Emergency Response and Management

Role of National Strategies in Emergency Operations Plan
Emergency and disaster planning is a process that entails development of a cooperative, coordinated process of dealing with urgent situations using available resources. Generally, this process is exploratory in nature and culminates in development of a plan that offers general procedures for management of unforeseen impacts. According to Alexander (2015), emergency planning basically entails preparing systematically for probable contingencies in the future such as major disasters and incidents. When creating emergency operation plans (EOPs), national strategies like the National Response Framework (NRF) and National Incident Management System (NIMS) should be taken into consideration. These national strategies provide guidance and a framework for creation of emergency operations plan. This paper reviews the NRF, NIMS and NECP in terms of their most useful elements for the county’s emergency management plan.
Brief Review of the NRF, NIMS and NECP
The National Response Framework (NRF) is a national strategy that seeks to enhance homeland security through providing guiding principles and action points for handling future contingencies and hazards regardless of their origin (Lindsay, 2008). This strategy provides a guiding principles and doctrines for unified actions from all governmental levels and communities in response to major incidents and disasters. The major focus on the National Response Framework (NRF) is response and short-term recovery from a disaster, major incident or hazard. This strategy defines the roles and responsibilities of different governmental and non-governmental actors across the different stages of emergency response and management. While the strategy is not an operational plan with step-by-step processes for responding to hazards, it outlines guiding principles for this process.
On the other hand, the National Incident Management System (NIMS) is a detailed, national approach that promotes collaboration between state and non-state actors in prevention, response, recovery, and mitigation of major incidents or disasters. This framework provides guidelines for collaboration between all levels of government, the private sector, and non-governmental organizations in preventing, responding, and mitigating hazards (Federal Emergency Management A, n.d.). These different players work together regardless of the location, size, cause and complexity of the incident or disaster. The framework comprises different components including preparedness, resource management, command and management, communications and information management, and constant management and maintenance.
The other national strategy in emergency planning and management is the National Emergency Communications Plan (NECP), which seeks to enhance the ability of emergency responders i.e. state and non-state actors to continue communicating when dealing with major incidents or disasters. This strategy provides guidelines for strengthening communication capabilities across the nation with regards to emergency management. NECP comprises a list of recommended initiatives to govern communications between emergency response providers and relevant government officials (Chertoff, 2008).
Useful Elements for County Applications
The current Emergency Operations Plan (EOP) for Lake County, California does not incorporate guidance from the three national strategies i.e. NRF, NIMS, and NECP since the county utilizes a County Emergency Management Plan (CEMP). While national strategies are the premise for making emergency management plans and strategies, Lake County’s COP has seemingly ignored these strategies in favor of CEMP. As a result, the county has a relatively ineffective emergency response and management plan despite its vulnerability to natural disasters like wildfire. Rossmann & Beausang (2018) contend that wildfires occur frequently in this county to an extent that they have become a familiar foe. Due to frequent wildfires, the county could benefit from establishing a comprehensive Emergency Operations Plan based on national strategies for disaster planning and emergency management. Such a plan would help enhance the ability of emergency responders and governmental actors to prevent, respond, recover, and mitigate the huge losses associated with the wildfires.
The establishment of a comprehensive emergency operations plan would require utilizing national strategies like NRF, NIMS and NECP as the premise for actions undertaken in the county with respect to disaster planning and emergency management. One of the most useful elements of these national strategies for Lake County applications is Emergency Support Function #4 on Firefighting. As stipulated in the National Response Framework, this function seeks to provide federal support for identification and suppression of rural, urban and wildland fires (Lindsay, 2008). The scope of ESF#4 is to promote effective management and coordination of firefighting activities through providing required personnel, supplies and equipment to local, tribal and state agencies in detection and suppression of fires.
Lake County could benefit from application of this useful element in NRF when developing an Emergency Operations Plan. Since the county is susceptible to wildland fires that reoccur annually, Emergency Support Function #4 would help to ensure that appropriate personnel, supplies and equipment are in place to detect and suppress these fires. Through this function, Lake County would request for federal assistance to acquire firefighting equipment and resources for its frequent wildfires. The resources would in turn enhance the capability of emergency responders across the county to detect and suppress these fires. The current Emergency Operations Plan at Lake County, which is based on County Emergency Management Plan, is ineffective in dealing with wildland fires since residents of this county continue to suffer significantly (Rossmann & Beausang, 2018). Emergency responders across the county are seemingly ill-equipped and unable to detect and suppress the reoccurring wildland fires. This is an indicator of lack of adequate and proper firefighting resources that can be obtained through incorporating NRF’s ESF#4 in the Emergency Operations Plan.
In addition to providing a framework for requesting additional firefighting resources from the federal government, ESF#4 might provide useful information or guidance for Lake County with regards to establishment of initial response actions in case of a wildland, rural or urban fire. In this case, the county could benefit from the recommended structural approach for initial response actions in case of a wildfire. This implies that Lake County will utilize the information to establish an area or regional ESF#4 representative or coordinator. The coordinator or representative will report to the National Response Coordination Center (NRCC) and establish communication links with relevant support agencies. Through collaboration with other support agencies, the coordinator will establish wildland fire priorities in the county as well as make decisions on resource allocation. The county will also benefit from information relating to collaboration between different emergency management actors and establishment of proper communication links as stipulated in NIMS and NECP by utilizing ESF#4 of NRF. Application of ESF#4 will address these factors since it requires establishing a collaborative framework for emergency management and communication links when dealing with wildland fires.
Proposals for Incorporating Strategic Principles or Tenets
Given the current status of Lake County’s Emergency Operations Plan and its vulnerability to reoccurring wildland fires, the county needs to revise its existing EOP. This process would require incorporating strategic principles or tenets of emergency management and disaster planning as embedded in the national strategies for emergency response and management. There are several proposals that could benefit Lake County as it revises its emergency management plans. These proposals should be placed in the firefighting segment of the county’s emergency management plans since they focus on firefighting.
One of the proposals for this country to integrate these strategic principles or tenets in its emergency management plans is to engage partners during planning, exercises and operations. As shown in the National Response Framework, one of the strategic principles or tenets toward effective emergency management and disaster planning is collaboration between different partners in prevention, response, recovery and mitigation of disasters and major incidents. Lake County could benefit from enhanced emergency management capabilities through engaging different partners in planning, execution and operations.
Secondly, the county should establish an ESF#4 coordinator or representative to help in coordinating firefighting initiatives. As shown in the National Response Framework, ESF#4 representatives or coordinators help in emergency response and management actions. The coordinator or representative should be based in the county’s emergency management office. Establishing an ESF#4 coordinator/representative at the emergency management office would benefit Lake County through enhancing collaboration and communication between the different partners in emergency planning and response. The county would also benefit from proper resource allocation since ESF#4 coordinator/representative will make decisions on allocation of resources for emergency management (Lindsay, 2008).
Third, the county should establish ESF#4 points of contact to help in disaster planning and emergency management processes. ESF#4 points of contact are necessary in an Emergency Operations Plan since the coordinator or representative is mandated with the responsibility of conducting assessments before making decisions on resource allocations. Such points of contact would help in ensuring that the public has means of reaching these critical emergency management personnel and responders. These points of contact help to enhance communication and information sharing on disaster planning and emergency management.
In conclusion, national strategies on emergency management such as NRF, NIMS and NECP play a critical role in disaster planning, emergency response, and emergency management. These strategies provide guidelines for development of emergency operations plans for local, county, and state governments. For Lake County, the current Emergency Operations Plan (EOP) is ineffective because of failure to incorporate guidelines in these strategies. The county opted to use County Emergency Management Plan instead of these national strategies. This has resulted in relatively ineffective approaches for handling disasters or major incidents, particularly wildland fires that reoccur every year. As shown in this discussion, the county’s emergency management capabilities could be enhanced through incorporating guidelines in national strategies such as NRF’s Emergency Support Function #4 on Firefighting.


References
Alexander, D. (2015, September). Disaster and Emergency Planning for Preparedness, Response, and Recovery. Retrieved January 22, 2019, from http://oxfordre.com/naturalhazardscience/view/10.1093/acrefore/9780199389407.001.0001/acrefore-9780199389407-e-12
Chertoff, M. (2008, July). National Emergency Communications Plan. Retrieved from U.S. Department of Homeland Security website: https://www.dhs.gov/xlibrary/assets/national_emergency_communications_plan.pdf
Federal Emergency Management Agency. (n.d.). NIMS: Frequently Asked Questions. Retrieved January 22, 2019, from https://www.fema.gov/pdf/emergency/nims/nimsfaqs.pdf
Lindsay, B.R. (2008, November 20). The National Response Framework: Overview and Possible Issues for Congress. Retrieved January 22, 2019, from https://fas.org/sgp/crs/homesec/RL34758.pdf
Rossmann, R. & Beausang, H. (2018, June 27). Wildfire a Frequent and Familiar Foe in Lake County. The Press Democrat. Retrieved January 22, 2019, from https://www.pressdemocrat.com/news/8475008-181/wildfire-a-frequent-and-familiar?gallery=8479208