Posted on Aug 06, 2020
Today we would like to share a topic that is timely no matter what season: disaster preparedness. Our resident expert, Dr. Bill Munn, a lifelong emergency services professional with a passion for public safety, has previously developed and taught a course in emergency management for the Bush School at Texas A&M University. With us here at NGA 911, Dr. Munn has created and presented sessions on emergency preparedness for 9-1-1 facilities across the nation. In his presentation, he explains the numerous similarities between developing a comprehensive disaster recovery plan for local and regional governments and developing disaster recovery plans for 9-1-1 networks.
The Basics
Decide what your main objective is for your emergency plan. For many of you, that objective will be something along the lines of eliminating service interruptions, minimizing the impact of interruptions, and shortening the duration of the service interruption occurring through a natural or man-made disaster.
Once you have identified your overall objective, you’ll want to think in terms of the four phases of emergency management and identify the steps, actors, and activities associated with each phase. Those phases are hazard mitigation, equipping and preparing those impacted, response actions, and recovery to pre-disaster state.
Your plan should include steps and activities for institutions, the public, and emergency personnel.
8 Essential Elements of a Solid Plan What was that famous quote by Mike Tyson? Something like, “Everybody has a plan until…” It is one thing to have a plan, however, if it’s covered in dust somewhere in your backroom, well… you get the point. From his years of serving 1.9 million people in the DFW area and beyond, Dr. Munn offers eight elements to make sure your plan can become a powerful action if the need arises. Your disaster preparedness plan should be:
We hope you find this information helpful. If we can be of service in any way, please let us know. It is our pleasure to assist.