Emergency Operations Plans

 

An employee complains of chest pains. A delivery truck backs into the gas meter, and a strong odor of gas invades the building. A “suspicious” package is found in the unattended lobby. Gunfire erupts in the shop area, and coworkers are fleeing. A severe thunderstorm warning has been issued following an earlier tornado watch. Blocks away a group of protesters is growing larger. The power goes out on a bitterly cold day. Water is leaking through the ceiling of the server room.

Who is going to act? What actions should be taken to safeguard life and protect property? How quickly can they react? How effectively can they act? The actions taken in the critical initial minutes of an emergency often dictate the outcome.

An emergency operations plan that is risk-based, makes best use of available internal and external resources, and is executable by an organization with defined roles and responsibilities is essential.

Objectives, Priorities & Resources

The number one priority of emergency operations is to safeguard life. Other objectives include protection of property, the environment, and the organization’s reputation. Continuity of business operations benefits from effective emergency operations.

Priorities for emergency operations become apparent when conducting a risk assessment. Threats and hazards with high probability of occurrence or potential for significant impacts should be high on the list. The increasing frequency and severity of civil unrest, active shooter incidents, wildland fire, power outages, and severe weather warrants the need for enhanced planning.

Often overlooked when considering objectives and priorities is the availability and capabilities of internal and external resources. Are sufficient personnel with the required knowledge, skills, and abilities available during operational hours to respond to foreseeable threats? Are facilities protected with detection, alerting, warning, suppression, and life safety systems that have been designed, installed, and maintained in accordance with national standards? What are the capabilities of public emergency services, their knowledge of the facility and its hazards, and their response times? Answers to these questions will identify resource limitations that must be overcome for effective response to emergencies.

Planning for Emergencies

The emergency operations plan is a product of a process that includes understanding risk, the availability and capabilities of resources, and applicable regulatory and accreditation requirements. The risk assessment identifies threats and hazards that require protective actions. The resource needs assessment identifies the required personnel, competencies, systems, equipment, and supplies for response to the identified risks. The assessment also evaluates the availability and capabilities of resources and identifies limitations that must be overcome. Minimum requirements for emergency response are established by applicable Federal and state health, safety, and environmental regulations, state and local fire codes, and accreditation requirements (e.g., Joint Commission for health care facilities).

Together, the risk assessment, resource needs assessment, regulations, and accreditation requirements inform decisions about the functions of incident management teams and the actions they will take.

Download the Preparedness Bulletin "Emergency Operations Plans" to learn more about:

• Planning committee
• Regulations & standards
• Risk assessment & impact analysis
• Incident management team
• Alerting, warning, and communications 
• Incident management facilities 
• Emergency operations plan
• Concept of operations
• Incident management system
• Protective actions for life safety
• Threat or hazard-specific tactical plans
• Crisis communications
• Implementation, maintenance & continuous improvement

Protective Actions for Life Safety

There are many goals for a preparedness program—property protection, business resiliency, environmental protection, and protection of an organization’s brand, image and reputation. The first goal of a preparedness program should be the protection of life safety.

There are many hazards that could jeopardize life safety. Fires, severe weather, a spill or release of hazardous chemicals, an act of terrorism, or an act of violence in the workplace are just a few examples. Development of the preparedness program should include a risk assessment to identify possible hazards, their probabilities of occurrence, and the vulnerability of people, property, the environment, and the entity itself (NFPA 1600: 5.4).

The emergency operations/response plan should include actions to protect life safety from credible hazards identified during the risk assessment. Protective actions for life safety include:

• Evacuation
• Shelter-In-Place
• Lockdown

In this eNewsletter, we will explore the basics for each of these protective actions.

Download the eNewsletter in Adobe PDF format …

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Natural Gas Explosion in Forestville, MD

Having served as a firefighter in Prince Georges County, MD many years ago, my interest in a television news story was peaked last night. Firefighters in PG County responded to a natural gas leak and moments after evacuating the strip mall, it exploded.

Here is the accounting from PG County Fire/EMS:

"At 12:54 PM on Thursday, May 7, 2009, Prince George’s County Firefighter/Medics were dispatched on a call that no one is soon to forget. Firefighters were alerted to respond to the Penn-Mar Shopping Center, a large 1-story strip mall, in the 3400 Block of Donnell Drive in Forestville and arrived at 12:59 PM. First arriving crews initiated an investigation into a strong odor of natural gas inside the businesses. Firefighters evacuated 5 of the 6 stores that were in the area of the odor, a sixth store was vacant. Forty-five people were evacuated from the 5 stores and firefighters then started ventilation efforts and called for assistance of the Washington Gas Company. Firefighters discovered natural gas bubbling up from the ground on the exterior rear of the vacant store and minutes later reported that there was a fire on the interior. Within a minute, at about 1:20 PM, a massive explosion occurred. A MAYDAY call was sounded and additional resources including paramedics and a second alarm of firefighters were summoned to the scene."

Take this time to think about your facility. What if someone smells gas? What are you going to do? Take the time now to review your emergency plan to ensure it properly addresses gas leaks. Ensure the plan addresses:

• prompt alerting of the public fire department and gas company
• warning occupants to evacuate using travel paths that are away from the source of the gas leak
• assembling evacuees at a location safely away from the potential blast zone (the North American Emergency Response Guidebook calls for isolating the leak area for at least 100 meters (330 feet) in all directions.)
• and shuting off the gas (who should shutoff the gas, when is it safe to do so, where is the wrench, and how do you do it).

Video of the incident is linked to the Fox Television in Washington, DC. A YouTube video is also available. A brief audio from engine 826 is available from the PG County Fire/EMS website linked to the title of this blog article.

Copycat White Powder Mailings

From the Emergency Management and Response Information Sharing and Analysis Center, INFOGRAM 35-08 September 11, 2008:

“Various State Fusion Centers and news sources recently reported about the rash of copy cat mailings throughout the nation containing white powder. The letters and packages have been sent to well known political figures and local government offices as well as to the homes and work sites of individuals not involved in public life. Upon reviewing these reports, the Emergency EMR-ISAC learned that to date none of the mailings were determined to be dangerous by responding hazardous materials teams."

Do you remember what happened in October 2001 when Senator Daschle, Tom Brokaw, an innocent grandmother in Fairfield County Connecticut, and others received anthrax laden mail? Thankfully these cases have been hoaxes, but are you prepared if someone reports receiving a suspicious envelope or package. CDC and GSA have some good information to help with planning. The guidance needs to be integrated into an emergency management program that includes people organized and trained to respond.