The International Association of Emergency Managers is excited to announce AUGUST 2025 is the inaugural National Emergency Management Awareness Month!

What is National Emergency Management Awareness Month? 

During August, emergency managers will conduct a coordinated, industry-wide awareness and advocacy campaign to promote the capabilities of emergency management and the role of emergency managers.

Emergency management professionals are encouraged to reach out and meet with:

• Elected local, state, tribal, territorial, and federal leaders.
• Private sector and nonprofit leaders – including healthcare, university, utility, and all other organizations.
• Organizational or community decision-makers who may influence emergency management.  

Outreach can be more than an introductory email, letter, or conversation. Here are some creative ways to bring awareness to the emergency manager's role and their programs:

• Ask to present an overview of emergency management and the emergency manager's role at the next community board meeting (or wherever local officials regularly meet to conduct business.)
• Invite elected officials to participate in a traiining or exercise opportunity.
• Invite local officials, decision-makers, and executives to tour the Emergency Operations Center.
• Contact local news networks to talk about the role of emergency management in the community.
• Submit opinion editorial articles to news outlets to share the story of emergency management with readers.
• Initiate a mural campaign in a local school to depict local emergency management, or conduct classroom presentations at local schools.

Awareness month activities should center around educating and advocating for the profession, with emergency managers playing an active role. IAEM will provide instructional tools and "how-to" guides for members to use when scheduling and conducting awareness month activities, which will be added to this website in the coming weeks.

How Can You Help Now?

The IAEM-USA Community and Member Engagement Committee (CMEC) and the Government Affairs Committee (GAC) are developing toolkits to help emergency managers tell the story of the profession during National Emergency Management Awareness Month. 

1. Campaign Materials: IAEM will share social media toolkits, resolution samples, email templates, elected official engagement guidance, and more.
2. Outreach Inspiration
3. Storytelling: We want to highlight the incredible work of emergency managers everywhere. Do you have a story that should be featured? What kinds of stories would you like to see?

Share your input on campaign materials, outreach inspiration and storytelling with IAEM by emailing the CMEC leadership at communitymemberengagement@iaem.com.

What Is Our Story?

(Please share this on social media, with news media, or when presenting.)

Emergency managers are problem solvers - the ones you call 24/7/365 when an incident requires coordination across multiple services, agencies, or disciplines, even beyond traditional public safety. We help communities and corporations understand their risk, build resilience, navigate crises, and know what to do when disaster strikes.

We are Emergency Managers.

We are your neighbors. We serve rural communities and large cities. We advise corporations, nonprofits, and government agencies. We work in schools, hospitals, universities, and businesses. We are chief risk advisors for the communities, businesses, and organizations we serve—helping them prevent, mitigate, prepare for, and recover from disasters.

We always know who to call, we anticipate the needs, and we are never surprised by the phrase “this is unprecedented.” We are ready.

We are disaster professionals, bridging gaps between agencies, businesses, and communities to build resilience. We connect resources, foster collaboration, and ensure that when crises happen, response efforts are seamless and effective.

We are more than lights and sirens. We are the professionals every community needs—just as much as fire, police, and EMS.

This is our story. Now, let’s tell it.

Share your impact with these hashtags: #IAmEM #EMAwarenessMonth #KnowYourEmergencyManager 

What is Emergency Management?

Emergency management ensures communities and organizations are prepared to respond to and recover from emergencies and disasters by creating, coordinating, and managing systems that save lives, minimize damage to property and infrastructure, mitigate future risks, and restore communities and organizations post-disaster.

Emergency management is a critical function that identifies, assesses, and mitigates risks to ensure community and organizational resilience. It leads crisis preparedness, response coordination, and recovery efforts by working across disciplines, sectors, and jurisdictions.

During National Emergency Management Awareness Month, share how you joined the profession and how it impacts those you serve.

Resources

• Legislative Priorities for the 119th Congress - The IAEM-USA Board of Directors approved these legistative priorities on Feb. 18, 2025.
• Call to Action Template - Use this document to develop a call to action for a specific legislative priority/action.
• National EM Month Proclamation Template - Use this as a sample template for Congressional Resolutions. The content could be modified for State or Local legislative resolutions.
• Find and Contact Elected Officials Website - Use this site to identify and connect with your federal, state,and local elected officials.
• Promotional Kit - This kit includes sample social media posts, downloadable graphics, email templates, and sample articles to announce National Emergency Management Awareness Month and encourage participation.