Assessment
A crucial first step for any community to be prepared and respond effectively is to identify all the natural and human-caused hazards that have or could affect your community. Once this is complete a mitigation strategy should be developed to reduce the community’s vulnerability to those identified hazards. This process will result in a Hazard Mitigation Plan, which once approved by FEMA, will make your community eligible for several types of federal funding.
Planning
Your community’s Emergency Operations Plan (EOP) should reflect the types of hazards that may occur in your jurisdiction. The EOP defines the scope of preparedness and incident management activities. It also describes organizational structures, roles and responsibilities, policies and protocols for providing emergency support. In addition, all local EOPs are required to integrate the National Incident Management System (NIMS) which is a nationwide standardized approach to incident management and response.
Exercise
Conduct a table top or fully functional exercise that includes participants simulating an emergency situation requiring them to function in the capacity that would be expected of them in a real event. The purpose of an exercise is to promote preparedness by testing policies and plans and training personnel.
