Disaster Event
The activities I will engage in will support the full scope of situational awareness and lead to decisions about what information is available, what information is needed, what resources are available, which resources are already engaged, and which resources are likely to be needed.
As deployment commences, attention will immediately be focused on situational awareness. Continuous monitoring is an essential attribute of situational awareness as incidents are dynamic, and require efficacious information gathering for the actual presenting incident and any developing incidents ("IS 800.b," 2011). The monitoring profile must be responsive to the type of incident and the attendant reporting thresholds ("IS 800.b," 2011). It is essential for both incident monitoring and coordination of effort that critical information pass through established reporting channels as stipulated by the established security protocols ("IS 800.b," 2011).
I will apply an activation and deployment framework early in this situation that will enable me to accomplish key critical objectives. Once command of the situation has been established, the following steps will be accomplished. Note that an underlying expectation is that these steps may be iterative as new information comes to light during the course of the response. The critical first step is to assess the situation by gathering information that enables the identification and prioritization of the situation requirements ("IS 800.b," 2011). That is to say, what actions and tasks are immediately apparent and what aspects of the situation require additional information gathering and analysis. Based on available information and focused inquiry, the incident objectives will...
At this point in the incident response, there will be some clarity about what available resources should be activated, what capabilities are available to save lives, protect property, and protect the environment ("IS 800.b," 2011). There will be an immediate need to identify which resources can be deployed to meet basic human needs. These essential actions will be addressed by the Incident Commanders present at the scene through the development of Incident Action Plans ("IS 800.b," 2011). In addition, plans for the coordination of efforts to support the incident response will be developed by local, tribal, State, and/or Federal Government entities ("IS 800.b," 2011). Finally, coordination is guided by National Incident Management System (NIMS) standards.
2. I will communicate with leaders both vertically and horizontally. I will emphasize coordination of effort and conceptualization that extends beyond the boundaries of the usual. I will be prepared to expect the unexpected -- and to respond decisively based on the best available information.
The National Center for Injury Prevention and Control of the Centers for Diseases Control and Prevention has redefined leadership in disaster response as meta-leadership ("National Center," 2010, p. 9). Meta refers here to both a more comprehensive process form and the designation of a spin-off discipline that is fundamentally a response to newly introduced demands and challenges in changing contexts ("National Center," 2010, p. 9). The Center's definition of meta-leadership is "overarching leadership that connects purposes and works of different organizations and organizational units" ("National Center," 2010, p. 9). If there is a single defining attribute…
