City Emergency Management Plans - Essay Example

Emergency Management Plan 18th November, Emergency operations department presents one of the crucialsectors that should be found in every state. State and local government agencies are responsible for setting up well equipped emergency response facilities for disaster management. This study provides a description of an emergency management plan for a city, specifically answering the question on whether city’s fire department should be the lead organization. This is followed by discussion on responsibilities and organizational position of the department and finally the conclusion.

City Emergency Management Plan Introduction to emergency operations; types of emergencies and disasters State and local government agencies are endowed with the responsibility of identifying hazards within different localities hence applying appropriate measures capable of managing such disastrous incidences. The process on emergency management should entail acute planning, response and elaborate recovery from such crisis and catastrophic incidences (Eshghi & Larson, 2008). According to Puget Sound regional catastrophic disaster coordination plan (2011) coordination plans for emergencies should entail all-hazards framework capable of containing disasters without infringing on any authority’s jurisdictions.

However, in cases whereby catastrophic incidents overwhelm local resources, assistance is sought from emergency operation centers (Jetter, 2000). The Citys Fire Department Q1. There is enough evidence to support the fact that citys fire department should be the lead organization for disaster management in a typical city in the United States (Jordan, 2003). The common knowledge supports the fact that emergency management plays an important role concerning the future of fire services. Therefore, it is apparent that fire services agency is responsible for emergency management despite not always granted proper funding, resources or enough time for maintaining effective programs (Sheehan, 1995).

It is true that Citys fire department should be the lead organization for disaster management since firefighters in most instances are the first personnel at crisis or disaster scenes for instance scene of an accident, where they perform a wide range of vital functions. They perform these functions within different locations from residential places to commercial places, airports, chemical plants, industrial areas, grasslands as well as forests (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, 2010).

The Fire Prevention Program aims at facilitating early intervention at fires that occur, and ensure that safety of property, people and those of personnel at work. The objective of the department is accomplished through program elements that include facility plan reviews, fire safety education, and enforcement code as well as fire prevention inspection processes (Lilienthal, 1996). Processes involving fire prevention inspections should be conducted on an annual basis to ensure safety of the community.

The work is done by Fire Chief who is responsible for instituting frequent inspections. Main objective of prevention inspections being identification and correction of fire safety hazards as well as Fire Safety Deficiencies (FSD). According to Montana Disaster and Emergency Plan (2001) the emergency coordination plan in this case assists in the establishment of the entity’s role and responsibilities in accordance to areas of operation. Justification in terms of authority, responsibility, and the organizational position the fire department must assume The role of Fire Service Department in emergency management requires that the agency expands its service portfolio due to increasing and changing trends of risks within communities (Lilienthal, 1996).

Currently, there is tendency for fire departments taking on new missions that includes emergency medical services as well as hazardous material response. The lead agency role in these new missions has increases fire department’s emergency management preparedness including response mechanisms. Fire fighters core competencies that qualifies them as lead organization involves fire suppression, conducting pre-hospital emergency care, making elaborate search and rescue of victims, performing arson investigations as well as fire prevention inspections (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, 2010). Q2. The step of establishing an organization with specific tasks to function immediately before, during, and after an emergency is believed to be outside of the scope of duties assigned to fire agency.

This is since establishing new and separate unit seems expensive compared to assigning emergency management responsibilities to already existing department. There is also some level of perception on the fact that new ideas and programs are not readily accepted by the fire service long serving leaders. Majority of leaders depend on the paradigm of old civil defense program where they originated from (Fort, 1993). Q3. The authority granted to a department such as fire chief performs different important tasks that ensure completion of tactical priorities.

Apart from the responsibilities undertaken by the fire chief, the head is not responsible for equipping the crisis center since it is the work of the local government to ensure that such centers are well equipped for emergency responses. At the same time, decisions involving the level of attention alongside resources required for local emergency management are considered the responsibility of the local government. In the United States, all activities concerning emergency management are always the responsibilities of local government institutions (Eshghi & Larson, 2008).

In this case, the processes on emergencies are fundamentally considered a local issue; therefore, cities have authority of controlling and operating their own emergency centers. However, the state takes responsibility on legislations that covers the powers of cities and county governments. Q4. The most important requirement that is critical to the effective development and implementation of emergency planning and coordination program in the city is policy decisions. The head of operations has the responsibility of developing an organizational structure that reflects policies and operating guidelines as soon as possible.

The policies determine the size, complexity of organizational structure including the scope of emergencies. All the stated requirements seem significant for effectiveness of city’s Emergency Management Plan. Each requirement as stated represents an important role that contributes to overall success of emergency programs (Sheehan, 1995). Conclusion Important aspect exists in the interaction between emergency management and fire service due to an increase in the number of emergencies and disaster tasks currently experienced on a daily basis.

Since fire departments are identified with emergency response capabilities, more communities turn to local fire agencies for management of their emergency programs. References Eshghi, K., & Larson, R. (2008). Disasters: Lessons from the past 105 years. Disaster Prevention and Management, 17(1), 62-82 Fort, J. (1993). Emergency management and the fire service, executive fire officer program research paper. Emmitburg, Maryland: National Fire Academy Jordan, S. (2003). America’s greatest natural disasters.

Logan, IA: Perfection Learning Jetter, B.J. (2000). A boarderless approach to disaster management. Responder Magazine p. 15 Lilienthal, J.(1996). The fire service’s involvement in the emergency management function: A comparison of virginia Localities. Executive fire officer program research paper. Emmitsburg, Maryland: National Fire Academy Montana Disaster and Emergency Plan. 2001. Emergency coordination plan. MT Disaster & Emergency Plan, 1. Retrieved fromhttp://montanadma.org/sites/default/files/Executive_Summary.

pdf Puget Sound regional catastrophic disaster coordination plan. (2011). Retrieved from http://www.emd.wa.gov/plans/documents/UpdatedCoordinationPlan.pdf/ Sheehan, J.(1995). Evaluating the need to develop and properly maintain an emergency management program. Executive fire officer program research paper. Emmitsburg, Maryland: National Fire Academy U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor. (2010).Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2010-11 Library Edition, Bulletin 2800. Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington, DC