What are the four faces of disaster management?

Emergency Management is about managing risks to communities and the environment. It is the core business of Emergency Services but every individual and organisation has a part to play.

Emergency Management is about:

• Prevention
• Preparedness
• Response and
• Recovery.

Leaders in organisations need to know their roles and responsibilities in each phase of the emergency management cycle and lead their organisation through them.

Emergency Management Cycle

Prevention – actions undertaken in advance. Sometimes this is referred to as mitigation. Examples include back-burning or constructing sea walls to protect from tidal waves, having alternative sources of electricity or alternative communication systems in place. Prevention activities should be happening all the time.

Preparedness – making arrangements, creating and testing plans, training, educating and sharing information to prepare communities should an emergency eventuate. These are also ACTIONS and they are happening all the time.

Response – the assistance and intervention during or immediately after an emergency. Focus is on saving lives and protecting community assets (buildings, roads, animals, crops, infrastructure). Usually measured in hours, days or weeks.

Recovery – the coordinated process of supporting emergency-affected communities in reconstruction of physical infrastructure and restoration of emotional, social, economic and physical wellbeing. Usually measured in months and/or years.

The cycle

The cyclical nature of this model is important as it highlights that managing emergencies happens all the time, not just during ‘the season’ (for bushfires and cyclones, for example). It also shows the way the phases blend into each other and overlap rather than being discrete categories.

It is useful to be familiar with the four phases as they are part of the everyday language of the emergency management sector and inform the design and allocation of responsibilities in emergency management planning.

There are variations of this model in use throughout Australia. Emergency Management Victoria, for example, refer to a three phase emergency management cycle which includes prevention, recovery and response. Whilst the specific models may vary, they cover the same tasks.

The four phases of Emergency Management make up a continuous cycle of planning and action undertaken by the Department of Emergency Management to ensure Upstate Medical University and Hospital maintain a comprehensive approach to Emergency Management, while maximizing the safety of staff, students, visitors and patients. The four phases are:

Mitigation

Mitigation is the most cost-efficient method for reducing the impact of hazards. A precursor activity to mitigation is the identification of risks. Physical risk assessment refers to the process of identifying and evaluating hazards. The higher the risk, the more urgent the need is to target hazard specific vulnerabilities through mitigation efforts. One example of mitigation at University Hospital is the 96 Hour Business Continuity Plan, which includes mitigation strategies and plans that have been developed to ensure continuity of operations in areas such as utilities, communications, food, water, medication, staffing, and medical supplies when the community is unable to support the hospital due to an external disaster scenario.

Preparedness

Preparedness is a continuous cycle of planning, organizing, training, equipping, exercising, evaluation, and improvement activities that allows Upstate Medical University and Hospital to ensure effective coordination and the enhancement of capabilities to prevent, protect against, respond to, recover from, and mitigate against disaster events that have been identified within the Hazard Vulnerability Analysis (HVA).

In the preparedness phase, the Emergency Management Department develops plans of action to manage and counter risks and takes action to build the necessary capabilities needed to implement such plans.

Response

The Response phase includes the mobilization of the identified emergency staff, including first responders, to an internal or external event which could have an impact on patient care operations or the campus. Response procedures are pre-determined by the university and hospital, and are detailed in disaster plans during the Preparedness phase. Response to an internal or external incident on campus or in the hospital is directed through the Incident Command System (ICS). Response plans remain flexible in nature due to the varying members of staff available at any given time.

Response procedures and plans are constantly evaluated and changed based on improvements identified during After Action Reviews (AARs), which are held after training exercises and disaster responses. Response actions are also evaluated regularly by the campus and hospital through drills, exercises, tracers, and live events.

Recovery

The aim of the Recovery phase is to restore the affected area to its previous state. It differs from the Response phase in its focus: recovery efforts are concerned with issues and decisions that must be made after immediate needs are addressed. Recovery efforts are primarily concerned with actions that involve rebuilding destroyed property, re-employment, the repair of other essential infrastructure, as well as the re-opening of essential services in the hospital.

Recovery operations are an extremely important phase in the Emergency Management continuum and yet one that is often overlooked. The Incident Command System team is responsible for the implementation of the Recovery phase.

Hazard Vulnerability Analysis

The basis of the "All Hazards" approach starts with Upstate Medical University and Hospital's Hazard Vulnerability Analysis (HVA). The HVA identifies disasters and other events from a technological, natural, man-made and hazardous materials perspective which are most likely to impact the Upstate community. These events are ranked in order of severity and greatest impact to Upstate Medical University and Hospital. A risk factor is obtained for each identified hazard by ranking probability, human impact, property impact, business impact, and overall preparedness from both internal and external response entities.

The Hazard Vulnerability Analysis is reviewed annually, or as required by leadership and the Emergency Management Committee. The HVA, including the top five ranked disasters, is shared with community government and emergency response agencies including the Office of Emergency Management, Public Health, Emergency Medical Services (EMS), Police, Fire, and the Medical Examiner's (ME) office.

The premise behind the four phases of emergency management is to reduce the impact of emergencies on individuals and communities through appropriate preparation and response. Governments, schools and other agencies are adopting emergency management plans that encompass these four phases and ensure that they have comprehensive plans to address the impact of emergency situations. A list of resources on planning and responding to emergency situations is provided at the bottom of the page.

Phase 1 - Prevention/Mitigation

This describes activities designed to reduce or eliminate to probability of a disaster and to reduce the vulnerability of people and communities to the negative impacts of a disaster. Mitigation and Prevention seek to reduce the cycle of disaster damage and generally are intended for long-term sustained effects.

Phase 2 - Preparedness

This is the process of identifying the personnel, training, and equipment needed for a wide range of potential incidents, and developing jurisdiction-specific plans for delivering capabilities when needed for an incident. This phase represents a continuous process involving efforts at all levels of government and between government and private-sector and nongovernmental organizations to identify threats, determine vulnerabilities, and identify resources.

Phase 3 - Response

Response activities follow an emergency or disaster and are generally designed to provide emergency assistance for casualties (for example, search and rescue, emergency shelter, medical care, mass feeding). Response activities are focused on the short-term need, but also seek to reduce the probability of secondary damage resulting from the emergency situation(for example, shutting off contaminated water supply resources or patrolling an area with high risk for looting or community violence).

Phase 4 - Recovery 

These activities constitute a comprehensive approach to restore the environment by addressing the social, environmental, political and economic aspects of the community.  These activities initiate immediately following the response phase, or concurrently with the final aspects of that phase. They entail two levels of activities: (1) short-term recovery to return vital life support systems to minimum operating standards and (2) long-term recovery activities that may continue for several years following a disaster and seek to restore life to improved or functional levels. 

Resources

The Readiness and Emergency Management for Schools Technical Assistance Center has a number of resources, trainings, distance learning events, and funding opportunities list on their Web site. Here are a few below that are particulary relevant to schools:

School Emergency Management Online Courses

Practical Information on Crisis Planning: A Guide for Schools and Community

Guide to School Vulnerability Assessments

Threat Assessment in Schools: A Guide to Managing Threatening Situations and to Creating Safe School Climates

Tips for Helping Students to Recover from Traumatic Events