Strategic

Project’s Objectives and Goals
Integrated Emergency Preparedness Solutions Inc. purposes to capitalize on Emergency Preparedness, Management, Execution, and Analyses. Its main objective is to better apply data and research, as well as our specialized skills, to better serve a larger facet of healthcare and emergency response systems.
The objectives and goals set for the project are as follows:
1. To protect individuals, organizations, and society at large from harm
2. Prevent the occurrence of disasters and ascertain that all sensible measures are taken to diminish them
3. Administration and implementation of emergencies that take place
4. Assess prospective emergencies prior to, during, and subsequent to their occurrence
5. Sustain customer service and diminish interruption and disruption of business operations
6. Protect organizational brand, reputation, and image
Actions to Achieve the Goals and Objectives
In order to accomplish the aforementioned goals and objectives, it is key to conduct the following actions:
1. Conduct risk assessment to pinpoint potential emergency scenarios
2. Establish a preparedness policy that is in tandem with the mission and vision of the business
3. Clearly define the roles and responsibilities of personnel and participants
4. Appraise the accessibility and capabilities of resources for stabilization during occurrences
5. Contacting and liaising with emergency services, comprising of police, fire, and emergency medical services (EMS) to ascertain their response times
6. Ascertain if there are any rules and regulations that pertain to emergency preparedness
7. Come up with safeguarding actions for safety of life
8. Cultivate and advance threat-specific and emergency procedures
9. Train personnel to accomplish roles and responsibilities as well as simplify and undertake routine exercises to practice and perfect plan
Roles and Responsibilities of Personnel
The following section delineates the roles and responsibilities of personnel within the business.
1. Executive Leaders
These are personnel that will be accountable for undertaking financial, executive and managerial decisions that support the emergency preparedness and management. These individuals will be the top most ranking individuals within the organization and are tasked with steering IEPS ahead.
Roles and Responsibilities
i. Evaluation, approval and apportionment of finances for operation of the business
ii. Developing long-term courses of action and objectives that are in alignment with the vision of the business
iii. Ensuring stakeholder value before and after an incident through decision-making that supports the entity
iv. Integrating information from all personnel to develop a knowledgeable, up-to-date and comprehensive perspective that is purposed to optimize organizational performance
2. Emergency Management Director
Roles:
i. Cultivating an efficacious emergency program and acting as the main leader in planning, harmonization of operations and liaison with stakeholders to build the emergency programs and projects.
ii. Is culpable for the coordination of all components of the emergency preparedness, management and response system. These constituents are composed of fire and police departments, emergency medical service, public works, helpers, together with groups adding to the management of emergencies.
iii. Acts as the head of workforce in the course of an emergency and brings together all the tasks of government emergency response.
iv. Upholds private sector concerns in the emergency program. Disaster and crisis partners within the private sector vary from companies and industry to civic groups and persons.
Duties and Responsibilities
i. Oversees, coordinates, and maintains the everyday operations of the business
ii. Maintains Integrated Emergency Preparedness Solutions Inc. in an endless state of preparedness
iii. Sustains harmonization with local and state governmental establishments and agencies, businesses and individuals in the course of any kind of emergency.
3. Incident Commander
Roles
i. In charge of the incident or event response team that conducts the emergency response
ii. Consult with the Emergency Management Director in emergency preparedness and management
Responsibilities
i. Liable for the command as well as control of all facets of an emergency circumstance and the instigation of key communication
ii. Designation of personnel prior to the occurrence of incidents and emergencies
iii. Designation of volunteers within the response team during an emergency
iv. Cultivate and develop action plans that take into account specific, measurable objectives and assess their efficiency by monitoring the attainment of these objectives.
4. Public Information Officer
Roles
i. Rendering the appropriate message and communication to the right people and at the right time
Responsibilities
i. Effectively communicate with different stakeholders and target audiences
ii. Collecting, verifying, harmonizing and broadcasting public information
iii. Developing and discharging information regarding the emergency occurrence to the incident workforces, and other suitable agencies and organizations
5. Emergency Management Specialists
Roles and Responsibilities
i. Gathering and examining information from manifold sources with the main objective of providing mid-term and long-term evaluations, situational awareness and courses to executive leaders for decision making
ii. Shepherding primary threat and hazard identification, making available contextual relevance to such hazards and developing projections of impacts and damages
iii. Cultivating and developing relationships with partners from different establishments and agencies, together with different local, state, and federal agencies with the inclusion of partners from the private sector. This is to enable and simplify the exchange of data and information in the course of emergency operations and practices.
6. Safety Representative
The safety representative is tasked with making certain that IEPS meets all safety requirements in the field during emergency responses and all facilities by managing, coordinating, promoting and training all safety activities. In addition, the safety representative is liable for the safety of equipment procured, stores, and maintained for use by the company.
Roles and Responsibilities
i. Encourages and promotes overall safety policies and processes to be adhered by the company and all employees in agreement with the local, state, and federal OSHA rules and regulations.
ii. Conduct inspections and tests of equipment and processes to ensure preventative measures are undertaken
iii. Maintain all reports and documentation regarding testing and maintenance of safety
iv. Will work in tandem with outside specialists in augmenting safety procedures and processes within IEPS
v. Assess everyday work hazard analyses
7. Recruitment and Training Manager
The recruitment and training manager will play a key part in recruiting, employing and supervising the training of personnel and volunteers within the business.
Roles and Responsibilities
i. Partners with executive leaders to pinpoint stream of internal and external talent and replacements through partnerships with enrollment and direct support to make certain proper fit and continuousness of talent for key roles.
ii. Oversees and monitors personnel training and coaching as required
iii. Aids in resolving employee complaints and concerns
iv. Collaborates with executive leaders to conduct workforce planning
Collaborations
Integrated Emergency Preparedness Solutions Inc. (IEPS) has planned collaborations with other departments, institutions, and also business to facilitate its objective of emergency preparedness, management, implementation, and evaluations. Collaborative endeavors are significant for numerous reasons. Joint determinations can deliver results for partner agencies that might not have been attainable in isolation, as services and programs can be harmonized and resources can be combined (Shoaf et al., 2014).
1. Local Emergency Planning Committees
One of the institutions that the business will collaborate with is the local emergency planning committees. This is imperative for the reason that the committees develop emergency response plans and appraise them at least every year, and offer information regarding the hazards within the community. In addition, such plans involve stakeholder participation and therefore is deemed efficacious.
2. Local Emergency Institutions
Secondly, the organization will collaborate with local emergency institutions including the police, the fire department and emergency medical services (EMS). Disaster preparedness as well as response takes into account the faced-pace deployment of emergency service together with first responders (Galls, 2011). Through this cooperation, the business will be able to undertake the management of everyday emergencies and mass casualty assistance.
3. Public Health Agencies and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
Integrated Emergency Preparedness Solutions Inc. will also collaborate with local and state public health departments. This is essential to augment proficiency and human/physical resources to suitably gauge a community’s susceptibility, capacity and promptness for a chemical or biological occurrence, as well as the capability to cultivate a response plan and to make simulations against this plan to develop the readiness of the community. Importantly, these agencies are distinctively placed to accumulate, examine and circulate information pivotal to the public’s health and are essential to sustaining a harmonized reaction to a chemical or biological incident (Smith, 2006).
4. U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS)/Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)
These are agencies tasked with supporting the citizens together with establishments such as ours to promote response, recovery and mitigation from all emergencies. Any emergencies or incidents that may necessitate federal or state responses will be dealt with by FEMA and the DHS and therefore we will need to collaborate with these agencies in responding to the emergency.
5. American Red Cross Society
Collaboration with this institution will be necessary as it will aid in emergency assistance and disaster relief. In addition, in the event of major emergencies and incidents, our organization will have to collaborate and work in tandem with this institution as it has several numbers of volunteers that can aid in emergency management and response.
Acquisition and Maintenance of Equipment
Emergency response equipment together with supplies facilitate personnel to react to emergencies in a suitable and fitting manner. Integrated Emergency Preparedness Solutions Inc. has an equipment maintenance program that delineates the benchmarks and standards together with a risk based assessment procedure to be employed in the cultivation and advancement of defining, tracking, inspecting and maintaining equipment. In particular, this evaluation is also utilized in the apportionment of initial planned maintenance frequencies for a selected set of equipment. Primarily recommended equipment inspection rates of recurrence by means of the benchmarks ought to be deemed a reference point evaluation in the preliminary development of inspection and maintenance schedules. In particular, these schedules are cause to undergo change on the basis of different aspects including the type of equipment, the risk incurred in the event the equipment fails, utilization of equipment as well as history and programmed maintenance procedures. Equipment will be managed in line with the requirements of different regulatory agencies like Occupational Safety and Health Safety (OSHA).
Project Timeline
The following is a project timeline that offers an outline of the planned length of the stages of the project.

Dec 2017
Jan
2018
Feb
2018
Mar
2018
Apr
2018
May
2018
Jun
2018
Notes

Phase 1
Procurement of equipment






All equipment have to be on the inventory list



Capacity planning





Analysis of the personnel requirement for response programs and any possible volunteers



Acceptance of testing plan





This includes the incorporation of the standards and criteria for equipment testing



Finalizing suppliers





All suppliers must have the ethical requirements set by the business




Conduct liaisons with different stakeholders and collaborators




Communication will be constantly conducted between all parties to ensure information is conveyed efficiently and promptly.




Phase Review and Approval






Phase 2


Recruitment of Personnel
Training of personnel



All personnel have to have the capabilities required. Training of personnel will be in-house through cross training and external training through consultants





Testing of equipment



All equipment procured within the list should undergo testing to guarantee safety






Assessments and review of projects


Incident manager will be responsible for assessing the effectiveness of the teams







Phase Review and Approval



Phase 3





Marketing and advertisement of the company

Ensure that the company image, brand and services are known to prospective clients



Operations Plan
Stage of Development
Integrated Emergency Preparedness Solutions Inc. (IEPS) is in the business of providing products and services encompassing for Emergency Preparedness, Management, Execution, and Analyses. It necessitates that emergency plans be cultivated, employees at all levels and in all areas be proficient, and stakeholders at risk be refined, and that these measures be supervised and assessed regularly. The products and services provided by the business will undergo three specific processes, which include identification of hazards and emergencies, assessment of vulnerability and analysis of their impact. There are different emergencies that IEPS plans to deal with including fire, natural hazards, explosions, pandemic diseases, spillage and release of hazardous materials and chemicals, utility outages and terrorism. These are different kinds of emergencies that necessitate different kinds of responses and that are bound to have different courses of action. The first step that IEPS takes is conducting probabilities of such hazards and their magnitude. With respect to preparedness, response and management, IEPS considers the assets that are at risk and their level of susceptibility. This includes the vulnerability assessment of individuals, property, the environment, systems, equipment, business operations and supply chains. A further analysis is conducted encompasses the impact of such hazards. This takes into account analysis of casualties, injuries, damage of property, financial losses, business interruptions, contamination of the environment and fines.
Risks
Similar to any form of business, Integrated Emergency Preparedness Solutions Inc. outlines the following potential problems that may hinder its normal business processes and practices accomplishment.
1. Lack of public information and awareness
Emergency preparedness and management is reliant on ensuring that the public and stakeholders involved are aware and have sufficient information in order to mitigate the extent of such risks. Lack of such information and insight is a major risk that the business faces as this can propagate the magnitude of the problem at hand. In order to negate this particular risk, the business will have a Public Information Officer who will be responsible for providing the appropriate message and communication to the right people and at the right time.
2. Limited official recognition of risks and preparedness measures
The business also faces the risk of failing to properly acknowledging and assessing the risks involved and measures necessitated in particular emergency situations. This can lead to insufficient mitigation of the emergency disasters. In order to negate this particular risk, IEPS will set up an emergency operations center where the magnitude of the emergency will be known and additional resources required acknowledged and provided.
3. Overlooking environmental management
More often than not, individuals consider emergency management as the prevention of the loss of lives and financial losses. This leads of disregarding the environmental degradation and harm that can come about. In its endeavors of emergency management, IEPS faces the risk of failing to include environmental management, especially in events that necessitate numerous personnel including volunteers. In order to negate this particular risk, the business will conduct incessant trainings and also partake in consultation with environmental experts in informing all personnel on how to accomplish their tasks and at the same time preserve the environment.
Personnel handling the equipment employed by the business necessitate skills and proficiencies and therefore are undertaken through extensive training. To begin with, technicians are cause to undergo an evaluation of their technical skills in their interview prior to employment. Such evaluations are also undertaken after a 12 month period subsequent to their employment and every year after that. The education and training requirements ascertain by means of these evaluations are addressed by in-house technician cross training, which involves training a personnel who was employed to perform one job function the skills necessary to undertake other job functions, individual-study of service instruction booklet, or accompanied by suitable manufacturer/service dealer teaching.
Production Process
General
In general, Integrated Emergency Preparedness Solutions Inc. opens on Monday to Saturday every week. Our hours of operation are 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. from Monday to Friday and 9.30 a.m. to 4.30 p.m. on Saturday. Imperatively, Integrated Emergency Preparedness Solutions Inc. (IEPS) is not a seasonal business but rather conducts its business full time. This is because as a business we believe that emergencies are not seasonal and can happen at any given point in time.
The following is an outline of the day to day business operations conducted at Integrated Emergency Preparedness Solutions Inc.
i. Analysis of threats and hazards. IEPS on a daily basis incessantly conducts the identification and evaluation of natural, human-caused, and technological hazards that are bound to lead to emergencies and disasters. This also involves the establishment of capability targets together with ascertaining if there are any gaps and incapability.
ii. Planning
IEPS will continue to partake in everyday business planning and development. In particular, this will include planning for the construction and maintenance of capabilities by means of its wide ranging threats mitigation plan, emergency operations plans as well as other scheduled documentations.
iii. Exercises, Assessments and Corrective Measures
The company partakes in constant exercises prior to and subsequent to emergencies. The purpose of this emergency management process is to examine the shortcomings and the strong suits of the company in its endeavor for preparedness, management and mitigation of threats.
iv. Operations and Procedures
Integrated Emergency Preparedness Solutions Inc. partakes in conducting needs and damage evaluations, calling for disaster support, and shepherding a variety of response functions.
v. Logistical Assessment
IEPS conducts logistical evaluations and assessment purposed to obtain and maintain emergency operations for the period of a certain emergency, and also in cultivating logistics administration and actions plans. This encompasses reaching out to community partners so as to pinpoint facilities as possible places for provide for food, shelter, and commodity circulation.
The Physical Plant
The primary emergency command center will be situated at Royal Building, 45 Piedmont Boulevard. In the event that the primary headquarters are not accessible, a secondary Emergency Command Center will be situated at 16th Avenue.
Equipment
Emergency preparedness planning necessitates a wide range of provisions, equipment and resources in conducting everyday operations. Integrated Emergency Preparedness Solutions Inc. has developed an emergency preparedness products dossier that categorizes products equipment that are included the emergency preparedness supply inventory.
One of the key sets of equipment that will be required is the emergency response kit, which is priced at $173 for every single kit. The kit encompasses the following groups of equipment:
1. Personal Protection Equipment
These are equipment necessary for protecting the response team individuals during emergencies. They include hard hats, safety vests, knee pads, heavy duty working gloves, chemical goggles. These are equipment that are required for every personnel included in the incident response team.
2. Emergency Communication Equipment
These are equipment that will be employed by personnel in trying to communicate and calling for distress in times of emergency response. These include the following: Batteries, Bull Horn, Whistle, Radio fitted with Battery and Light, Distress Banner, Sound Horn, and Crayons.
3. Emergency Lighting Equipment
These are equipment necessary for using light in finding individuals and also seeking out assistance during emergency response calls. These include flashlight, battery pack, light sticks and torches.
4. First aid kits
This is a kit that will include the necessary equipment for conducting basic first aid to individuals requiring help during emergency response.
5. Evacuation and Search and Rescue Tools
Emergency response encompasses instances where individuals require to be looked for and also for evacuating them in dangerous places. The equipment required for this endeavor include caution tape, pocket tool, utility knife, duct tape, rope, wrench, and Pry Bar. It also includes Solar Blankets and Ponchos together with a bag pack.

Assets
Make a list of your assets, such as land, buildings, inventory, furniture, equipment and vehicles. Include legal descriptions and the worth of each asset.
The following is a list of assets associated with Integrated Emergency Preparedness Solutions Inc. together with the legal descriptions and the worth of every asset. Most of the assets are tangible assets, which are high liquidity assets that can be converted into cash for business operation purposes.
Asset
Legal Descriptions
Asset Worth

15 Computers
Property Plant & Equipment
$2,500

Telephones
Property Plant & Equipment
$1000

Furniture
Property Plant & Equipment
$30,000

10 Vehicles
Property Plant & Equipment
$2,000,000

Land
Property Plant & Equipment
$1,000,000

Leased Building
Property Plant & Equipment
$4,500,000

Trademarks, Patents, and Creative Communications
Intellectual Property
$700,000

Inventory
Inventory
$1,200,000

Stationery
Property Plant & Equipment
$700

File Cabinets
Property Plant & Equipment
$200

Desks
Property Plant & Equipment
$400

Printers
Property Plant & Equipment
$1,200

Fax and Copier Machine
Property Plant & Equipment
$600



Special Requirements
There are special requirements that the business will set as obligations in its operations. One of the requirements is for suppliers to provide equipment that are functional and adhere to the requirements of OSHA. This includes equipment such as fire extinguishers and the like. This is imperative in order to guarantee the safety and health of all personnel and also promoting the continued enhancement in safety and health within the work setting. Another special requirement is for all employees involved in the incident and response management process to wear and be fitted out with safety gear at all times. This is necessary in order for IEPS to make certain that none of its operations encompasses the exposure of its employees or the sensible prospect of employees being expose to safety or health hazards.
Materials
There are different kinds of materials that Integrated Emergency Preparedness Solutions Inc. will require in the production of its products and services. Some of the materials include the emergency response kits, which include the different sets of equipment needed by incident management personnel. As earlier noted, each of this kits is priced at approximately $173. The company projects that more than 500 kits will be required once it starts providing emergency response services to clients. Bearing this in mind, IEPS has negotiated a deal with the main suppliers of the emergency response kit package to purchase it at a unit cost of $150. In addition, the suppliers have agreed an upfront price of $150 for every kit, with the remaining amounts being paid after the financial year.
Production
The products and services provided by Integrated Emergency Preparedness Solutions Inc. come in terms of emergency identification, assessment and analysis. It is an all-inclusive risk-based methodology to emergency management that takes account of prevention, alleviation, preparedness, and response and rescue measures. The process of hazard identification, risk evaluation, risk analysis, monitoring and review can take a timeline of three to four months. IEPS expects itself to be able to begin the production of products and services by March 2018. There are a number of factors that may influence this time frame of production and cope with prospective issues. These include the following:
1. Lack of funding
The production process and time period largely depends on finances and lack thereof can significantly hamper the capability of IEPS. In order to deal with this particular issue, the business had entreated different financiers and angel investors who see the potential of growth and development of this particular company. Obtaining these funds at an earlier period is expected to expedite the production process.
2. Insufficient work force and lack of comprehensive proficiencies
The efficacious and prompt production of products and services necessitates an adequate workforce that is proficient in its tasks. Lack thereof may adversely impact the ability of the business to accomplish its timelines. In order to cope with this potential problems, the company has set up two measures for dealing with this occurrence. To begin with, the company plans to bring in external consultants specialized in training personnel to ensure that they grasp the task requirements promptly. In the event that this measure becomes improbable, the company will outsource personnel in order to deal with rushed client requests.
Inventory
Integrated Emergency Preparedness Solutions Inc. keeps and constantly updates either a written inventory list of all equipment or a written list of chosen inventory classified and grouped by physical risk linked to the usage and history of the equipment. In addition, the business conducts a thorough evaluation of new kinds of equipment prior to the initial sanctioned usage. This is undertaken in order to ascertain whether they ought to be included in the list of inventory. Integrated Emergency Preparedness Solutions Inc. pinpoints the activities, in lettering, for preserving, inspecting, and testing for all equipment on the inventory. In addition, the business ascertains, in writing, rates of recurrence for scrutinizing, analyzing, and preserving equipment on the inventory on the basis of benchmarks and standards, for instance, manufacturers’ commendations, risk levels, or up to date experience by the organization. Prior to the initial use of any kind of equipment contained within the inventory list, the business conducts safety, operational, and functional checks.
Feasibility
All equipment irrespective of whether it is owned, leased, or rented by the business is taken through testing for the compliance of preceding specified minimum safety as well as predetermined performance standards prior to being employed for the first time in the activities of the business. The outcomes obtained from this initial testing are recorded and documented very clearly and these records are filed by the logistics department. In the same manner, equipment that has been reserved and placed aside from used and positioned in storage is also undertaken through testing to such standards prior to being returned for usage in emergency operations. Moreover, all of the equipment within the business are listed in the equipment inventory catalogue.
All inventory contained within the business whether it is prior to use, subsequent to storage and during regular maintenance are undertaken through a distinctive process of product testing, price testing, or prototype testing. This amalgamation of processes is employed all through testing and maintenance periods. The following is the process undertaken:
Planned Testing and Maintenance = Schedules Maintenance + Performance Assurance + Safety Testing
To begin with, the practices and intervals for the scheduled maintenance are primarily ascertained through the use of risk level or the specifications given by the manufacturers and improvised on the basis of local experience. In addition, the procedures and practices for the performance assurance together with safety testing have been cultivated and advanced by the members of the department or in other instances by service providers. They are centered on the circulated performance stipulations set by the manufacturer and up-to-date, countrywide acknowledged safety standards. Despite the fact that such testing and maintenance is conducted and finished in a prompt period of time, the business employs a computerized system of documentation that impels the inventory department to examine any equipment that have not been tested. The primary reports and documentation of the testing and maintenance conducted are preserved in electronic form or in individual folders containing files and placed in the system of the organization (MCG Health, 2009).
Cost
Integrated Emergency Preparedness Solutions Inc. anticipates to incur a number of costs and expenses in its business operations. The following is an outline of the cost estimates that will be incurred in the forthcoming financial year:
Item
Cost

Wages and Salaries
$400,000

Utilities
$12,000

Insurance
$6,000

Supplies
$300,000

Taxes
$60,000

Depreciation
$40,000

Maintenance Costs
$80,000

Travelling Costs
$50,000

Training and Consultation Expenses
$20,000








References
Galls. (2011). What is the role of police, fire and ems after a natural disaster strikes? Retrieved from: http://blog.galls.com/2011/08/29/what-is-the-role-of-police-fire-and-ems-after-a-natural-disaster-strikes/
MCG Health. (2009). Medical Equipment Management Plan. Retrieved from: https://paws.gru.edu/pub/eop/Documents/medical-equipment-management/MedicalEquipmentManagementPlan.pdf
Shoaf, K. I., Kelley, M. M., O'Keefe, K., Arrington, K. D., & Prelip, M. L. (2014). Enhancing emergency preparedness and response systems: correlates of collaboration between local health departments and school districts. Public Health Reports, 129(6_suppl4), 107-113.
Smith, S. D. (2006). Inter-Agency Collaboration and Consequence Management: An All-Hazard Approach to Emergency Incident Response. EHS Today. Retrieved from: http://www.ehstoday.com/fire_emergencyresponse/ehs_imp_17938