Emergency Management Plan - Coursework Example

Emergency Management Plan

Security is a fundamental topic and this is why the primary role of any government in the world is to protect its citizens. Malicious individuals and terrorist groups are always coming up with new techniques and methods to carry out their evil intentions, for instance, the recent London attacks where innocent civilians were being stabbed by unknown assailants while walking in the streets in the middle of the day! It is for this reason, therefore, that the government, through Homeland Security prepares, prevents and responds to domestic emergencies such as terrorism. The purpose of this paper is to prepare an emergency management plan to explain how different entities such as the local police and emergency services will be involved in mitigating the potential threat involving weapons of mass destruction against an employee federal building.

Purpose of the plan

An Emergency Management Plan is an action plan designed to mitigate the excessive damage of catastrophic events which could endanger properties or people's lives. This plan usually includes security measures which provide for personnel safety as well as other facilities and property. It is necessarily a tool which senior managers rely on for rapid coordination and decision-making when disaster strikes (Gordon, 2015). The emergency plan takes special measures to:

• Save and protect the lives of the 500 employees working in the federal building under threat.
• Deliver essential operations and services.
• Manage communications and information concerning emergency operations.
• Provide information useful in supporting decision-making and action plans.
• Manage public resources effectively throughout the emergency operation.

Emergency plan management phases

Mitigation

There are four phases identified under a comprehensive Emergency Plan Management. The first step involves mitigation, preparedness, response and recovery (Gordon, 2015). Mitigation is the first step and one of the most critical as it involves setting up prevention techniques which reduce the probability or potential loss from hazardous events. It involves focusing on where and how to build and it is this step where the local police come in. The police, in this case, will play a huge role in educating all the employees in the federal building on simple measures they can take to protect themselves in case of a terrorist attack. The police can further educate people on the dos and don’ts in case of attacks and to urge them to keep vigilant. Employees could also be trained on certain measures to prevent bodily injury and personal harm like fastening bookshelves, file cabinets to walls to keep such items from falling in case of an attack. Community policing would also play a huge role to help avert the threat involving weapons of mass destruction as people would keep a watchful eye for suspicious individuals. The local police would be tasked with promoting community policing as it is a philosophy that will promote systematic use of partnerships to address emergencies and abrupt incidences which bring about the social disorder (Keyes, 2008).

In this step, the concept of risk comes into play. Risk is an important consideration that every Emergency Program coordinator ought to give much thought to. Risk is defined as the possibility that harm may occur from an unidentified hazard (Gordon, 2015). Once the risk has been identified, risk analysis can then take place as it is the process of estimating the frequency of the hazard. The next step is that of risk control where methods of reducing the risk are analyzed and put into place, for instance, entry into the federal building by unauthorized personnel by non-staff would be prohibited. Risk management then follows where daily decisions are made to ensure practical measures have been put in place to minimize the occurrence of the potential threat. If better ideas were not incorporated into the plan, they can be added during this process. New sections to existing emergency plans can be added to enable all emergency responders to be better equipped to deal with new threats.

Preparedness

The next step in the Emergency Management plan would be that of preparedness. Mitigation neither guarantees the elimination of the threat from the weapons of mass destruction nor does it make the federal employee building much safer to work in and therefore it will be imperative that every department working together prepares for the worst so as to not be caught off-guard. Preparedness involves being ready to face emergency threats which may still occur even after mitigation. Since emergencies spread very fast and evolve rapidly, chances of it becoming complex and getting out of hand are high thus the need for emergency services such as the fire department and medical services to be discharged beforehand and become fully prepared. This whole step of preparedness involves establishing authorities for emergency actions and assigning them resources to support them in the event things get out of control. The Emergency Management Plan will, therefore, recruit additional staff who will procure equipment, facilities and other vital resources to carry out their assigned duties. Investment in any emergency management requires upkeep and maintenance and it is for this reason that the fire department staff would receive extra equipment and training, the equipment would be maintained and checked frequently to ensure they remain in good working conditions. Preparedness is the development of vital strategies that link many features of an authority’s commitment to managing an emergency and a very important step and as such should not be improvised or done poorly.

Response

Response would only come in if the threat against the federal building materializes and the onset of such emergency will create the need to save lives, property as well as stabilize the situation to restore calm (FEMA, 2012). Response actions would include notifying emergency personnel without hesitation as soon as disaster strikes. The fire and medical services departments would be required to report on the scene first to assist the causalities, the fire department would be required to set up a command post close to the site where communication systems would be operated. Immediate rescue efforts would get underway as firefighters from the local fire department would be sent up the story building to ensure everyone evacuates the building. Ladder companies would be contacted to provide additional ladders and cranes to facilitate access to the topmost floors to ensure a smooth evacuation process. The medical team would be required to perform first aid services to causalities at the scene and assist in evacuating those who are critically ill to the nearest health facilities. The police department would also be instrumental in offering support to the fire department. The police force can provide helicopters which are quicker to airlift survivors who are physically unable to descend the stairs from the roof of the tower. Moreover, to provide more security, the police could set up a perimeter wall to prevent further attack and ensure that the rescue teams are getting ample space to continue with the ongoing rescue mission. In addition to this, the National Disaster Search Dog Foundation could be contacted to offer trained dog handlers who can help locate victims who are buried in the collapsing debris. A temporary base near the scene could also be set up to assist in the evacuation of civilians by working alternating shifts. The emergency plan would provide provision for seeking help outside the jurisdiction or from the local government and other nearby states.

Recovery

Recovery involves the effort put in place to restore damaged property and infrastructure after disaster strikes. It is done to restore the social and economic life back to being fully functional and productive (Alexander, 2009). The recovery process will include both the long-term and short-term goals. The short-term goal, in this case, would be to restore the power system of the employee federal building and ensure that telephone lines are replaced to facilitate communication between departments. After the necessary lifeline systems have been restored, achieving stability is the next most important step. The needs of every individual will be met for example counseling services for people who might be suffering from Post-traumatic stress (PTSD). Once stability has been achieved, long-term recovery efforts can begin which include the rebuilding of the facility and restoring it back to its previous state.

Effectiveness of the Emergency Management Plan (EMP)

Emergency Management Plan (EMP) is more than just a mere plan as training and exercises depend on it. Training ensures that emergency personnel become familiar with their duties and to obtain skills for performing their tasks. Exercising simply entails checklists and response procedures to evaluate the skills of the emergency personnel. Such drills help response personnel to polish their skills and become better in carrying out their tasks since practice makes perfect. Consequently, this EMP is effective since it is flexible enough to be used in future to combat unforeseen events and provides emergency and security personnel with somewhat of a “bottom line” to refer to. In addition, EMP is effective since from this plan security personnel can confidently proceed with long-term mitigation efforts aimed at specific hazards. Similar threats from weapons of mass destruction will be easily averted in the future due to the availability of this blueprint. This plan will also ensure that more resources are dedicated to risk-based preparedness measures and ensure that not only the federal building is secure but other similar important facilities.

Conclusion

The world today is faced with numerous incidences ranging from natural or manmade occurrences which require a response in order to protect life or property. It is for this reason, therefore, that an Emergency Action Plan needs to be formulated to mitigate and alleviate the gravity of this occurrence. As a federal employee, the four steps in the EMP will be critical in determining the difference between a poorly managed incident and a successfully managed one. Several other authorities may be notified and sought for help in order to deal with the threat of weapons of mass destruction effectively and minimize losses.