As we approach the anniversary of the 9/11 attacks on our nation, a refresher of general emergency preparedness is in order.
There are three major aspects of overall preparedness. I call them the three pillars of preparedness: Emergency Management, Homeland Security, and Business Continuity.
Emergency Management is the all-hazards approach to dealing with emergencies. This system has evolved over the last 15 years as the standard for dealing with natural occurring emergencies: Floods, wildfires, tornados, hurricanes, high wind damage, unusual snow fall, landslides, and any ancillary problem that might result from this- power outages, sheltering of displaced victims, food shortages, etc.
In short, Emergency Management is the discipline that covers emergencies that are most likely to occur on a regular basis. These events are termed high frequency- low impact incidents, because of the regularity with which they occur and the ability for most communities to recover from them in a relatively short time.
Emergency management is managed as a pyramid, with the base being the local government dealing with the event. The apex represents the federal government, namely FEMA, coordinating the response and recovery when things are beyond the local and state resources to manage.
Homeland Security is the second pillar of this trio, the law enforcement aspect of dealing with emergencies. This area covers terrorism, both foreign and domestic, civil disturbances, and criminal activity that aid either of the aforementioned. Whereas the emergency management aspects are managed with a pyramid structure, the Homeland Security aspects are driven in an integrated fashion, with a linear connection between law enforcement agencies.
The federal government represents the lead set of agencies in most Homeland Security matters, with local law enforcement following the lead of these agencies. This allows the resources of the Feds to direct activity to the local level.
When issues arise, the FBI (or other agencies) will issue directives and are usually on scene within hours if some event should befall a community. The investigative branches of the federal government also extend to pre event and post event as lead in most cases. The homeland security represents cases that are less likely to occur, but if they do, they are high consequence events. This low frequency, high impact item has been the focus of the Bush administrations policies.
Business Continuity is the final member of this trio. This relates to the speedy restoration of business operations for an existing corporation, if a natural or man-made disaster occurs. Should something happen to a headquarters or a key site of operation for a business, there is a plan designed for operations that is ready to go at a few moments notice.
This may take the form of a rented facility equipped with back up files, computers, and workstations for staff. It may also involve redirection of phone calls, movement and care for staff to new work locations, and a heavy reliance on both regular media and other methods of disseminating information to customers.
To a less severe degree, this may include evacuation plans for facilities, acquainting emergency response personnel to facilities and sites during a tour or exercise, designing policies and procedures for employees, and contacting families of loved ones of employees during an emergency.
Business Continuity planners anticipate challenges to operations, and, as some places are considered critical infrastructure sites, rely on preparedness to keep critical operations flowing in a crisis.
Another way of viewing emergency preparedness is looking at the ability of a governmental entity or business to deal with the prevention and management of a crisis, as compared to the management and eventual resolution of the ensuing consequences. These two aspects are called Crisis Management and Consequence Management.
Crisis Management contains the usage of the incident command system during the emergency.
This involves seamless communications among responders, effective crime scene investigations, if needed, management of media, and naturally, elimination of the hazard as quickly as possible.
It may also involve early intervention efforts and the sharing of information between agencies to head off potential crises that may affect life and property.
Crisis management may start with a local police or fire department, and end up with a federal agency like FEMA or the FBI.
Consequence Management focuses on the aftermath of an event and the ability to respond to the needs of the citizens.
This gets down to sheltering of people and pets, emergency food and medical supplies.
It may also entail the restoration of damaged homes, removal of debris, restoration of power and potable water, and the like. It focuses on the long-term mitigation of these events so that the city’s vulnerability is reduced.
Consequence Management begins after the immediate crisis is over, and may include an array of agencies at the local state and federal level. It may also include many non-profit groups, such as the Red Cross or Salvation Army.
Whether a natural disaster occurs, or terrorism strikes, we must be prepared to respond to safe lives and property.
George Davis is the founder of Safe and Secure Detroit, Inc. He is a certified Professional Emergency Manager through FEMA and the Michigan State Police. He is also a former Public Safety Administrator and Public Safety Policy Analyst for the City of Detroit, He currently manages Public Safety for the Detroit Salt Company.
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