absence during an emergency by unwillingness to “PR on people’s suffering.” As Gazeta.Ru once suggested , during Sandy, one might talk as much as one wants that Obama and Romney decided to postpone their election campaigns for PR purposes, “These PR efforts, however, match normal practices for American politicians in this kind of situations.”

Coming back to the Krymsk events, it should be noted that after the flood, the authorities did not stay aside; for example, the victims of the flood received financial support. However, it happened so that the “victims of the fate” remained the “victims of the state” : calculations showed that financial support provided to the victims was too high and was subject to repayment. The Krasnodar Krai’s administration even sued some individuals in an attempt to return the money. After Vladimir Putin’s disapproval of those efforts, however, governor Tkachev promised to repay the already returned support money.

In March 2013, investigation into the authorities’ handling of the flood ended, and this past May, the trial began. The five individuals from the former Krymsk rayon leadership were charged with negligence and forgery. The Russian Investigative Committee called the Krymsk authorities’ conduct the “quintessence of cynicism.” Their conduct or actions could also be called “deadly indifference” (this is the title of a book co-authored by Michael Brown, former head of FEMA). Most likely, the five persons will be found guilty; this will not help save all the problems, however. As a reminder, in 2002, when the authorities also “neglected information on the upcoming emergency and did not provide for timely notification of the population” , the mayor of Novorossiysk was found guilty. In ten years, the story repeated and acquired additional tragic undertones. Perhaps, in order to eliminate cynicism and “deadly indifference,” 10 years is an insufficient period of time. Most likely, punishment of the “fall guys,” who, unfortunately, are only part of the overall system featuring a gap between the citizens and the state, will be insufficient either.

The Krymsk story, which reflects fundamental systemic issues, would have been completely dark without people who chose not to distance themselves from the grief that swept through the Krasnodar Krai. On the first days after the tragedy, volunteers started to arrive – in Krymsk, there were some 3 thousand volunteers from more than 30 Russian regions. They worked together with EMERCOM, often fulfilled multiple “dirty jobs,” and, compared to a number of political leaders, were not afraid of any self-PR accusations or anything else. Many of them just felt that their presence and help were needed at that time and that they were capable of making a difference. According to a Levada Center survey , 77% of Russians believed that during the Krymsk catastrophe volunteers “really helped the victims” of the flood.

It is currently a question if volunteers will be able to continue offering effective targeted support to people. The reason is an attempt to bureaucratize voluntary activities. As known, senators Alexander Borisov, Yuriy Vorob’ev, and Valeriy Ryazanskiy introduced a bill on volunteers in the State Duma. The bill was under development for a year and a half and gained a new impetus after the events in the Kranodar Krai. As the “Vedomosti” newspaper points out, “Those who try to institutionalize the voluntary movement, attempted to copy international experience, where the state knows volunteers, trusts them and can organize them; volunteers, in their turn, trust the state because the state does not interfere with their work in the areas, where volunteers are more effective." In Russia, this kind of trust-based relationship does not currently exist; that is why, quite understandably, a significant number of civic activists do not approve of this bill.

One might want the lessons of the Krymsk tragedy not to disappear. The “culture” of cynicism and “deadly indifference” should be destroyed. It should also be understood that organization of appropriate interaction with representatives of the “third sector,” including volunteers, is vitally important. It is not a secret that today successful emergency management is directly dependent on the effectiveness of cooperation. And the political will is required to achieve these objectives. Will it emerge or everything will continue to follow the familiar path, where only names of locations, types, scale, and dates will change?

Our newsletter delivers a digest of analytical articles and op-eds published on our website, along with the latest updates on the IMR activities on a monthly basis.

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Articles & Advice > Graduate School > Articles

3 Great Grad School Application Essay Examples

The grad school personal statement is an important part of your application. Here are a few good graduate admission essay examples to inspire you.

by CollegeXpress

Last Updated: Jan 3, 2024

Originally Posted: Jun 15, 2017

Graduate school application essays, personal statements, and letters of intent can be a major hurdle to overcome in the application process. Getting just the right words on paper to convey why you want to go to grad school and the impact you intend to have using your degree is a lot to ask. To help you get some inspiration and tell your story the right way, check out these three essay examples. Every essay here comes from a successful grad school application, and after reading the essay we break down just what makes it good. And you’re going to love their stories.

Daniel Masciello, Juris Doctor

University of Connecticut Class of 2015

T ry. To get. Some. Slee—it’s no use.

It’s 3:00 am, 90 minutes before our day at work in the landfills of rural Thailand is set to begin, and the 60-watt bulb is still shining bright overhead. It is radiant.

Directly on my left is one grown man’s bare armpit; to my right is more of the same. I keep my nose pointed at the ceiling. I can’t lift my arms because I am too big, a Caucasian beetle trying to fit into this Thai ant colony.

I’ve been lying still for the better part of six hours now, unable to determine exactly why my host family insists on leaving the brightest light in the house on all night (to this day, still a mystery). It is not for a child’s sake; I, at 22 years old, am the youngest in the home. I’m also the only American. Five grown men, lined up snugly on a queen-sized mattress, are soundly sleeping while I contemplate excuses for not working in the landfill that day.

Twelve hours later, over sticky rice and “fresh” vegetables (from the landfill), I try to call out some of my bunkmates for being afraid of the dark. Nobody laughs at my jokes, but they don’t stop smiling either. Perhaps they don’t understand my infantile Thai. From what I can understand of them, they enjoy talking about how grumpy I’ve been all day. No sleep for some 60-odd hours and putting in two grueling days in the landfill, filtering through mountains of trash from the nearby city of Khon Kaen, looking for yogurt containers and car batteries in the hot Thai sun—these things can change a man’s general disposition.

But I did wake up and go to work with my host family. No, I was not prepared physically or mentally, nor was I in the best of moods that day. But the smiling way of the Thai people is infectious, and it wasn’t long before I was smiling too that night, stomach full and ready for more...

That was back in the fall of 2008. The study abroad program I was participating in revolved around studying specific issues (damning rivers, mining minerals, razing slums, etc.), staying with a village that was negatively affected by an issue, and then working to help solve the problem. It was not uncommon to have sessions lasting eight or nine hours just to prepare for a town meeting the next day. Free time after exchanges and interviews would be spent working in the fields with the villagers or perhaps working on our program’s publications. It was not your typical study abroad experience. I have yet to learn of another like it.

It was also challenging at times. Thailand changed my view on a lot of things for the better, including what it means to truly work hard. As a waiter back home, it was a routine practice to work 40 hours a week in addition to going to class and studying. Still, sometimes I wonder if I used jobs outside of class as a crutch. I always had the excuse: I have to work to support myself. But so do a lot of people. And for some of those people, like many of the villagers in Thailand, working extra hours is not temporary. It's a way of life.

At the time I'm not sure I truly appreciated the privilege I had of going to college, as my undergraduate GPA might indicate. Part of that disappointing number is that I feel as if I was afraid of putting 100% of my effort into school. If I was to put all my effort in and still get mediocre grades, I would have considered myself a failure. Apparently I couldn’t or refused to handle that. How cowardly, not to mention foolish!

But while I was in Thailand, I developed a confidence in myself that I simply hadn’t been able to locate before. On multiple occasions I tasted the failure that comes with studying complex issues in a foreign land. Each time it tasted horrible. But I worked on these failures.

For example, I nagged my homestay families to help me with my Thai and forced myself to request constructive criticism in a group setting. Through these trials I discovered the sweetest feeling of them all: perseverance. That meal next to the landfill, described above, was one of the most deliciously memorable meals of my life for that same reason. I was exhausted and maybe a little bit grumpy, but I learned to work through it—and smile too.

I am well aware that law school will probably force me to even further revise my definition of hard work and present challenges and setbacks the likes of which I may not have yet experienced. But I would like to face these challenges, and most importantly overcome them, at your school. I hope my letters of recommendation and LSAT score give the indication that I am capable of doing so. This essay, lastly, is a chance for me to convince you that I can and will. I look forward to hearing from you.

Why this essay is great

Try to stop reading this personal statement, we dare you. The introduction grabs you and doesn’t let go. But besides spinning a great yarn that also says a lot about Daniel’s values, this application essay has an important function: it thoughtfully and maturely addresses any concerns the graduate admission committee might have regarding Daniel’s undergraduate academic performance. Showing rather than telling, he depicts a person who is prepared to do the work to overcome obstacles and learn from mistakes. And since he was admitted to the grad program, clearly it worked.

Related:  How to Know If Law School Is Right for You

Bridget Sullivan, Master of Arts in Higher Education Administration

Boston College Class of 2017                                                                                                    

I did not know higher education existed as a field until I came to college. Despite this, it has surprisingly been the field that has had the largest impact on my college experience. It has given me direction going forward.

College has been my most important experience so far, in that it has allowed me to better understand how I interact with my environment and how others experience the world around them. Without the Student Affairs professionals I have interacted with over the past four years, I would not be where I am today. I hope that in my future as a Student Affairs professional I can give students the great experience I have been privileged to receive. I will take the lessons I have learned and those that I will learn in the future to improve the college experience for many future generations going forward. 

I have enjoyed being a Resident Advisor, a Parent Orientation Leader, and an Assistant Resident Director while attending the University of Massachusetts Lowell for the past four years. All of these jobs fall under the Office of Residence Life. These opportunities have been cornerstones of my college education. They have taught me the long-term and transferrable skills of organization, conflict management, and supervision.

I have most enjoyed being an Assistant Resident Director, as I get to work with the Resident Advisors and Resident Director in a more administrative capacity. The ARD works closely with the RD to get the work done and hold RAs accountable. I think my favorite part of being an ARD this year has been working with the RAs to make sure they have the best experience they can, while at the same time making sure they complete their work well and on time. I enjoy helping RAs and other students reach their full potential, and I feel that it is a learning process for me too. The ARD position has shown me how much I value helping others on the path I have set for myself through my experiences with the RAs I supervise.

Because of the ARD role I have been afforded, I have had the opportunity to see how this potential career may play out. I feel confident about my ability to transition to the professional side of the field because the ARD position has already forced me to take on many of these steps. I tested the waters of the potential career in my RA role last year; this year as an ARD has shown me that I know I can succeed. 

I am passionate about student affairs and higher education because it is an opportunity to work with college students and help them grow and develop. I truly believe that there isn’t a more rewarding career than one that allows you to help others. This field allows me to assist others every day at a time in their lives when many students need it most. It was my developmental path, and I want to give that support to others.

So far my academics and daily practice have not been linked nor intentional. I am excited to be able to make this so by starting a graduate program in higher education. Understanding my former responsibilities in terms of theory and learning how to turn new theories into practice is a process I cannot wait to begin. 

I know the Lynch School of Education can assist me in achieving this goal through their program in Higher Education Administration. The opportunity to study in the Boston area will give me a multitude of professional development opportunities that would be hard to find anywhere else. If I am admitted, I will work hard to maximize my time at the Lynch School and become a young professional who can innovate and improve upon current practices in the field.

This personal statement takes you on a journey, as Bridget discovers her calling as an undergrad, gets all the hands-on experience in it she can, and figures out the perfect way to make it her career: grad school. And not just any grad school—Boston College in particular! There’s no doubt in your mind that she’s going to take advantage of everything BC’s master’s program has to offer, and she has the real-world experience to back her claims up.

Related:  Great Alternative Jobs for Education Majors Who Don't Want to Teach

Haviland Johannesson-Forgit,  Master of Arts in Arts Administration

Vermont State University , formerly Castleton University Class of 2018

While contemplating how I should approach my personal and professional goals and how earning an advanced degree will support them, I came upon my application essay for Goddard College that I wrote close to three years ago:

“Oftentimes, children who lack positive, authoritative figures and emotional support end up making unwise choices that stay with them and induce prejudice and judgment from other people who may be ignorant to what caused these children to make the choices in the first place. This cultural stigmatism that exists in our society often leads to these children being segmented into a disenfranchised group as adults. The misunderstanding and neglect that occurs in communities towards socially disenfranchised children goes against everything that I was raised to take in regard when attempting to understand a person.

I envision my studies reaching children and young adults in many different communities. It is my goal to immerse myself in rural, inner-city, and lower-income communities and meet these children before or in the midst of their time when the decisions they make can influence where their life may lead. I believe that the teachings of dance as a holistic lifestyle will provide outlets of knowledge and self-expression for these children and young adults that will lead them in positive directions.”

In this essay we were expected to write about our intentions and ambitions for our studies; to address the passions that acted as the drive for our work during our attendance at the college as well as after graduation. In returning to this essay, I was pleased to discover that my ambition and dedication to using the performing arts as a source of structure and reliability for youth in this country has not changed. When applying to Goddard College for my undergraduate degree I knew that I would want to continue on to pursue my graduate degree afterwards to enhance myself as a qualified candidate working in my field. Earning my advanced degree will enable me to go forth in the world as a confident and learned individual prepared to create the positive opportunities I envisioned years ago.

While earning my advanced degree, I intend to learn the details and structure that is needed to successfully run arts organizations. The closeness that Castleton University has with the Association for Arts Administration in developing its program for the MA in Arts Administration encourages me; it assures me that the quality and rigor of the program at Castleton is the right fit for my personal and professional aspirations. The efficacy of the program combined with the professional portfolio of projects demonstrating a mastery of skills in a range of areas in the arts and the six-credit culminating internship is exactly what I am looking for in an advanced degree program.

My background in the performing arts is broad. Not only have I have spent many years performing in productions of theater and dance, but I have also devoted my time and learning to other aspects of performance arts, whether it be technical, political, or social. My time attending Goddard College has proven to be extremely educational in training me in areas of social justice and cultural realizations of privilege, class, and human rights. With an accomplished and culturally diverse faculty and staff, the College requires its students to incorporate this training into their degrees, which makes for globally conscious citizens.

What I stand to bring to Castleton University’s campus is a vibrant love for the performing arts accompanied by acute social awareness training. My dedication to improving myself as an individual in my career is resolute; earning my advanced degree is vital to my continuing as a professional in a field so important to the foundation of our culture. I look forward to the opportunity of earning my Master of Arts in Arts Administration at Castleton University. 

Haviland draws a remarkable line from her undergraduate studies and goals to the present day . She’s been on a clear path for a long time, and grad school has always been part of the plan and the logical next step for her career. Her unwavering commitment to arts education and dance as a means for furthering social justice will serve her well professionally—and it probably impressed the graduate admission folks too. Haviland also references specific features of Castleton University’s graduate program, showing she’s genuinely interested in the school and its unique strengths.

Related:  Careers for People Who Want to Use Their Creativity

We hope these essay examples helped you get a better idea of where to take your grad school personal statements. The most important part of writing your essay is ensuring every word you put on the page is authentically you and true to your goals. You can write a great essay and get into a good grad school; just give yourself the time and flexibility by starting early and focusing on your story. Good luck!

Need help getting the ball rolling on your graduate essays? Check out these  Good Strategies for Writing Grad School Personal Essays from the experts at GradSchools.com.

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Creative Writing Program Marks Three Decades of Growth, Diversity

By Luisa A. Igloria

2024: a milestone year which marks the 30 th  anniversary of Old Dominion University’s MFA Creative Writing Program. Its origins can be said to go back to April 1978, when the English Department’s (now Professor Emeritus, retired) Phil Raisor organized the first “Poetry Jam,” in collaboration with Pulitzer prize-winning poet W.D. Snodgrass (then a visiting poet at ODU). Raisor describes this period as “ a heady time .” Not many realize that from 1978 to 1994, ODU was also the home of AWP (the Association of Writers and Writing Programs) until it moved to George Mason University in Fairfax, Virginia.

The two-day celebration that was “Poetry Jam” has evolved into the annual ODU Literary Festival, a week-long affair at the beginning of October bringing writers of local, national, and international reputation to campus. The ODU Literary Festival is among the longest continuously running literary festivals nationwide. It has featured Rita Dove, Maxine Hong Kingston, Susan Sontag, Edward Albee, John McPhee, Tim O’Brien, Joy Harjo, Dorothy Allison, Billy Collins, Naomi Shihab Nye, Sabina Murray, Jane Hirshfield, Brian Turner, S.A. Cosby, Nicole Sealey, Franny Choi, Ross Gay, Adrian Matejka, Aimee Nezhukumatathil, Ilya Kaminsky, Marcelo Hernandez Castillo, Jose Olivarez, and Ocean Vuong, among a roster of other luminaries. MFA alumni who have gone on to publish books have also regularly been invited to read.

From an initial cohort of 12 students and three creative writing professors, ODU’s MFA Creative Writing Program has grown to anywhere between 25 to 33 talented students per year. Currently they work with a five-member core faculty (Kent Wascom, John McManus, and Jane Alberdeston in fiction; and Luisa A. Igloria and Marianne L. Chan in poetry). Award-winning writers who made up part of original teaching faculty along with Raisor (but are now also either retired or relocated) are legends in their own right—Toi Derricotte, Tony Ardizzone, Janet Peery, Scott Cairns, Sheri Reynolds, Tim Seibles, and Michael Pearson. Other faculty that ODU’s MFA Creative Writing Program was privileged to briefly have in its ranks include Molly McCully Brown and Benjamín Naka-Hasebe Kingsley.

"What we’ve also found to be consistently true is how collegial this program is — with a lively and supportive cohort, and friendships that last beyond time spent here." — Luisa A. Igloria, Louis I. Jaffe Endowed Professor & University Professor of English and Creative Writing at Old Dominion University

Our student body is diverse — from all over the country as well as from closer by. Over the last ten years, we’ve also seen an increase in the number of international students who are drawn to what our program has to offer: an exciting three-year curriculum of workshops, literature, literary publishing, and critical studies; as well as opportunities to teach in the classroom, tutor in the University’s Writing Center, coordinate the student reading series and the Writers in Community outreach program, and produce the student-led literary journal  Barely South Review . The third year gives our students more time to immerse themselves in the completion of a book-ready creative thesis. And our students’ successes have been nothing but amazing. They’ve published with some of the best (many while still in the program), won important prizes, moved into tenured academic positions, and been published in global languages. What we’ve also found to be consistently true is how collegial this program is — with a lively and supportive cohort, and friendships that last beyond time spent here.

Our themed studio workshops are now offered as hybrid/cross genre experiences. My colleagues teach workshops in horror, speculative and experimental fiction, poetry of place, poetry and the archive — these give our students so many more options for honing their skills. And we continue to explore ways to collaborate with other programs and units of the university. One of my cornerstone projects during my term as 20 th  Poet Laureate of the Commonwealth was the creation of a Virginia Poets Database, which is not only supported by the University through the Perry Library’s Digital Commons, but also by the MFA Program in the form of an assistantship for one of our students. With the awareness of ODU’s new integration with Eastern Virginia Medical School (EVMS) and its impact on other programs, I was inspired to design and pilot a new 700-level seminar on “Writing the Body Fantastic: Exploring Metaphors of Human Corporeality.” In the fall of 2024, I look forward to a themed graduate workshop on “Writing (in) the Anthropocene,” where my students and I will explore the subject of climate precarity and how we can respond in our own work.

Even as the University and wider community go through shifts and change through time, the MFA program has grown with resilience and grace. Once, during the six years (2009-15) that I directed the MFA Program, a State Council of Higher Education for Virginia (SCHEV) university-wide review amended the guidelines for what kind of graduate student would be allowed to teach classes (only those who had  already  earned 18 or more graduate credits). Thus, two of our first-year MFA students at that time had to be given another assignment for their Teaching Assistantships. I thought of  AWP’s hallmarks of an effective MFA program , which lists the provision of editorial and publishing experience to its students through an affiliated magazine or press — and immediately sought department and upper administration support for creating a literary journal. This is what led to the creation of our biannual  Barely South Review  in 2009.

In 2010,  HuffPost  and  Poets & Writers  listed us among “ The Top 25 Underrated Creative Writing MFA Programs ” (better underrated than overrated, right?) — and while our MFA Creative Writing Program might be smaller than others, we do grow good writers here. When I joined the faculty in 1998, I was excited by the high caliber of both faculty and students. Twenty-five years later, I remain just as if not more excited, and look forward to all the that awaits us in our continued growth.

This essay was originally published in the Spring 2024 edition of Barely South Review , ODU’s student-led literary journal. The University’s growing MFA in Creative Writing program connects students with a seven-member creative writing faculty in fiction, poetry, and nonfiction.

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Federal Emergency Management Agency Programs Analytical Essay

FEMA’s (Federal Emergency Management Agency) “role in preparedness is to improve the citizens’ ability to respond to, prepare for, recover from, and prevent disasters” (Department of Homeland Security 1). According to the organization’s website, its vision is “A Nation Prepared”. The role of FEMA is to coordinate the federal government’s involvement in disaster preparedness.

Consequently, FEMA steps in when local and state authorities do not have the capacity to handle a certain disaster. FEMA’s main strength is that the agency is the most well-equipped disaster preparedness agency in the country. Therefore, the agency has the ability to marshal the necessary resources in times of disaster.

FEMA’s preparedness programs are also effective because the agency operates independently as a branch of Homeland Security. Some of the preparedness programs that FEMA is currently undertaking involve readiness against man-made and natural disasters. One of FEMA’s weaknesses is that it lacks the capacity to be fully prepared against mega disasters and emergencies.

This weakness prompted FEMA’s change of status from a fully independent body to an affiliate of the Department of Homeland Security. FEMA’s lack of preparedness was highlighted after the agency was overwhelmed in its response to the Hurricane-Katrina disaster. Another area of weakness for FEMA is the agency’s systemic shortfalls that inhibit the scope of its preparedness programs.

These systemic incapacities include FEMA’s affiliation to the Department of Homeland Security, its regional presence across the country, and its grant allocation modalities. The opportunities that can eliminate these weaknesses include Congress legislations and a redefinition of FEMA’s institution. Legislations have the ability to improve FEMA’s preparedness programs.

The National Response Framework (NRF) is a representation of “the guiding principles that enable all response partners to prepare for and provide a unified national response to disasters and emergencies – from the smallest incident to the largest catastrophe” (Nicholson 79). The NRF is a recognized set of guidelines that defines how all citizens should respond to a disaster as a nation.

The NRF came about as an initiative of the Department of Homeland Security and its aim was to unify the country’s domestic preparedness and response. NRF utilizes the nation’s NIMS (National Incident Management System) and ICS (Incident Command System) to implement disaster response in any administrative level and at any given time.

NRF operates under five distinct principles including tiered response, engaged partnership, scalable operations, readiness to act, and united effort. These principles tend to enhance the partnership between NRF and local communities. Communities across the country utilize the NRF by aligning their activities with those of the government.

Consequently, communities will align their response programs, resources, and support mechanisms with government-led initiatives. The NRF is quite effective when delivering its services. The NRF has managed to bestow citizens with an active role in disaster preparedness. The partnership between communities and the NRF is indiscriminate in nature.

Furthermore, the NRF is a representation of the citizens’ need to take charge in preparedness matters (Waugh and Streib 138). Previously, the responsibility of preparedness was solely bestowed upon the government and other units of administration.

However, due to the NRF citizens are now actively involved in disaster response programs. For example, American citizens have been actively involved in several hurricane-disaster responses over the last decade.

Most natural and man-made disasters can be traced back to poor management of the environment and global warming. Forestry management has been known to limit the extent of disasters both directly and indirectly. For instance, the impact of the 2004 Tsunami disaster was largely reduced by mangrove forests and other coastal tree plantations that slowed down the tidal waves.

Forestry management has a significant impact on the context of forest fire disasters. Forest fire disasters can be significantly reduced by good forestry management practices. Good forestry management practices include a protection of the undergrowth, use of segments that can institute control burn strategies, adequate firefighting resources, use of forest-fuel modification systems, and installment of quick forest fire detectors.

Communities that are afflicted by natural disasters such as Tsunamis, floods, and forest fires should take good forestry-management initiatives. Controlled burn is a strategy that is used to reduce the impact of fire disasters (Dale 730). Control burns are intentional man-made fires that are meant to reduce fuel for disastrous fires.

The advantages of the control burn strategy include its effective and inexpensive nature. However, controlled fires are disadvantageous because they are not always controllable and they can still end up being disastrous. Furthermore, control burn strategy is not environment-friendly.

Works Cited

Dale, Virginia. “Climate Change and Forest Disturbances.” BioScience 51.9 (2009): 723-734. Print.

Department of Homeland Security. Federal Emergency Management Agency . 01 Jun. 2014. Web. < https://www.fema.gov/ >.

Nicholson, William. Emergency response and emergency management law: Cases and materials , New York, NY: Thomas, 2003. Print.

Waugh, William L., and Gregory Streib. “Collaboration and leadership for effective emergency management.” Public Administration Review 66.1 (2006): 131-140. Print.

• Hygiene Programs in the Forestry Industry
• Federal Emergency Management Agency's Governance
• The Concept of Global Citizenship of the Forestry Students
• Homeland Security Strategies
• Transnational Organized Crime: Prevalence, Factors and Impacts
• Effectiveness of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security
• Global Economic Crisis and US Security
• Why is it so Hard to Formulate and Implement U.S. National Security Strategy?
• Chicago (A-D)
• Chicago (N-B)

IvyPanda. (2019, June 20). Federal Emergency Management Agency Programs. https://ivypanda.com/essays/fema-programs/

"Federal Emergency Management Agency Programs." IvyPanda , 20 June 2019, ivypanda.com/essays/fema-programs/.

IvyPanda . (2019) 'Federal Emergency Management Agency Programs'. 20 June.

IvyPanda . 2019. "Federal Emergency Management Agency Programs." June 20, 2019. https://ivypanda.com/essays/fema-programs/.

1. IvyPanda . "Federal Emergency Management Agency Programs." June 20, 2019. https://ivypanda.com/essays/fema-programs/.

Bibliography

IvyPanda . "Federal Emergency Management Agency Programs." June 20, 2019. https://ivypanda.com/essays/fema-programs/.