Tag emergency planning

DANGER: Templates in use

Tim Riecker, The Contrarian Emergency Manager Leave a comment
Timothy Riecker

Sorry… I thought this image was really funny!

Last night I spent some time reviewing the Comprehensive Emergency Management and Continuity of Operations Plan (which should not be combined into one document) for a small town.  Having reviewed more plans from within the State of New York than I can count, it was readily obvious that a state-provided template was (mis)used in the making of this plan.  The end result: a poorly written plan that can’t be operationalized.

First off, I must say that there is nothing wrong with the template that was used.  This template has been provided and is regularly updated by the Planning staff of the State’s Office of Emergency Management.  Good templates help to ensure consistent formats are applied and all baseline legal and necessary content is included.  There are many planning templates out there across the nation and globally for emergency plans.  Some are good, many are not so good.  The closest I tend to get to a template is using it as a reference.  I generally see the use of templates akin to a Jean-Claude van Damme movie: you think it’s a good idea at first, you soon discover that you don’t really like it but for some reason can’t leave it, and in the end you are left wondering what really happened.

One must keep in mind when using a planning template that one size does not fit all… actually one size doesn’t fit anyone.  While a template, as stated earlier, will provide you with a format and essential content, they don’t provide YOUR detailed information.  If you simply use the template the way most people (wrongly) do, you are essentially doing the Mad Libs version of emergency planning by plugging in titles and locations where it tells you to.  But where does this get you?  Is the plan ‘customized’ simply because you filled in the blanks with your information?  Of course not.  The plan needs to make sense.  The easiest way to determine if it makes sense or not is to read it.  A good plan should provide a strategic-level narrative of how your company, jurisdiction, or organization will respond to and manage the impacts of a disaster.  Who is in charge, and of what?  What does the organization look like?  What priorities must be addressed?

Templates really should be viewed as guidance documents – this will help prevent most user errors.  Plans address needs – so a good needs assessment (threats and hazards) up front will help identify the content of the plan.  Don’t forget to read the plan while you are writing it to make sure that it makes sense.  Consider how it will be used and by whom.  Do we write emergency plans just to fulfill a legal requirement or do we write them so we can use them???

Emergency Preparedness for Persons with Disabilities

Tim Riecker, The Contrarian Emergency Manager Leave a comment

My post is in reference to an article in Emergency Management Magazine (found here:http://www.emergencymgmt.com/disaster/Emergency-Planning-Disabled-Uphill-Battle.html).  The author’s article brings up several pertinent points around preparedness planning for persons with disabilities.  This, like darn near everything in emergency management, requires a multi-agency, multi-disciplinary approach.  We also need to be very certain to not lump all persons with disabilities into one category.  There are various levels of function that people may have.  Many people live with disabilities every day and are highly functioning, requiring little or no help.  Others may require daily or constant assistance from family, friends, or other care takers, including medical professionals.  Some folks are dependent upon medications or medical equipment (insulin dependant diabetics, those requiring dialysis, or home oxygen), while some have mobility impairments.  Some may have cognitive disabilities such as autism, Down’s Syndrome, or a traumatic brain injury.  Some persons may have several disabilities which need to be considered.  A community’s planning efforts must incorporate the full spectrum of needs.

Following our emergency planning steps, we can easily pull together the people and information we need.  First, form a planning group.  Emergency management, local health department, and local organizations that advocate for persons with disabilities, such as the Arc, associations for the blind and hearing impaired, diabetes association, MDA, UCP, etc.  These are all important stakeholders as they serve and advocate for our disabled populations on a daily basis.  You should probably know your community’s hazards, but we should analyze how they can impact persons with disabilities.  We have to define what needs exist that we need to address.  We can even consider mitigation measures, such as obtaining strobe light alerting for those with hearing impairments.

Help your community keep its finger on the pulse of the needs of persons with disabilities by forming a special needs registry.  Those utilized now are web-based and help first responders and emergency management identify, plan for, and address the changing needs in the community.  Having current information such as names, addresses, and type and severity of disability are extremely important.  Planning for notification, evacuation, transportation, and sheltering are often times the most challenging.  Expand your planning group when these challenges come up.  Include utility companies (who will prioritize power restoration to those who are dependent for medical reasons), local and regional transportation authorities, and those agencies and resources who will staff special needs shelters.

Remember, most persons with disabilities are not an idol portion of our population.  They are highly functioning and can help, needing only the right accommodations to do so.  Also, be sure to promote special needs preparedness.  FEMA, the American Red Cross, and others have excellent resources for this.  Your local association for the blind and visually impaired can help you obtain materials in large print or braille.  The National Organization on Disability is also a great resource (nod.org).  Don’t leave anyone behind!