Emergency management directors need knowledge in the following areas:

• Public Safety and Security: How to protect people and property.
• Administration and Management: How to run a business or group.
• Law, Government, and Jurisprudence: Laws, rules of the court, and the politics.
• Communications and Media: How to produce written, spoken or visual media.
• English Language: The meaning and use of the English language.
• Customer and Personal Service: Providing special services to customers based on their needs.
• Telecommunications: The tools used to send messages and data.
• Education and Training: The methods of teaching and learning.
• Personnel and Human Resources: The policies to hire and retain employees.
• Computers and Electronics: Computer hardware and software.
• Transportation: The methods and costs for moving people, goods, and materials.
• Geography: How to describe the location, features, and relationships of land, sea, and air.
• Clerical: General office work such as filling and storing information.