title: Sustainability and the local emergency manager.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The objective of this study was to explore how local county emergency managers conceptualize sustainability and apply the concept within their jobs.
  
  
  METHODS
  Qualitative, semistructured telephone and face-to-face interviews were used to collect data from a purposive and convenience sample of local county emergency managers.
  
  
  METHODS
  Interviews were conducted with Florida and North Dakota emergency managers.
  
  
  METHODS
  Twenty-five local county emergency managers participated in this study.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The study demonstrated that there is a lack of definitional clarity in emergency manager conceptualizations of sustainability. Nevertheless, emergency managers apply the concept to their jobs in important ways.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Emergency management has the opportunity to further define its role vis-à-vis sustainability and how it does so will have implications for the communities it serves, the professionals who will be tasked with it, and the educators who will support the development of future generations of emergency management professionals.
authors.affiliation: Department of Emergency Management, North Dakota State University, Fargo, North Dakota.
authors.forename: Jessica
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Jensen
authors.affiliation: Emergency Management Coordinator, Seminole Tribe of Florida, Hollywood, Florida.
authors.forename: Regine Laurence
authors.initials: RL
authors.lastname: Chauvet
mesh_terms: D002959:Civil Defense / Q000458:organization & administration*; D019058:Community Networks / Q000458:organization & administration; D004189:Disaster Planning / Q000458:organization & administration*; D060731:Emergency Responders; D005431:Florida; D006801:Humans; D007587:Job Description; D009658:North Dakota; D015397:Program Evaluation; D012308:Risk Management / Q000458:organization & administration; D017751:Safety Management / Q000458:organization & administration