Final Project- Emergency Planning
The city for which this emergency operation plan is designed the city of San Diego. While there is a probability of the occurrence of natural disasters, there are specific hazards against which the city needs to be wary because of the Mediterranean climate in the city (The Unified Disaster Council, 2014). A hazard assessment performed in the city shows that the probable natural hazards include tropical storms, floods, wildfires, earthquakes, hurricanes, landslides, and droughts (Lindell, Prater, and Perry, 2006). Other hazards with which almost all cities have to content include accidents involving poisonous material, accidents on transportation systems, accidents involving nuclear power plants, gas and water mains, and the threat of terrorism. A high level of emergency planning and preparedness is required in the event of these hazards (Lindell, Prater, and Perry, 2006). The sections below detail the elements of the Emergency Operations Plan for the City of San Diego. In addition to the purpose, scope, and assumptions, the plan also contains the concept of operations, the responsibilities, coordination, communication, administration, and the development and maintenance among other elements.
Purpose, Scope, Situation, and Assumptions
Purpose
The emergency operations plan delineates the action plan for the City of San Diego in the event of emergencies caused by natural disasters, industrial accidents and other hazards within the city’s jurisdiction. The plan outlines the input of all the city departments and agencies and the coordination mechanisms (The Unified Disaster Council, 2014).
Scope
The reach of the emergency operations plan covers all emergency situations that result from all hazards irrespective of whether they are natural or caused by man. The emergency plan applies only when the emergency situations require a coordinated response by the department and agencies of the city and federal authorities (The Unified Disaster Council, 2014).
Situation
The hazards identified in the City of San Diego require a planned and coordinated response in the event they were to happen. No single city has the abundance of resources to respond to emergency situations of all magnitudes. In recognition of this fact, the emergency operations plan presents a coordination mechanism for the sharing of the resources of various agencies and departments (The Unified Disaster Council, 2014).
Assumptions
The preparation of this emergency operations plan is based on the following assumptions:
The responsibility for the management of emergency services and their operational control is vested in the local authorities unless such responsibility is undermined by prior agreements or government statutes (The Unified Disaster Council, 2014).
The implementation of mitigation procedures before a disaster occurs can significantly reduce the extent of damage, and the number of injuries and deaths (The Unified Disaster Council, 2014).
It is also assumed that the authorities that are responsible for the implementation of the emergency operations plan will also update the plans periodically in light of new hazards or new approaches to emergency management (The Unified Disaster Council, 2014).
There is also an assumption that the best approach to emergency response is when the control and coordination are done by the local authorities in the various jurisdictions (The Unified Disaster Council, 2014).
The other assumption when designing the emergency response plan is that whenever mutual aid is requested from the other jurisdictions, private organizations and federal government agencies, the aid will be provided whenever it is available (The Unified Disaster Council, 2014).
Concepts of Operations
The planning of the emergency operations plan is based on several concepts. Firstly, the local governments have the responsibility to undertake emergency management planning to reduce the effects that an occurrence of a hazardous event could have on the public infrastructure, private businesses, and the lives of the city residents (Department of public Safety, 1996). Secondly, it is the responsibility of the local governments to ensure the preparedness of the city in the event of a disaster and to ensure that the response mechanisms within the jurisdiction are updated. Finally, the local authorities have the responsibility to achieve the ability of the emergency departments to respond to the hazardous occurrence. If the local governments determine that their capability is limited, they have a responsibility to seek for mutual aid from other jurisdictions, agencies at the state and federal level and also ensure that the command for incident and response operations remains the responsibility of the local jurisdiction (Department of public Safety, 1996).
Organization and Assignment of Responsibilities
The coordination of the emergency services is assigned to the vice-chairperson of the Emergency Services Organization for the City of San Diego. The election of the vice-chairperson is done by the city managers, the chief administrative officer, and the heads of the participating agencies. In the event that the vice-chairperson cannot dispense duties as a coordinator, the responsibility falls on the chief operating officer in the chief administrative office (Department of public Safety, 1996). This officer serves in an acting capacity. This is in line with the ideals of continuity of government. The participating agencies have the responsibility to not only develop but also update the standard operating procedures. They also have a responsibility to train their staff periodically in line with the updated emergency response plans.
Direction, Control, and Coordination
The emergency operations plan will be implemented six sections that are tasked with different responsibilities. The policy section will be charged with the coordination of the response and recovery efforts and the formulation of policies that relate to the emergency response. The operation section is tasked with the coordination of the tactical operates that are related to emergency response (The Unified Disaster Council, 2014). This role entails the deployment of the resources that are required for emergency response. The planning section is tasked with the development of plans and ensuring that the status of resources is monitored periodically and maintained. The intelligence section is tasked with the collection, analysis, and dissemination of information to the relevant agencies. The logistics section is tasked with the provision of the equipment, personnel, supplies, services and the other facilities that are required to support emergency response (The Unified Disaster Council, 2014). The administration section is mandated with monitoring resource utilization during the preparation for and the actual emergency response.
Information Collection, Analysis, and Dissemination
The collection of information, analysis, and the dissemination is the responsibility of the intelligence section. The collection of information is not just limited to during the emergency response period (The Unified Disaster Council, 2014). This role is also to be performed in the period prior to a hazardous event to aid the preparedness efforts. During the emergency response, this section will gather the information on the progress of the response and recovery efforts, analyze it and forward it to the operations command for dissemination (The Unified Disaster Council, 2014).
Communications
Communication is a crucial aspect of the emergency operations plan. The approach to communication during the emergency response will be both vertical and horizontal. The information to be communicated includes the status of the resource reserves, the progress of the emergency response, damages, injuries, and deaths resulting from the hazardous events (The Unified Disaster Council, 2014). The communication will be made to the operation command that will decide on the response actions needed and the dissemination of the information (The Unified Disaster Council, 2014).
Administration, Finance, and Logistics
The planning and the actual emergency response is resource intensive. In addition to the monetary resources, this exercise also requires equipment, personnel with different skill and competencies and the structure to coordinate the utilization of the resources. The administration element in the plans offers an overarching framework through which the monitoring of resources, mutual aid, and record keeping is to be done (The Unified Disaster Council, 2014). The logistics office is tasked with the provision of all the support functions of the emergency response as well as the preparedness phase. The finance office is tasked with the sourcing of the financial resources required for the maintenance of the training levels, response equipment, and the other non-monetary resources needed for the response efforts.
Plan Development and Maintenance
As highlighted earlier, the maintenance aspect entails the updating of the emergency operations plan so that it reflects the evolving nature of the hazards and the approach used in their mitigation and emergency response (FEMA, 2010). This will entail soliciting and review feedback, the incorporation of information from the hazard assessment exercises, and the lessons learned from the preparedness drills that are to be carried periodically (FEMA, 2010). The maintenance and developing will result in the updating of the standard operating procedures of the various participating departments and agencies, as well as the various sections of the emergency response plan. The plan development will also feature updates that result from the emergence of new and more effective approaches to emergency response, disaster management and hazard mitigation (FEMA, 2010).
References
FEMA. (2010). Developing and Maintaining Emergency Operations Plans: Comprehensive Preparedness Guide (CPG) 101. Retrieved from http://www.fema.gov/pdf/about/divisions/npd/CPG_101_V2.pdf
Lindell, M., Prater, C. and Perry, R. (2006). Fundamentals of Emergency Management. Retrieved from http://training.fema.gov/hiedu/aemrc/booksdownload/fem/
The Unified Disaster Council. (2014). Unified San Diego County Emergency Services Organization and County of San Diego Operational Area Emergency Operations Plan. Retrieved from http://www.sandiegocounty.gov/content/dam/sdc/oes /emergency_management/plans/op-area-plan/2014/2014-OA-EOP-Basic-Plan.pdf
