Emergency Management Cycle for Small Organizations

Emergency Management Program Cycle for Small Organizations

The program aspect of Emergency Management refers to the cyclical nature of improvement. It is vital to keep up with changes in scale and scope, as well as the changing risk dynamics of the organization.

Training programs begin with on-boarding interactive training sessions, continue through publications and postings, and are reinforced by regular exercises and drills.

Exercises and drills are evaluated, and after-action reports guide the drive for effective response and recovery efforts.

Plans improve to reflect lessons learned from exercises and participation with local and regional disaster relief organizations.

Equipment and organization improve through partnerships and investment, guided efficiently by lessons learned and resource shortages in exercises.  

Program Phases

Plan

Build a plan, based upon an analysis of the organization’s risk, and the capabilities of the organization. The plan builds an organizational structure and guides response and recovery functions.

Organize and Equip

Based upon the needs and capabilities discovered in the plan-building process, equip those people identified with critical functions with the appropriate equipment, access, and resources needed to complete their tasks.

Train

Once vital positions are identified and equipped appropriately to complete their tasks, the process of training can take place. Training should be provided regularly, with a consistent message, but in various formats. Group meetings allow people to ask questions, online activities allow people to complete onboarding training efficiently, and so on.

Training also consists of safety campaigns, publications, or events. These can be posters around the location, designating a “safety month,” or any other method to bring regular attention to safety and risk.

Exercise

Exercises, such as fire drills or tornado drills, are an effective way to evaluate the organization’s performance in an emergency and improve the execution of the plan. Is management prepared to complete their department’s tasks in an emergency? Are employees trained well enough to successfully evacuate or lock-down? Are communications methods sufficient to coordinate between all populations in an emergency?

Evaluate and Improve

Anytime the Emergency Plan is needed, in part or in whole, or an exercise has been completed, a debriefing should be conducted. This “After Action Report” is vital to evaluating and improving the program. Meet with those involved in the incident to discuss the process of response and recovery. Look for weak points, failures, and bottlenecks. Look for opportunities to organize activities and tasks along established lines: putting people in the right place to do what they naturally do. Use these analyses to build training to reach needed objectives.