FEMA Reservist Reviews

Pros

Lots of training. On boarding is thorough and informative.

Cons

Will only be deployed as needed.

Pros

I’ve gone to disasters in many states during my five years with fema. It’s entry level and all expenses paid travel. Lots of seniors and young people do this job. Massive overtime pay. Location is all states and territories.

Cons

Work hours and conditions can be harsh. (It’s where the fire/flooding/tornado etc occurred. First two weeks onsite is 12 hours day for 2 weeks then better after that. Lots of overtime! Not for everyone for sure.

Pros

Helping people in a time of devastation

Cons

Leadership is horribly bias. If an applicant is from Puerto Rico with no education, work experience, etc there have a better chance of stepping into a leadership role vs employees with actual credentials and experience.

Pros

Overtime Pay, when DEPLOYED and paid training.

Cons

Absolute Chaos in system, from deployment to cadre management.

Pros

They paid me for the ten day training in Alabama (I live in Colorado, and this was the beginning of 2020, soon to be the Covid year) and they paid me for one aborted "deployment" but that's all I can say good about FEMA - they paid me what they owed me for one five-day stay...(see "Con")

Cons

when I was sent to Dallas for mobilization to the field, then never mobilized or sent to the field because of a telephone problem - theirs. Then I was sent back home. So they paid me, and almost the people I met were great as individuals, but the "system" is terribly inefficient and impersonal and it's impossible to solve a problem such as cell service for the phone THEY GAVE ME - but no service. That's all I've done. Over two years I've worked and never done what they hired me and trained me to do. You can't imagine how tedious it is to hurry up and wait, just like the army, for literally five days straight...then they send me home and I continue to have this problem unsolved for over two years now! Ugs! I'm still technically employed as a Reservist and ready, willing and able to serve. As an able-bodied and skilled retiree, I was counting on FEMA for a few thousand bucks a year, but their inability to get me out on assignment and without pay has led me to minor financial struggles. Very frustrating bureaucracy.

Pros

lots of travel, good to build some experience

Cons

not many benefits, pay is low for the work, no guaranteed amount of work, hard to plan life around work as you never know when or where you are going to have to go or for how long you will be there, difficult working conditions at times, no retirement benefits, some work does not count towards experience for other jobs, difficult to be promoted to full time work and benefits,

Pros

Money isn’t bad, per diem. Travel.

Cons

Moving up, starting pay isn’t calculated with education. Benefits.

Pros

Wonderful training opportunities. Fair starting pay. Appears to be plenty of room for advancement.

Cons

You are hired, and then left to sit un-utilized in any way.

Pros

Flexibility, learning experience, fulfilling experience helping people in need.

Cons

rate of work is slow

Pros

-Transparent Pay -Upward mobility -Lenient Time off Easy Moderate Fun

Cons

-Constant communication/checking in -A lot of micromanagement -Bureaucracy