Why “Apolitical” Emergency Management Is a Dangerous Myth

Emergency management likes to describe itself as apolitical. We say it to protect credibility. We say it to stay neutral. We say it because we believe disasters should be handled with professionalism, evidence, and compassion, not ideology.

But the truth is harder and more uncomfortable: emergency management has never been apolitical. It cannot be. And pretending otherwise doesn’t protect the profession. It weakens it.