In July 2025, Argonne National Laboratory and the National Preparedness Analytics Center released the Emergency Management Organizational Structures, Staffing, and Capacity Study: State, Local, and Territorial Findings Report: the most comprehensive census of public-sector EM agencies in the United States. Conducted with IAEM, NEMA, FEMA, and BCEM, it surveyed thousands of agencies at every level of government.
The findings put hard numbers behind what EM directors have been saying for years: the profession is capacity-constrained and stretched thin in ways that directly affect community safety.
1. The One-Person Office Is the Norm
57% of local EM agencies operate with one or fewer full-time employees. Nearly a quarter (22%) have zero permanent FTEs. In small-population jurisdictions, 73% have one or fewer staff.
"I currently am the only employee, so I am on-call 24/7/365. I would love to have a full-time planner and a deputy director who could double as the administrator."
— Local EM Director, Small Population Jurisdiction
Staff size correlates with hazard history: high-hazard areas average 5.3 FTEs vs. 2.0 for low-hazard areas. The agencies least likely to have experienced a major event are also the least prepared for one.
2. Admin Burden Is Consuming Preparedness Time
Local agencies spend 42% of staff time on preparedness but 21% on administration. One in five hours is spent on compliance paperwork, budgeting, and procurement instead of planning or exercises.
"I can't get out in the community because I'm burdened with administrative tasks. I'd use [additional help] to supplement my duties to prevent my burnout."
— Local EM Director
The study's regression analysis found that agencies spending more time on admin have lower ability to meet community needs. Admin work is measurably connected to worse outcomes.
3. Exercises Are the #1 Unfulfilled Priority
When asked "If your agency employed two additional FTEs, how would you allocate their time?" more than two-thirds identified preparedness activities as their top priority: training, exercises, community outreach, and planning.
4. Institutional Knowledge Is Walking Out
78% of local EM directors are between 40 and 69 years old, with 35% of small-jurisdiction directors being 60+. Meanwhile, 37% have been in their position for three years or less. That turnover is already underway.
"I came aboard three years ago... And I had nothing to go on, other than a group email list."
— Listening Session Participant
5. Stakeholder Confusion Undermines Support
27% of agencies cite stakeholder confusion about EM's role as a top challenge. Elected officials often don't understand what EM does until a disaster is underway, limiting funding and inviting mission creep.
Agencies that successfully addressed this had one thing in common: regular, data-backed communication with leadership. Completed exercises and documented improvement plans are the evidence that supports budget conversations.
What the Data Points Toward
The fundamental constraints, funding and staffing, are structural. But if agencies can't hire their way to more capacity, where else can it come from? 58% of state EM agencies already have some access to AI resources, and local agencies expressed a clear desire for software that consolidates functions into one system.
How Beehive Addresses These Pain Points
Beehive is 
's AI-powered exercise generation platform. It creates HSEEP-aligned tabletop exercise materials (situation manuals, facilitator guides, evaluation forms, and presentations) in a fraction of the time traditional development requires.
One-person offices need force multipliers
Complete exercise packages from basic inputs. Professional-grade materials that would otherwise require weeks are generated in minutes.
60-70% less time on exercise development
Time redirected from document creation back to community engagement, strategic planning, and the face-to-face work directors can't get to.
Knowledge that outlasts any single director
Exercise materials and after-action documentation persist beyond individual tenures. The next director inherits a documented program, not a blank email list.
Evidence for stakeholders, not just explanations
HSEEP-aligned deliverables give directors professional documentation for elected officials: tangible proof of preparedness activity.
Beehive won't solve the funding crisis. But it can give one-person offices the exercise capacity the study shows they desperately need without a bigger budget or additional headcount.
"You should also know that I am overworked, underpaid and I love my job."
— Local EM Director
The full Emergency Management Organizational Structures, Staffing, and Capacity Study is available through FEMA and Argonne National Laboratory.