Emergency Management News
April 22, 2024: Day 6: Day six was our first work day and our first day of Spanish classes. We went to breakfast at Violetta’s at 0700. Breakfast today was eggs with salsa, refried beans, ham, and plantains. The work day lasted from 0800 until 1200 and Spanish class took place from 1330-1630.
Following breakfast, we split into our groups, met our guides, and departed Antigua. My group, group 3, consisted of Zachary Bohnet, Christopher Ely, Ryan Hunt, and Alex Barbour. We caught a chicken bus to San Antonio and met some of the staff at the school where we would be working. Unfortunately, the project manager for this work site fell ill so we sealed and painted a bedroom for one of the women in the meantime. From our understanding, this worksite will be focused on preparing the school for the rainy season and some pest control.
Group 1 went to a school called Brillo de Sol. This group consisted of Victoria Boss, DJ Faivre, Reece Gannon, John Hagan, and Shayla Narodowg. At Brillo, the team cleaned out and organized a storage unit at a special needs school. They also brought nine bags of dirt to the site in preparation for the planting they will be doing tomorrow.
Finally, group 2 went to Santa Maria de Jesus to work at a school. This group consisted of Matilda Laux, Jacob Nutter, Will Tedstone, Jenny Verrilli, and Aidan Weir. They had two primary tasks today. Half of the team removed tiles while another group sanded and painted a staircase.
After work, we returned to Antigua and had lunch at Violetta’s which consisted of cucumber, mashed potatoes, and ham. Following lunch, we went to Spanish class. Each student was paired with a teacher based on our score on the Spanish pretest we took before this trip. We all learned the extent of our Spanish knowledge leading up to this experience for better or worse.
We ended the night with a team meeting after class and liberty from 1630 until 2100. Many students decided to explore the markets and other sites around town while some decided to take the evening to relax and do Spanish homework. Some students even tried a salsa dancing class at the Spanish school. We all tried new restaurants in town as this was the first night that we were able to choose our dinner and break into smaller groups.
Overall, today was a very eventful day and a good introduction to the remainder of our weekdays in Guatemala.
April 22, 2024: Day 5: On day five, we woke up at 0730. We all then prepared for our day and had breakfast at Violetta’s Tienda. Breakfast consisted of local fresh fruit and a delicious breakfast burrito. An excellent thing about Guatemala is that you can not go wrong with the food.
Today the team was given a free day to explore the city with others. DJ Faivre, Matilda Laux, Alex Barbour and Victoria Boss all went to the local open market. This is where thousands of vendors sell various products and nothing goes for the posted price. This group was extremely successful in learning bartering and were able to get shirts for less than half the price. The total per person was about $7 USD for 3 work shirts and $30 USD for two handcrafted mayan shirts.
Jennifer Verilli, Reece Gannon, Shayla Narodowg, and Jacob Nutter went to Hobbitenango. This is a hobbit themed area with activities included. At this facility, there was a swing, axe throwing, mini golf, archery, and more. It’s a fun place for local families and tourists. Getting there is not for the faint of heart as It is a really steep road to take by shuttle.
Aidan Weir, Luke Tedstone, Zack Bohnet and Chris Ely went shopping, had lunch at Violettas and explored the town of Antigua. They were also able to catch the Celtics vs. Miami Heat game at a local shop! The Celtics won!
Another great thing about Guatemala is the haircuts. Both DJ Faivre and Zack Bohnet were able to get haircuts that included a massage, shampooing and ear hair cleaning for way cheaper than a normal haircut in the United States.
The entire team then all came together and had dinner at Captain Lennon, Professor Cadwalader and Smitty’s home. This consisted of pasta, bread, soda and Guatemalan Oreos. All prepared by Celebrity Chef Lennon. He should really open an Italian restaurant in Buzzards Bay. We then discussed our work groups and our schedule for tomorrow.
After the delicious pasta dinner, the team headed back to the hostel and all enjoyed each other's company on the roof and watched some fireworks before heading to bed.
April 21, 2024: Hola from Antigua Guatemala! Today’s weather was about 70 degrees and partly cloudy. Our 8:00 breakfast at Violetta’s consisted of pancakes and watermelon, with a choice of water, tea or coffee for our drink. We then took a bus ride to Iximche Park to see the Mayan ruins. This bus ride took about an hour and 30 minutes. Upon arriving, we met Vinny, our amazing tour guide for the day, who had tons of experience with Mayan culture, customs, and language. He taught us what life was like for the Mayans before and after Spanish conquest. At the end of our tour, we participated in a Mayan Fire Ceremony, which is a powerful prayer that’s used to find clarity and manifest our well-beings as well as that of others. Learning about Mayan culture has helped prepare us for our work weeks which start on Monday. Our work sites are all located in areas with a high Mayan population, and we’re all looking forward to connecting what we learned with the people that we will be fortunate enough to work with. As the day came to an end, we ate dinner at Pollo Campero, visited the Santa Catalina Arch of Antigua, and enjoyed some helado (ice cream). We are all anticipating a wonderful trip, and look forward to continuing to provide updates!
April 19, 2024: Day 3: This morning was our last day in the Quetzalroo hostel. We ate pancakes and fruits for breakfast and made our way to CONRED. CONRED stands for Coordinadora Nacional Para La Reducción De Desatres. In translation, that is national coordinator for disaster reduction. This is Guatemala’s version of what FEMA is in the U.S. We toured their facility and they showed us their EOC and the GIS system that they use with all their data. They also showed us a stockpile garage of all the resources they give out when a disaster strikes.
Following our visit, we traveled about an hour and a half to Antigua where we’ll be staying for the majority of the trip. We checked into our new hostel, The Purpose Hostel and were greeted by our host, Tatianna. We ate lunch at Violeta’s tienda and had a bit of time to relax afterwards. Later, Professor Lennon gave us a quick tour of Antigua and gave us tips on where to get some good eats. For dinner, we ate at Tacorozon for burritos and tacos and then called it a night. Hasta Luego!
April 18, 2024: Day 2: ¡Hola! Breakfast this morning was at 0615 before we made our way to the US Embassy in Guatemala City. The Embassy building is new and a state of the art facility. At the Embassy we were briefed by representatives from the State Department, USAID, HSI, and the DOD. The USAID briefing discussed their goals of preventing human suffering and making communities more resilient. They also talked about the Bureau of Humanitarian Assistance which Professor Lennon described as very important for his International Relief class that we will take next year as seniors.
After the Embassy we made our way to the Mayan History Museum in Guatemala City. We were able to see close up artifacts from Mayan culture. This was to prepare us for the Mayan ruins that we will be traveling to this weekend. Pictures below: a group pic at the museum, El Jierto where we got some of the best coffee and cappuccino around, back to the hostel to relax and freshen up before heading back out for pizza tonight. It turned out to be a great day, our group is gelling well together! We are all excited to head to Antigua!
April 17, 2024: Hola from Guatemala City! Today was a day full of travel, going from Boston, to Miami, and eventually reaching our destination of Guatemala City. After around 6 hours of being miles above the earth and full of anticipation, we have finally touched down in Guatemala. A stress free travel day was a perfect start to our 25 day adventure in this new country. We got to our hostel at around 1930 local time (2 hours earlier than back home). After settling in for about an hour, we were served dinner: a taco salad full of local farm fresh fruits and vegetables, as well as a breaded chicken and scrambled eggs. Our fantastic hostel host gave us a great run down of the recent election of Guatemala and the history of the country's coffee production, as well as the impacts of the civil war, which ended in 1997. The new president was a massive underdog, and part of a party that was not expected to win the election. He also told us about the troubles that are faced by the new president and how they plan to overcome it and create a better country for everyone. As the day comes to a close, we are all taking a couple minutes to relax and take in the beautiful weather on the open roof of the hostel. We are looking forward to a great trip, and keeping everyone updated!
April 3, 2024: The April edition of the EM Newsletter has been released! Read what our cadets have been up to!
April 2024 Emergency Management Newsletter
March 31, 2024: This past month, the IAEM Student Chapter toured two bunkers- MEMA HQ in Framingham and FEMA Region 1 in Maynard. Students met with agency representatives and learned about the history of each agency (including bunker history!).
March 7, 2024: Every spring, local police departments and law enforcement councils prepare for the Boston Marathon by training with DHS's Surveillance Detection Course. On March 7th, 10 cadets role played as "suspicious persons" at Natick Mall, trying to avoid detection.
March 8, 2024: The March EM Newsletter has been released. See below for important updates!
March 2024 Emergency Management Newsletter
Tuesday, March 5: We have officially kicked off our tabletop exercise program! 1/C Jack Mulligan, 1/C Dane Carraccio, and 1/c Dimitri Georgoulopoulos facilitated a tabletop in the Town of Concord, where the town tested their response capabilities from heavy rain and flooding. For more information, check out the press release from the town.
February 27, 2024: The Massachusetts Maritime Academy Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) class graduated 50 cadets in the emergency management undergraduate program. The cadets attended 6 weeks of training. The program educates volunteers about disaster preparedness for the hazards that may occur where they live. CERT also trains volunteers in basic disaster response skills, such as: fire safety, light search and rescue, team organization, and disaster medical operations.
Front row left to right: 1/C Ethan Rego, 1/C Jack Mulligan, Dr. Joseph Gordon, Major James Anglin, and MMA Emergency Management Department Chair Professor Thomas Lennon.
February 13, 2024: This month's EM newsletter has been released! Check out what the EM cadets have been up to!
February 2024 Emergency Management Newsletter
January 17, 2024: Congratulations to 2C Jenna Klemp! Jenna Klemp has been selected for a paid internship in the White House. Jenna will be working with the Executive Office of the President to fulfill critical emergency management functions. Jenna is the epitome of an aspiring emergency management professional and her hard work and dedication is now paying dividends. This is an amazing accomplishment that the faculty and staff are proud of. Congrats to 2C Jenna Klemp!
December 19, 2023: December's EM newsletter has been released!
December 2023 Emergency Management Newsletter
November 7, 2023: November's EM newsletter has been released!
November 2023 Emergency Management Newsletter
November 2, 2023: Cadets have been invited to a weekly training opportunity with the regional Rescue Task Force. Students receive moulage and wait for medical assistance and rescue.
October 11, 2023: Check out the October EM newsletter!
October 2023 Emergency Management Newsletter
October 2, 2023: Providence Emergency Management invited MMA EM cadets to participate in a full scale active shooter event as role players. See them in action below!
September 19, 2023: The next release of the EM newsletter has been released! See below.
September 2023 Emergency Management Bulletin
September 5, 2023: This fall the Exercise Design class is partnering with towns and cities across Massachusetts, as well as some new partners in the healthcare setting. We look forward to working with them across the fall and spring semester to help design tabletop exercises that will test their response plans. Thank you to our partners!
- 2023-2024 Partners: American Red Cross, Chatham, Clean Harbors & Braintree, Community Health Center of Cape Cod, Concord, Duffy Health Center, Eastham, Falmouth, Franklin, Hanson, HealthFirst Family Care Center, Lakeville, Lowell, Manet Community Health Center, New Bedford, Orleans, Pembroke, Plymouth, Sandwich, and Weymouth.
June 17, 2023: Congratulations to all the EM Seniors! And some words of advice passed on from Dr. Valla- "Do. Or do not. There is no try." —Yoda
Pictured below: Instructor Samantha Coonan and Marine Sergeant Michael Ortiz
June 5, 2023: Emergency Management students created the major’s first newsletter, highlighting upcoming events, classes, and activities for the summer. Come check out what the students are up to!!
Emergency Management Summer Bulletin
May 23, 2023: Congratulations to our EM students who completed the Massachusetts Fire Academy! This program helps provide the practical skills and certifications to our students interested in entering the fire service.
May 16, 2023: Congratulations to John Haxton for being selected as the new Battalion Commander for the Cadet Fire Program at the Onset Fire Department. Haxton has shown dedication and hard work through his time with the department and will continue to do so as the new Battalion Commander. Haxton will take over the position on June 9th.
Emergency Management
Undergraduate Degree
Emergency Management (EMHS) and disaster-related issues are faced by individuals, families, businesses, and governments worldwide. The Emergency Management program prepares graduates for careers in the private and public sectors, including federal, state, and local government, law enforcement, fire service, and the Military.
Learning focuses on the four phases of emergency management: mitigation, preparedness, response, and recovery. Cadets may also pursue a minor in Homeland Security. The program requires cadets to complete at least two co-ops. First-year cadets participate in a Habitat for Humanity public service experiential learning trip at the Domestic Global Village in Eustis, Florida.
Certificate options include Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) and Massachusetts Firefighter I and II certification through Onset Fire Department.
What Will You Study?
The EM Program integrates academics with professional work experience and skills. It allows student opportunities to apply their classroom knowledge to the real-world in government, industry and non-governmental organizations. Students participate in exercises with EM professionals, students in their senior year, develop discussion based exercises for towns, cities and agencies throughout the Commonwealth, and utilize or Emergency Operations Training Center. As an Emergency Management major, you will:
- Help support communities
- Work alongside EM professionals in the field
- Learn cutting-edge and legacy EM technologies
- Develop an understanding of EM policy, practice and protocols
- Learn about the Incident Command Structure, inherent in all EM incidents and events.
Emergency Management Career Paths
A Bachelor of Science degree in Emergency Management affords graduates a broad array of professional opportunities upon graduation. Our recent graduates have joined state and local emergency management agencies, hospital emergency preparedness programs, and fire and law enforcement departments. Others have joined the military services as commissioned officers and enlisted members. Many graduates join private companies and non-governmental agencies as emergency preparedness specialists, planners, humanitarian aid workers, and more. Areas in which our graduates work include:
- Local, State, and Federal Emergency Management
- Homeland Security
- Public Safety sector, including Fire, Police, EMS
- Military
- Humanitarian Aid/NGOs
- Environmental Health & Safety
- Public Health Emergency Management
- Consulting
- Communications
- Cyber Security
- Business Continuity
- Hazardous Materials/Safety
Hands-on Learning
As an Emergency Management major, you will be tasked with managing simulated emergencies and hands-on tasks. Your studying will be put to the test with our state-of-the-art EM Simulation Center, applying apply both legacy and emerging technologies in a near real-world environment.
Experiential Learning
The Emergency Management program requires students to complete two co-ops (summer/winter break) and one experiential learning trip (winter break). Many students complete several co-ops. Freshmen EM students will participate in our Experiential Learning Trip, with Habitat for Humanity or Guatemala or National Outdoor Leadership School. Participation is required for all EM cadets who are freshmen or who transferred to MMA in the Spring.
Learning Outcomes
- Understand the four phases of Emergency Management; mitigation, preparedness, response, and recovery, applied across an All Hazards/Whole Community Approach to Emergency Management.
- Identify the scientific principles involved in the development of mitigation and preparedness policies, strategies and tactics.
- Understand scientific principles involved in the development of multi-level response and recovery policies, strategies, and tactics.
- Evaluate the social science components of Emergency Management related to government, the private sector, to nongovernmental organizations, communities, and to individuals.
- Apply the Incident Command System and analyze its relationship to national preparedness goals.
- Apply new and emerging emergency management technologies across phases of Emergency Management.
Fire Academy Program
Emergency Management cadets with an interest in pursuing careers as fire-fighters may apply for the firefighting program during the spring semester of their freshman year. The program is conducted in partnership with the Onset Fire Department and provides the opportunity for those selected to be trained and certified as firefighters and gain real-world, practical experience responding to emergencies with the Onset Fire Department.
Under the guidance of Fire Chief Jeffrey R. Osswald, cadets will attend a recruit training program consisting of 240 hours of classroom and practical skills instruction over several months of their sophomore year. The program culminates with the cadets taking the National Board on Firefighting’s Professional Qualifications Firefighter I/II Certification examination. Cadets spend the remainder of their time at the Academy responding to a wide range of emergency incidents, including, structure fires, motor vehicle accidents, emergency medical incidents, hazardous materials incidents, water rescues, and brush fires, to name a few.
Cadets will train regularly and spend duty shifts at the station throughout their time in the program. Many graduates of the program, in combination with their B.S. in Emergency Management, have gone on to secure full-time employment in the fire service, law enforcement, the Armed Forces, and other rewarding occupations.
The Emergency Management Department’s liaison with the Onset Fire Department is Dr. Edward J. Valla. evalla@maritime.edu.
Certifications Available through the Degree
- Emergency Medical Technician (EMT)
- Basic Firefighting
- Firefighter Program, (On-Call)
- Community Emergency Response Team (CERT)
- Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) 40
- Some of our EM courses require certifications through EMI's independent studies. These certifications include, but are not limited to:
- IS 64.A: DHS Common Operating Picture Application
- IS-120.C: An Introduction to Exercises
- IS-700.B: An Introduction to National Incident Management System
- IS-800.D: National Response Framework, An Introduction
- IS-922: Applications of GIS for Emergency Management
International Association of Emergency Managers Massachusetts Maritime Academy Undergraduate Student Chapter
Our Organization
This chapter was created with the intent of providing the emergency management undergraduate students at Massachusetts Maritime Academy with opportunities for networking and enhancement in their emergency management careers. Club members will need to register as student members through the IAEM website. The cost for student membership is $55 per year.
Benefits of IAEM Membership
- Access to the largest network of top emergency management experts who can offer solutions, guidance, and assistance.
- Access to IAEM conferences, webinars, workshops, and other educational opportunities.
- Scholarship opportunities.
- Access to the IAEM Jobs Board for internships and job opportunities.
- Advanced Emergency Manager (AEM) or Certified Emergency Manager (CEM) certification reduced cost and application access.
- Membership to IAEM committees & caucuses.
Benefits of being a Student Chapter Member
- Webinars
- Trainings
- Full-Scale Exercises
- Workshops
- Conferences (Local & National)
- Table-Top Exercises
- EOC Site Visits
- Guest Speakers
Chapter Officers
- Ethan Rego - President
- Shane McNamara - Vice President
Faculty Advisor
- Dr. Mike Gutierrez - Assistant Professor, Department of Emergency Management
Social Media
- LinkedIn - www.linkedin.com/in/mmaiaem
- Instagram - @mmaiaem
- X (Twitter) - https://twitter.com/mmaiaem
Pictured: IAEM MMA Chapter students and faculty at the IAEM Annual Conference in Long Beach, CA, in November 2023.
Pictured: IAEM MMA Chapter students and faculty touring the Providence Emergency Management Agency (PEMA) in November 2023.