One of the newer occupational badges of the United States Air Force, the Civil Engineer Readiness badge was approved in February, 2006 by USAF Chief of Staff General T. Mark Moseley, with an official wear date of 1 October 2006. It was first awarded in November, 2006 to the graduates of the first-ever Civil Engineer Readiness Apprentice Course held at Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri. The graduates were 3E9X1s Emergency Management specialists. To avoid confusion, both the course and the badge were renamed to reflect the Airmen’s specialty codes, and are now known as the Emergency Management Apprentice Course and the Emergency Management badge, respectively.
A major part of the course focuses on responses to major accidents, natural disasters, and the effects of wartime activities, with extensive training in Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear, and Explosive (CBRN-E) operations, from detection and early warning to decontamination and reporting. Hands-on training is facilitated through exercises simulating both wartime and peacetime events, with students learning to conduct wartime skills while wearing protective equipment. Also covered are Disaster Preparedness planning and programs, disaster recovery, and C4I (Command, Control, Communications, Computers, and Intelligence) actions.
The Emergency Management badge is based on an insignia first used by the U.S. Army’s Chemical Service in 1917. It features a representation of the organic chemical compound benzene superimposed over two crossed glass vessels called retorts. Retorts have been used for centuries in laboratories for distillation.
As with almost all occupational badges, the Senior-level Emergency Management badge is awarded to Airmen who reach the Craftsman (7-skill) level in the 3E9X1 specialty. Master-level badges are awarded to Master Sergeants who have at least five years in the specialty at the Craftsman level or higher.