Responsibilities Of Virginia Beach During A Disaster

Establishment of a chain of command in a situation such as a severe storm or other disaster is essential. Because there may be a disruption to commonly used manners of communication, such as television, telephones, and the internet, it is important to have a clear outline of where and to whom to report, how to find answers, and who will perform necessary tasks. In the simulation, the Public Health Department is both a link in the larger, county-wide chain of command and has its own hierarchy structure. Within the scope of the county, the Public Health Department reports to the Medical/Health Branch Director who is directly under the Operations Chief. The Operations Chief, who is in charge of managing and monitoring the actions of each department, reports to the Emergency Operations Commander. The Emergency Operations commander is the highest link in the chain, not only overseeing the operations of the various governmental departments, but also the officers in charge of Safety, Public Information, and Legal.

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,

In regards to local and national emergency response, first responders have explicit roles and responsibilities. The National Response Framework (NRF) is an excellent tool designed to outline the precise roles and responsibilities, as they relate to the different echelons. Local governments play a major role in the overall response frame work within their community. Typically chief elected or appointed officials are responsible for the safety and welfare for those within their respective jurisdiction. Also, officials have a role in how laws and policies are formed, in order to to aid preparedness efforts and improve emergency management and response capabilities (DHS, 2006).

Our world is complex there has always been and always will be disasters that can happen anywhere anytime. There can be natural disasters, for example floods, hurricanes, tornadoes, wild fires and drought. There are also man-made and technology types of disasters from hazardous material spills, biological weapons, cyber-attacks to even civil unrest. According to PEMA, the history of emergency management can date all the way back the first civil defense program which was started during World War I and later during World War II the office of civil defense (OCD) was created by Pres. Roosevelt. In the past emergency management, has always been event driven. With each new crisis that our nation has gone through, the reason for and the avenue in which to accomplish emergency management has changed. No more so than when the terrorist attacked on 9/11. The 9/11 commission report states that the Incident Command System is a “proven framework for emergency response” (911 CR). The incident command system is a proven framework for emergency response by providing clear leadership and organizational structure, improving the effectiveness of resource efforts, and maintaining safety for responders.

Emergency planning has changed very much since the 9/11 attacks. Law enforcement agencies focus more on prevention, preparedness, response, recovery, and mitigation. With planning and efforts made by law enforcement agencies, the law enforcement community can provide a comprehensive emergency management and security program (EMHSD/MSP, 2009).

Public safety and welfare of the community falls under the jurisdiction of elected and appointed officials. Local officials provide strategic guidance and resources during preparedness, response, and recovery efforts. They must have a clear understanding of their responsibilities for success in emergency management.

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (2008) provides guidance on emergency incident communication. They recommend defining an Area Commander, Public Information Officer, and field level personnel. During an emergency response, an Area Commander is appointed. In the case of Draper City, the Area Commander is the Mayor or the City Manager. The Area Commander coordinates information disseminated through the Public Information Officer and field level personnel. Additional personnel to consider for approval of information include the city council, assistant city manager, police chief, fire chief, and emergency preparedness

In the aftermath of a terrorist attack, local law enforcement is often the first responders on the scene. First responders have the most dangerous job of all since they can not always be sure that the threat is over when they enter a scene. These law enforcement officers, as first responders, have the responsibility of coordinating emergency services within the area and restoring the site. They do this by establishing an emergency command center in which they coordinate their efforts with local emergency personal such as paramedics and firefighters. They are responsible for anything that happens at the scene, including damage, until they have secured the scene (Maras, 2013).

There exist numerous types of situations that could cause an emergency response, nonetheless, who is supposed to provide emergency response to large scale emergencies? The answer is the Department of Homeland Security (DHS); specifically the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). The Department of Homeland Security was created in lieu of one single event that happened on September 11th, 2001. There stand several entities under the DHS program, additionally; the Federal Emergency Management Agency heads the emergency response efforts under DHS.

Each disaster response should start at the local or state level, and then depending on the magnitude it may grow to the response level only the federal government can provide. The initial response to an emergency by the state should deal with the emergency needs of the public. The State’s responsibility will be to focus around control of communication procedures; warning of the upcoming emergency if possible, providing public information, any information regarding evacuations and shelter (Federal Emergency Management Agency, 1996). Beyond controlling communication, the state will also be responsible to alert and dispatch the required emergency response teams to engage in protection of people and their property, and if needed a request for aid from the Federal Government (Federal Emergency Management Agency, 1996).

They are the eyes and ears in the areas, know their communities, know what natural threats face them, and they generally have a specific plan in place for all disasters that can occur in their areas. The federal government has tried to take first responders to the next level to ensure they are safe, as well as members of the community. The number of first responders who died on 9/11 was tragic and an event that no one wanted to see repeated. With the assistance, guidance and funding from the federal government, local government and responders are tasked to create community emergency operation plans (EOP). These plans outline the responsibilities of responders and detail a number of objectives if they fall victim to a terrorist attack.

Have you ever seen a natural disaster on the news and wonder how the Red Cross and other organizations help in such a drastic way while being organized? The answer for that is the Emergency Management Director because their job is to make sure everything runs as smoothly as possible. Even though they have a lot of work it is rewarding in many ways, so keep reading to learn what is an Emergency Management Director and what is Needed to become one, what they do, and the rewards!

The burden of emergency management has grown great deal in the last few decades. We have seen an increase in natural disasters, a new threat of terrorism on our front door and an increase in manmade disasters. All of these have tested emergency management in a number of cities and towns across the nation. It is not always disasters that present problems for emergency managers. We have to look beyond our traditional view of emergency management of helping us during times of disasters and view what issues they consider may affect their emergency response. Issues that emergency management see that are moving into the critical area are issues of urbanization and hazard exposure, the rising costs of disaster recovery, and low priority of emergency management.

Serves as the Department’s Emergency coordinator providing leadership for all Departmental civil transportation intelligence, security policy, emergency preparedness, response and recovery activities and those of federal transportation’s operating and support agencies. They also provide effective management and direction of the office of intelligence, security and emergency response staff in performance of the pragmatic functional areas of responsibility.