Methodology To answer the two research questions, the case study methodology consists of a research design to acquire EOPs for survey, data collection to evaluate the EOPs against a checklist, and a data analysis. Research Design The criteria for case samples are government organizations along the Front Range of Colorado that have emergency operations plans and do not overlap in jurisdiction, with the exception of the State of Colorado. The case sample consists of six organizations – the State of Colorado, County of Pueblo, City and County of Boulder, City of Colorado Springs, the City of Evans, and Carbon Valley. Given the limited number of cases included in this study, this project cannot generalize findings to any broader set of cases; however, it provides a useful comparative analysis for the client. Data Collection Method For this case study, six emergency operations plans were collected, along with a checklist containing recommendations for evaluating the EOPs. Only plans labeled as “Emergency Operations Plan,” were collected as this is the common term promoted by the National Response Framework (FEMA, 2015). This avoids confusion with other plans that may be similar in nature, such as emergency response plans or standard operating procedures. Plans were downloaded from the organization’s website or acquired by contacting the organization by phone or email (See Appendix B for information to retrieve surveyed EOPs). Each organization’s resources is based on 2016
Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital Denton is a 255-bed hospital featuring more than forty three specialties, the hospital is located adjacent to a major highway which is used to transport hazardous materials, commuters and cargo. Texas Health Presbyterian Denton is a suburb of the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex, which has an estimated population of seven million residents and covers a geographical area of approximately 9,000 square miles. The Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex is the largest metropolitan area in the South and the fourth largest in the United States. The purpose of this paper will be to evaluate the Texas Health Presbyterian Denton’s Emergency Operation’s Plan to determine if it address a comprehensive response to threats, emergencies and disasters while safeguarding the welfare of its citizens.
According to http://www.ready.gov/business/implementation/emergency explains the steps that need to be taken and the importance of an emergency plan. “When an emergency occurs, the first priority is always life safety. The second priority is the stabilization of
United States, FEMA. (2010, November). Developing and Maintaining Emergency Operations Plans. Retrieved May 5, 2018, from https://www.fema.gov/media-library-data/20130726-1828-25045-0014/cpg_101_comprehensive_preparedness_guide_developing_and_maintaining_emergency_operations_plans_2010.pdf
National Response Plan Howard L. Hayes Saint Leo University Abstract Why is it necessary for our country to have an effective emergency plan in place? Why does it matter how the country responds to emergencies when every part of our country, including cities and states, face emergency situations on a daily basis all over? Some are bad to worse, and some horrific to deadly. Well, this paper explains the importance of the National Response Plan and why it is necessary for our country to have it in place. It explores several articles that have been published to show the results on the effectiveness and response of the National Response Plan. The National Response Framework, previously called The National Response Plan, is a plan that the United States put in effect to organize the way the country and the community handles attacks, disasters, as well as all events looked at as an emergency. The Response Plan relays and describes all the information in order to avoid catastrophic damages and to protect and save lives. The plan focuses on how the country as a whole can work together to prepare for damaging events. Morover, the plan doesn 't always seem to be effective as it is expected to be. Issues arose at the time it is most needed, which causes necessary changes to take effect immediately. Sometimes the damage is already done and that could be due to economic collapse, being unprepared, and failure to respond appropriately. The National Response Framework replaced the National
The activation and staffing of physical and web based emergency operations centers (EOC), provides situational awareness and warnings that support ongoing hazard prevention and protection efforts during disasters. Additionally, it requires continuous coordination between multiple agencies. In order to ensure that the EOC is effective it must be able to incorporate survivability, security, sustainability, interoperability, and flexibility. In 2012, the Federal Emergency Agency (FEMA) established and activated its National Business Emergency Operations Center (NBEOC) twice, with the most recent disaster being Hurricane Sandy. Did the federal governments web based NBEOC demonstrate organizational excellence before, during, and after Sandy? To
An emergency operations plan for the community in which we live is a document of great importance to each of us whether we know it or not. This paper examines the emergency action plan for Knoxville, Tennessee. In the course of the examination, it will compare and analyze the plan for Knoxville with the standards set forth in the textbook for this course along with other recognized sources in the field of emergency management.
Ensuring Resilience to Disasters has more tasking’s than another mission and involves many different agencies to accomplish those tasks. The four tasks are to mitigate hazards, enhance preparedness, ensure effective emergency response, and rapidly recover. The main agency that is responsible for these tasking’s is FEMA. FEMA’s mission is to “reduce the loss of life and property and protect communities nationwide from all hazards, including natural disasters, acts of terrorism, and other man-made disasters” (FEMA, 2017, p.2). FEMA works with federal and State services to assist them in accomplishing their goals. They also assist local services by assisting in setting up emergency management agencies (LEMA) and set guidance for Emergency Operations Planning (EOP). EOP’s are “plans that provide an overview of the jurisdiction’s preparedness and response strategies. It describes expected hazards, outlines agency roles and responsibilities, and explains how the jurisdiction keeps the plan current.” (FEMA, 2010,
The disaster which hit the Maricopa County in the State of Arizona in September 2014 was a major disaster that necessitated the community preparedness for leading successful response and a prompt recovery. Besides emergency managers, many officials and the private are involved in the processes. Some of these stakeholders are public health, public safety, and municipal officials. Collaboration is needed for getting all those involved in the processes to interact accordingly. This paper addresses the major collaboration strengths between emergency responders, public health, public safety, and municipal officials to deliver accurate response and recovery during the event, the main weaknesses of the collaboration among all those that were involved in the efforts, and recommendations for improving the collaboration between the stakeholders.
An EOP is the “scope of preparedness and emergency management activities necessary format jurisdictions (FEMA, 2010).” There are three EOP formats such as the Traditional functional format, The Emergency Support function format, and Agency-Department focused format. There is a lot that goes into an EOP; there is “the purpose of the plan; the situation; assumptions; CONOPS; organization and assignment of responsibilities; administration and logistics; plan development and maintenance; and authorities and references (FEMA, 2010).” However, in order for a emergency to be successfully handled so that less damage is caused and lives are saved it is important to have communication; the entire time. Without the line of communication everything else
While reading Annex H of the EOP Plan, it quickly became apparent that the original author lacked experience in emergency management training, including policy writing and emergency planning. The most recent revised plan was dated April 24, 2014. While examining the content, I was surprised at the general layout of the plan. It was vague and used uncommon terminology. For example, Section I was labeled, “Size Up.” In my experience, this is not agreed upon terminology in the emergency planning community.
An event that has the ability to affect multiple areas, covering many jurisdictions and creating a complete shutdown of services require outside attention and assistance. The local resources tend to be overwhelmed during these situations (Caruson, MacManus, September 2008). Not only with recovery operations in their areas of responsibilities, but with their own personal recovery
Local protective measure planning equips first responders with the knowledge needed to organize efficient response results in the event of an emergency. Structured open dialogue between local emergency jurisdictions enables responders to delegate the appropriate individuals and equipment resources to the impacted local areas requiring the most aid following a terror event. By establishing a streamlined communication framework, local emergency responders can collaborate their efforts and resources to promote collective well-being. When a local emergency plan specifies what responders and resources belong where and at what time, response overlap and shortages can be avoided. Unionized response action established prior to a terrorist incident, serves to mitigate the risks, hazards and threat of injury or harm the people and property of the US face when a terrorism event occurs. Furthermore, a structured local emergency operations plan for a hazardous materials incident involving a terrorist is imperative to public health and safety, as the blueprint outlines protective measures the public can follow to minimize their exposure to dangerous substances. The people of a community affected by a terror event can be warned and notified of the event’s associated dangerous materials, which threaten their well-being, through a variety of methods such as warning sirens or horns, emergency alert systems, automated
The next measure in establishing an effective EOP is preparedness, preparedness is the continuous cycle of planning, organizing, training, equipping, exercising, evaluating, and taking corrective action. Training and exercising plans is the cornerstone of preparedness which focuses on readiness to respond to all-hazards incidents and emergencies (FEMA, n.d.). An example of preparedness in relation to a disaster would be evacuation plans implemented after the bombings of the World Trade Center in 1993. This type of training was instrumental in saving the lives of countless people during the terrorists’ attacks on 9/11.
The objective of this study was to develop a strategic contingency planning model to be used to fully incorporate emergency management and business continuity into organization structures. (For the purpose of this study, Emergency Management and Business Continuity were collectively referred to as “contingency planning.”) Presently, contingency planning is mainly done on an operational or tactical level. Current thinking suggests that contingency planning should be an active part of organizations’ overall strategic planning processes as well. Organizations will ultimately be better prepared for future disasters and crises.
In a major disaster, key government officials may become incapacitated. The Mayor, Governor, or even the President might be missing. Similarly, government departments might become disabled or even be destroyed. Therefore, a system has been devised for these contingencies. This address the issue of how to continue to function under duress. The key is continuity. For example, continuity of government (COG) is defined as “measures that ensure that representative government survives during and after a disaster.” (Lindell & Perry, 2007). A similar concept is continuity of operations (COO) which is defined as “measures that ensure that government departments can deliver essential services during and after a disaster.” (Lindell & Perry, 2007). The COO is usually referred to as a COO plan or “COOP.” COGs and COOPs contain the following common elements: (1) concept of operations, (2) essential functions, (3) succession and authority, (4) EOCs and alternate facilities, (5) interoperable communications, (6) vital records are protected, and (7) training and exercises are maintained.