Emergency Management: The Development of an Integrated Approach Between Industry and Government

摘要

Optimally, emergency management within a society isrncompleted at all levels by all organizations regardless of therncause and the consequences. Challenges to this idealisticrnmodel include the high cost of emergency response, thernlimitations of training in an industrial related incident,rndiffering levels of expectations across governments,rncompanies, and cultures, and the jurisdictional confusions in arnsociety where legal authorities may be broad and generic.rnIntegrated emergency response is the full integration of allrnresponse resources, training programs, and exercises. This isrnparticularly important when the disaster may no longer be arnresult of an act of nature, but is man-made. In the instance ofrna petrochemical emergency, local responders outside of thernoriginating facility may not have the ability to operate safelyrnwithin the affected area. Well meaning, but uninformedrnresponders, may become additional casualties.rnIn developing an emergency management program, a threernpronged comprehensive system must be used. It mustrnencompass:rn1. Common terminology across disciplines using arncommond incident command systemrn2. Integration of preparedness, prevention, readiness andrnresponse programsrn3. Provisions for continuous improvementrnAn integrated approach to emergency response addressesrnall response resources including the properly equipped localrncommunity and regional fire, police, medical, and reliefrnagencies that are capable and willing to provide responsernresources. Also necessary in an integrated program is arncomprehensive response management system that ensuresrneach agency and organization is capable of communicating onrna common system using the same terminology, language,rnand processes.rnAdditionally, an integrated response organization willrnoperate with one set of goals and objectives under a unifiedrnsystem of command. This requires a tremendous amount ofrntrust between the agencies and organizations, and arntremendous amount of skill to operate cohesivelyrnand efficiently.rnThe paper discusses a process for developing an integratedrnemergency management program that is being currently usedrnin several parts of the world. The presenters discuss the issuesrnand challenges in developing a cohesive and integratedrnemergency management system. This system is revising ageoldrnpractices and setting standards of integration forrncontingency planning, training, and exercise management.rnThe goals of these programs are to assure that all emergenciesrnare handled expeditiously and efficiently with minimal threatrnto the local population and maximum benefit of the localrnresponse agencies in an integrated response organization.