The Value of Field Experience in Emergency Management
Some lessons in emergency management can’t be replicated in a classroom.
Academic instruction, tabletop exercises, and simulations are critical for professional development—but they can never fully capture the human and emotional realities of disaster response.
You can’t learn how to comfort a survivor from behind a desk. You can’t see the look on someone’s face when they’ve lost everything they own. You can’t feel the tremble in a person’s voice as they describe losing a loved one.
Those moments can be empathized with, but they can’t be taught.
Lessons You Can’t Learn in a Classroom
When I deployed for the first time, I had already studied the theories, frameworks, and response protocols. But standing in the middle of a disaster zone—surrounded by people who had lost their homes—was something entirely different.
No textbook can prepare you for the weight of those conversations or the reality of those conditions. It’s humbling, it’s sobering, and it permanently changes how you view your role in this profession.
That’s the value of field experience. The classroom teaches you what to do; the field teaches you why it matters.
Why Field Work Matters
In the field, practitioners learn to:
Make critical decisions with limited information
Adapt to rapidly changing circumstances
Communicate clearly under pressure
Lead with compassion and resilience
These are the skills that separate a competent planner from an effective responder.
Real-world experience teaches emotional intelligence, improvisation, and trust-building in ways no simulation ever can.
The Next Generation of Emergency Managers
That’s why we must do more to get new professionals into the field early. Mentorship programs, shadow deployments, and cross-training opportunities should be prioritized alongside formal education.
The sooner a practitioner experiences the realities of disaster response, the more effectively they’ll lead later in their career.
When those individuals transition into management or policy roles—working in an Emergency Operations Center or overseeing programs—they’ll make decisions grounded in empathy and firsthand understanding. They’ll know what field teams truly need, because they’ve been there.
Building the Balance
Effective emergency management requires a balance between academic preparation and lived experience.
One builds the foundation. The other builds the heart.
Together, they create professionals who not only understand the frameworks of response but also the humanity behind them.
Key Takeaway: If you’re new to this field—get out there. Volunteer. Deploy. Shadow a team. The classroom gives you knowledge, but the field gives you wisdom.
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Isaiah La Masters is a public safety and emergency management professional with extensive experience in physical security, critical infrastructure protection, and large-scale emergency preparedness. He is the Founder and Principal Consultant of Red Slice Group, LLC, and has served in multiple roles supporting emergency coordination, training, and exercise at the state and local levels. Isaiah holds an Associate of Arts in Liberal Arts and Political Science, a Bachelor of Science in Homeland Security and Emergency Management, and is currently pursuing a Master of Science in Public Safety—Homeland Security at Liberty University. Passionate about leadership and organizational resilience, he is committed to strengthening collaboration between agencies, responders, and communities to build a safer, more resilient world.
