INTRODUCTION:
A disaster is a sudden, calamitous event that seriously disrupts the functioning of a community or society and causes human, material, and economic or environmental losses that exceed the community’s or society’s ability to cope using its own resources (International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies). For the facts that it will impossible to eliminate the risk emanating from disasters, it will be more feasible to develop comprehensive actions needed to improve response capability or anticipative actions needed to reduce the vulnerabilities to the disaster (Suryanto, & Kuncoro, 2012). Effective and efficient response from a disaster is rooted in the proper planning for disaster response before the actual disaster
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The National Incident Management System provide a systematic guidelines for “departments and agencies at all levels of government, nongovernmental organizations, and the private sector to work seamlessly to prevent, protect against, respond to, recover from, and mitigate the effects of incidents, regardless of cause, size, location, or complexity, in order to reduce the loss of life and property and harm to the environment while NRP is an all-hazard framework that builds upon NIMS and describes additional specific Federal roles and structures for incidents in which Federal resources are involved ” (U.S. Department of Homeland Security 2008). The NRP integrates all levels of government, the private sector, and nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) into a common incident management framework. In 2008, the NRP was superseded by the first NRF, which streamlined the guidance and integrated lessons learned from Hurricane Katrina and other incidents (U.S. Department of …show more content…
This need is based on the fact that major disaster response and recovery efforts is a difficult process, involves lots of participants from the Federal, State and Local governments, and may take years. All the disaster participants who administer recovery-related programs, depended on each other to accomplish recovery goals, therefore, sustained focus and effective coordination and collaboration are essential (U.S Government General Accountability, n. d). This need for a comprehensive plan on how to respond to disasters, that will integrate all levels of governments and ensure cordial relationships not only across levels of governments but among all the stakeholders involves in the emergency response. However, the National Incident Management System (NIMS), and the National Response Plan (NRP) were disaster plan which will help to integrate and streamline all participants operations during disasters. Bases on the lessons learned from hurricane Katrina, the National Response Plan was streamlined in 2008 to fostering a holistic approach to disaster responses and “ensure that the Nation is able to respond effectively to all types of incidents that range from those that are adequately handled with local assets to those of
The National Incident Management System, NIMS was introduced in March 2004, and is the country’s comprehensive approach to incident management. It outlines how first responders from different disciplines and jurisdictions can work together. The NIMS improves the coordination and cooperation between the public and private entities in different domestic incident management activities. It also creates a framework for compatibility and interoperability through balancing standardization and flexibility. As such, NIMS comes up with a flexible framework for the federal government to work together with private entities to manage domestic incident management activities.
Homeland Security. (2008, 12). National Incident Management System. Retrieved 10 22, 2011, from FEMA: http://www.fema.gov/pdf/emergency/nims/NIMS_core.pdf
Both man-made and natural disasters are often devastating, resource draining and disruptive. Having a basic plan ready for these types of disaster events is key to the success of executing and implementing, as well as assessing the aftermath. There are many different ways to create an emergency operations plan (EOP) to encompass a natural and/or man-made disaster, including following the six stage planning process, collection of information, and identification of threats and hazards. The most important aspect of the US emergency management system in preparing for, mitigating, and responding to man-made and natural disasters is the creation, implementation and assessment of a community’s EOP.
NIMS provides a uniform nationwide basis and way for federal, state, tribal, and local governments, along with the public to work on preparedness, recovery, response and mitigation no matter what causes an event. With all organizations using the same application, effective and efficient responses are possible. Organizations will be able to arrive on the scene and be ready to assist and understand exactly what each group is doing and why. Protocols are set and it is known what equipment and personnel are available. With NIMS all groups are able to integrate und...
The CPP is inherently different from traditional models developed by federal entities in several ways, the most important being that it is a “bottom-up” planning method as dictated by one of the directives of the Act of 2007. FEMA was asked to partner with State, local and tribal governments, emergency responders, the private sector, and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) in addition to other federal agencies typically involved with disaster preparedness, response and recovery efforts. Most FEMA and Department of Homeland Security (DHS) systems and methods in the past have been driven from the “top down”, such as the Incident Command System (ICS) and the National Incident Management Systems (NIMS) and have focused on the structure of command and control rather than coordinated partnerships (Ruback et al., 2010). Another significant directive of the Act of 2007 is the specific focus on preparedness for catastrophic events rather than disasters, which are more regional in scope.
After the attack, the United States hastily constructed the Department of Homeland Security and downgraded FEMA, whose main duty was civil protection. This attracted criticism from some public administration experts that the U.S. government concentrated too much on terrorism…[After Hurricane Katrina] Critics… charged that too many government officials were not familiar with the “National Response Plan” which was implemented in December 2004 after 9/11 terrorist attack. Planning and training for large natural disasters were insufficient after the implementation of the plan. In short, too great a focus on counter-terrorism undermined capacities for natural disaster mitigation, response, and recovery in the post-9/11 United States (para. 7,
Perry, R. W., & Lindell, M. K. (2007). Disaster Response. In W. L. Waugh, & K. Tiernery, Emergency Management: Principles and Practice for Local Government (pp. 162-163). Washington D.C.: International City/County Management Association.
When a natural disaster such as Hurricane Katrina struck the Gulf Coast in 2005 the shock of the destruction quickly became evident with the storm’s aftermath. There was the need for an organized response, however the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) was not ready for the magnitude or the severity of damage to adequately and successfully react. FEMA was confronted with a series of events following the disaster in which the agency failed to take control and communicate in helping remedy the catastrophic situation. There was the lack of management in coordinating transportation evacuation measures, supplying needed materials and food as well as housing to the citizens, specifically in New Orleans. The failure of our nation’s Federal Emergency Management Agency to efficiently respond to Hurricane Katrina led to a serious of negative events caused by insufficient planning.
Emergency responders face the prospect of responding to a disaster occurring at any time or any location within their jurisdiction. Local agencies are responsible to properly prepare for, mitigate and respond to both man-made and natural disasters. Emergency responders and their agencies should follow the guidelines of the National Incident Management System (NIMS) in order to be best prepared for response to the next disaster whether natural or man-made.
The goal of the National Response Framework (NRF), now known as the National Incident Management System (NIMS), is to provide the Federal Emergency Management’s (FEMA) way of enhancing National preparedness and response systems. Since the occurrence of disasters, whether natural or manmade, has increased in severity and rate, the need for common terminology, standards of operations, and collaboration between agencies has become imperative. NIMS serves as the comprehensive framework designed to enable effective, efficient, and coordinated incident management at all levels of government and across all levels of disciplines and jurisdictions. The creation of the National Incident Management System sprung from the results of response efforts following
After the terrorist attacks on 9/11, it became clear that new procedures needed to be established for responding to incidents. As a result, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security created the National Incident Management System (NIMS). NIMS provides a guideline for communities in the areas of preparedness, communications and information management, resource management, command and management, as well as ongoing management and maintenance (Emergency, 2013). The components of NIMS allows the whole community “to work together more effectively and efficiently” when a disaster occurs (FEMA, 2004). Using NIMS when responding to a weapon of mass destruction (WMD) terrorist attack will allow for more lives to be saved.
Every city and state has specific details in their emergency response plan, and in order ensure aid and support, “state and local governments must adopt the NIMS to receive federal preparedness assistance through grants, contracts, and other funding” (Sauter & Carafano, 2012, p. 245). Sauter and Carafano (2012) noted, “The NIMS attempts to ensure interoperability among federal, state, and local assets. It establishes procedures for managing operations; conducting training; and setting requirements standard terminology, and common procedures” (p. 245). The National Incident Management System (NIMS) model are applied and utilized for premeditated or unexpected incidents.
The challenge of emergency management in the United States is finding out who is in charge of relief and recovery efforts when a disaster happens (Lavarias). The people of the United States most often look to the federal government to handle the situation (Lavarias). In retrospect, it is the local entities that start the process of recovery, with the help of the state (Lavarias). Also, every emergency situation is different. There are similarities, but there are often small things that are handled by different organizations
It’s 5:30 AM. The alarm beeps at a steady pace as Cassandra slowly awakens. She slammed the snooze button, and let out a groan. Cassandra didn’t hate mornings, or waking up, but she did hate school.
Of the four phases of emergency management, mitigation, preparedness, response and recovery, perhaps the place that individuals can make the biggest difference in their own state of resiliency and survival of a disaster is in the preparedness phase. Being prepared before a disaster strikes makes sense yet many people fail to take even simple, precautionary steps to reduce the consequences of destruction and mayhem produced by natural events such as earthquakes, volcanos and tornados (see Paton et al, 2001, Mileti and Peek, 2002; Tierney, 1993, Tierney et al, 2001).