Loss of local control in emergency management is a legitimate concern. Yet access to state and federal resources is critical for effective emergency response. The most effective emergency response involves carefully coordinated roles between local, state, and federal agencies. Local agencies are always first responders, and therefore have a great deal of authority and responsibility in emergency management. States may have significant resources and distinct responsibilities to work with local officials. Yet the primary role of state agencies is “to supplement local efforts before, during, and after incidents,” (United States Department of Homeland Security, 2008, p. 6). States in many ways play the least visible role in emergency management, often working as liaisons between local governments requesting additional support and the federal government needing more information about the situation. Not all incidents require state or federal intervention and assistance, and city councils should not be concerned about losing control. Compliance with the Incident Command System (ICS) helps to unify disparate organizations involved in emergency response, ensuring interoperability. According to the Department of Homeland Security (2016), emergency response is tiered even though the ICS is characterized by a unified command system. The unified command system does not strip power from local authorities or stakeholders,...
Naturally, the federal government is responsible for intervening in local efforts when federal property is at stake. Otherwise, the primary purpose of the federal government is in an assistive role when states request federal funding or when the President invokes the Stafford Act to declare an official major disaster (United States Department of Homeland Security, 2016). FEMA and the DHS play similar roles in emergency management, with the DHS presiding as the “principle federal official for domestic incident management,” (United States Department of Homeland Security, 2016, p. 16). Whereas FEMA plays the leading role in disaster management coordination, such as via the National Response Coordination Center (NRCC), the DHS plays a more integral role in inter-agency communication. FEMA is the primary overseer of coordinated, integrated training in effective disaster response, offering local officials educational material and opportunities for strategic planning.
According to the Congressman, there is a basic lack of interoperability across more than 80% of the United States' first responders. They are not able to communicate with each other, and are therefore also not able to launch adequate rescue operations, particularly during times of large-scale emergencies. According to the report, it was found that at least 121 of the 343 fire fighters who died could have been saved had
("Lynchburg Virginia Emergency Operations Plan," 2012) Elements of Disaster Response, Recovery, and Incident Command In the event of a disaster, the City Manager is appointed as the local spokesperson for all issues, events and the coordination of resources. They work directly with the Mayor and the City Council (who sit as an advisory board to the City Manager). In the event that there are any political issues, the Mayor will interact
Riverbend City - Incident Mission Riverbend City: Incident Mission Professional education in emergency management is not just something that takes place at the beginning of a person's training. It is something that is ongoing. The FEMA Higher Education Partnership can help make that possible. Riverbend City can use both higher education and professional education to become a more disaster-resistant and resilient community, overall. There are two main ways in which it can
Emergency Management (Mitigation) Policy analysis and assessment Emergency management policy has undergone change historically and these changes have been disaster driven and administration dependent. Early History of Emergency Management A Congressional Act was passed in 1803 to make the provision of financial assistance to a town in New Hampshire that had been devastated by fire. This is the first involvement of the Federal government in a local disaster. In the 1930s the Reconstruction
Recovery, remediation, and reconstruction finish the process of emergency response and if done properly it helps the society and people to get back to normalcy. Remediation and recovery are normally treated as operating budgets while reconstruction budgets are just about always are 100% capital in nature. The budgetary and other responses to any disaster or emergencies should be the best effort by any government as it involves the welfare
Emergency Management When disaster strikes, a government must be ready to mobilize any resources necessary and remedy the situation, whether it is damage from a tornado, a hurricane, an earthquake or any other manmade or natural happening. Emergency management is thus vital to a government's policy of quick action. Sometimes, emergency management is undertaken by local authorities, who are the first responders to the scene, but these people cannot have the
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