Assignment : Professionalism, Accountability, Best Practices, and Ethics in Emergency Management

As within any profession, there are rules and standards of conduct in the field of emergency and crisis management.

Write a five to eight (5-8) page paper in which you:

Determine two (2) standardized actions and ethical practices that emergency management practitioners might implement in order to further professionalize the field. Provide a rationale for each action or practice.

Discuss at least two (2) commonly used methods of ensuring accountability in emergency management procedures. Examine the effectiveness of each of these methods toward professional practice. Provide a rationale for your response.

Examine the importance of the three (3) values proposed in the International Association of Emergency Managers (IAEM) Code of Ethics for emergency managers (discussed in Chapter 11 of the text). Provide one (1) example or scenario that shows the importance of each value.

Use at least three (3) quality references. Note: Wikipedia and other related websites do not qualify as academic resources.
Your assignment must follow these formatting requirements:

Be typed, double spaced, using Times New Roman font (size 12), with one-inch margins on all sides; citations and references must follow 6th edition APA or school-specific format. Check with your professor for any additional instructions.

Include a cover page containing the title of the assignment, the student's name, the professor's name, the course title, and the date.

The cover page and the reference page are not included in the required assignment page length.

The specific course learning outcomes associated with this assignment are:

Assess how emergency management personnel respond to the major forms of natural, technological, and man-made disasters.

Determine how the major forms of emergency management work - mitigation, response, recovery, preparedness, and communications - are interrelated.

Use technology and information resources to research issues in emergency management.

Write clearly and concisely about emergency management using proper writing mechanics.

READ THE FOLLOWING: CHAPETR 11

IAEM Code of Ethics The International Association of Emergency Managers (IAEM) has created a code of ethics, which professionals who choose to work in the field must embrace and uphold. This code of ethics specifies that in emergency management, the key criteria in saving lives and protecting property are mitigation, preparedness, response, and recovery. The three values stated by the code of ethics-respect, commitment, and professionalism-are specifically geared toward individuals who are recognized as Certified Emergency Managers (CEMs) or Associate Emergency Managers (AEMs). The IAEM provides a formal ethical code divided into three parts: the first focuses on respect of people, laws, and regulations; the second addresses gaining trust, acting fairly, and being effective with resources; and the third concerns embracing professionalism through education, safety, and protection of life and property (Lindell et al., 2007).

Emergency managers employed by the government are required to comply with formal ethical codes in their jurisdiction as well. Given that emergency management is an interdisciplinary endeavor, a number of codes of ethics from different associations may come into play as well. Thus emergency managers have to comply with multiple codes of ethics, which usually do not contradict one another. Each of the three values identified by the IAEM in its code of ethics has a purpose that goes further than just requiring effective work in the workplace; it holds these professionals, whose decisions can affect the whole community, accountable for their decisions. The first value, respect, refers not only to respecting superiors and colleagues in the workplace, but more importantly to respecting those whom the organization serves.

One aspect of showing respect for those served is being fiscally responsible without a reduction in quality of services. The second value, commitment, ensures that members make decisions that improve the quality of life for those served. As stated in the code, emergency management professionals "commit themselves to promoting decisions that engender trust and those we serve" and are focused on "enhancing the caliber of service [they] deliver while striving to improve the quality of life in the community" (IAEM, 2010). The final value stated in the code of ethics is professionalism, with those who work in the field being held to the highest level of professionalism during all duties. The professionalism of emergency managers is founded on their mission of education, safety, and protection of life and property. To determine whether emergency management is a profession, one must look at the code of ethics observed by all recognized emergency managers.

These codes hold emergency management professionals to the same level that many other professions such as law enforcement, teaching, and medicine must also meet. Although 15 to 20 years ago people who worked in emergency management may not have been recognized as members of a particular profession, since then all signs point toward an evolution of emergency management from being "just a job" to full-blown recognition as "a profession."