How to Write an Emergency Operations Plan?

Introduction 

The primary reason for Bobsville town Emergency Operations Plan (BEOP) is to offer satisfactory services during an emergency. According to Fagel (2016) such logic is to make sure that the safety of the small population of the town is not compromised. The plan is supposed to be undertaken by the mayor’s office to mitigate, recover, respond, prepare, and prevent incidents that may impact on the lives of the people of Bobsville. The development of the emergency plan was undertaken using the functional method. The approach is organized around dire functionalities that the mayor’s office will take in the case of an emergency. The EOP refers to a collection of procedures and plans prepared under the Base Plan, Implementing Instructions, Hazard, Standard Operations Guides, and Functional Annexes. Fagel (2016) argues that disasters, emergencies, and hazards have the likelihood of creating, enhancing, promoting, and causing potential effect and the widespread infectious diseases of untold suffering to the public. Thus, elementary assumptions are enacted to best strategize on all stages of crisis management that include response, preparedness, and mitigation. 

Purpose 

The purpose of the Emergency Operations Plan (EOP) is to offer satisfactory response services during a crisis. The primary intention is to ensure that the public is safe and their security is not compromised. The outlined strategy should prevent, prepare, respond, recover, and mitigate any event that may affect the citizens of Bobville 

The Base Plan: Entails the foundation of the Emergency Operations Plan and it offers an overview of the town’s emergency reaction management and policies. The paper will describe the town’s approach to disaster reaction. The base plan is intended for administrators and specialists in the mayor’s office. 

Functional Annexes: They are established based on BP. At the same time, they are founded on the routine of the mayor’s office that will undertake the emergency response. Functional annexes are aligned based on operatives. At the same time, every annex grounded on the office performing the slated function that may include safety, healthcare, mass care, and volunteer management. 

Risks: Incident Annexes or threats: According to Fagel (2016) they offer comprehensive information useful in the performance of a single vulnerability. Instead of having them as stand-along, they can be established in functional annexes. Such will depend following the type of hazard (e.g., Biological incident, tornado, and radiological incident). 

Standard Operating Guidelines (SOG): They are situational details that offer the best ideal strategy of undertaking a given function commonly. SOGs/SOPs are often specific as per the task. For example, ways in which a siren is activated or how an emergency call message is sent out. SOGs/SOPs do entail charts, maps, call-down, checklist, resource listing, and rosters. The SOG’s/SOPs will also involve details on vehicles used, obtaining aid, supplies, equipment, and the general organizational management in addition to the EOC. It will also entail how to keep in touch with the staff in the management’s office who will take part in the operation. 

Implementation of Instructions 

Implementing instructions will have document s with departmental instructions that each personnel or individual will have to undertake. They will entail tasks, duties, and responsibilities of each person in the EOP. In case they are not maintained or developed by the concerned person, the people having responsibility will undergo training and kept informed of any modification made. The instructions will include checklists, forms, tables, charts, maps, and call-down lists. Those added in the guidelines will be added in the reference of appendices. Most of the time, these cases involve documentation detailing on sensitive security of Bobville town and thus will require protection. 

The use of All-Hazards will develop the EOP version, guidance for Emergency Operations, Planning, and Federal Emergency Management Agency. All future restatements will have to follow on the EOPs department guidance. 

Scope 

The established BCHD will serve Bobville town. The town is 4.6 by 6.5 miles and comprises of 30 square blocks, shaped like a rhombus geometric symbol. During the school days, it has a population of 9,500 and a population of 7,500 when schools are not in session. 

Strategy for preparedness 

1. The mayor’s office will establish a disaster strategy with designated critical features. The essential elements will include emergency management, responsibilities division, emergency management phases, and responsibilities emergency operations design 

2. Emergency Support System – Public safety during a Crisis 

a. The Bobville Emergency Management Unit will have key responsibilities that cover the town’s public safety functions. These will include the town’s emergency support system. 

3. Town Emergency Response Strategy 

a. The plan will be similar to the Emergency Support Tasks drawn out in the towns Emergency Operations Strategy by Bobville’s Emergency Management Unit and other responsible agencies tasked with the town’s emergency planning. 

4. Any plan outside the EOP’s scope will involve designing a town emergency management system. 

5. Family and Individual Preparedness Strategy. All emergency unit workers will be urged to come up and maintain a household and personal preparation strategy in addition to supplying any necessary provisions and needs. The management will make available the preparedness white paper for use by the entire unit. The primary purpose of the preparedness by individuals at the household level is to ensure that all persons in Bobville is aware and takes necessary precautions in the event of an emergency. FEMA (2016) argues that such should always be the first point of preparedness in the case of addressing and putting in place counter measures for emergency incidents. 

Assumptions and Situation 

Fagel (2016) Disasters, emergencies, and hazards often bring forth situations that may lead to or enhance the potential effect on town dwellers. A disaster may also lead to the spread of opportunistic diseases. Such may lead to uncontrollable situations. The EOP will majorly address fire hazard as is documented in the Bobvillle Emergency Management Agency. The fire department will be required to undertake a vulnerability assessment every six months. The evaluation will look forward to examining the human-made and natural cause of fires in Bobville town. The focus will mainly concentrate on public fire disasters such as accidental fires of wildfires. According to FEMA (2016) such fire hazards may probably include explosives, home fires, office fires, and incendiary agents. However, the emergency unit will also pay attention to other emergency disasters that may need the use of EOP. They will majorly include disease, earthquake, windstorm, hazardous materials, structural collapse, bioterrorism, explosions, and conditions, among others. 

Bobville town’s management that primarily falls on the mayor’s office is liable for making sure that the public is safe and protected against disasters. However, any incident that occurs beyond the scope of the mayor’s office will require the activation of the standard operating guidelines and the EOP. Situations such as biological hazards, technological conditions, human-made events, and meteorological disasters may no doubt call upon the application of SOG’s and WCHD EOP. EOP will undertake overall planning of areas such as Public Health and all disasters emergency preparedness. All emergency operations strategies will involve an overarching blueprint that includes all disaster response strategies within Bobville town. 

Assumptions 

Assumptions made all through the base plan are that the BCHD Comprehensive EOP will apply to all situations that may pose a threat to the locals of Bobville town. At the same time, it may be likely that federal and state assistance will be required in accordance with the scope of the incident. However, BCHD will put into consideration the welfare and safety of the locals in the case SOG’s annexes and EOPs are being activated. Elementary awareness of disaster/emergency management that include simple understanding of: 

Bobville Emergency Operations Plan 

National Response Framework (NRF) 

Bobville Town Emergency Operations Plan 

National Incident Management System (NIMS) 

And simple understanding of emergency management principle will be acquired by the completion of various Emergency Management trainings. They will include: 

ICS 100 

ICS 200 

IS 800 

IS 700 

A simple foundation of emergency management will be that any reaction beginning at the lowest level and includes regional, state, and federal assets. As such, every local department will have a response to the emergency happening in synchronization with the local emergency administration schedule. 

Operation Concepts 

The BCHD will work under the authority as guided by ORC in addition to other critical sections as needed. It will be managed and structured by the Federal, State, and local regulations in which all appointments will be under the control of the Mayor’s office in which the holder of the office will have all jurisdictions as required by the paper features. At the same time, BCHD will take responsibility for all emergency and crisis incidences of Bobville town. During such incidences, BCHD will apply an all-round strategy in the case of an emergency. The management body will have undertaken a crisis analysis and come up with a case-scenario classification background for intensified public emergencies. In the case of a critical incidence in which BCHD utilities are drained, the agency will seek for help from neighboring towns and states. 

BCHD Operation Center 

BCHD will undertake the general management of all disasters in the town. Incident command entails a methodology that handles all crisis situations when a coordination of all public activities is needed from one command desk. According to Alexander (2016) such is necessary when activation of any phase will be required. In the case the DOC is initiated, a crisis command will be activated with the purpose of overseeing any reaction from the general public. Persons who may take the responsibility of the commander include; 

Town Sherriff 

Deputy Sherriff 

Or any trained person capable of handling the type of incident mentioned 

The assigned person for the above desk will have the responsibility of taking charge of the crisis. 

Training Program 

BCHD will identify those training and courses essential to the implementation of all purposes of the entire response. The courses and exercise will help in ensuring that it meets all training models and principles that make up the NIMP features. Some of the courses will include Incident Command Center, Multi-Agency Cordination System, and Emergency Operations Center. All employees and staff will be needed to undertake the under mentioned courses: 

IS 700 

IC 800 

ICS 100 

ICS 200 

In line with the job description, title, and functionalities, extra training will be undertaken and may include: 

G 775 (Emergency Operations Center Management and Operations 

Bobville EMA Basics 

ICS 300 (Basic level of Intermediate ICS for Expanding Cases) 

ICS 400 (Advanced level) 

Plan/Maintenance 

The EOP will remain a vibrant paper ad will require constant updating, revision, and review after a specific period of time (Yearly) or in the case of training that calls for alterations. Integrated will be ideas and philosophies got from the Federal Management Agency papers that will include Comprehensive Preparedness (101 & 102), Bobville Emergency Management Unit among others. The underlined committee will take responisblity during reviewing of the emergency operations strategy, supporting SOG’s yarly to make sure that all modifications are management in line with identified incidents, training, government structure, and exercises. At the same time, BCHD will undertake sole drills yearly and coordinated with the town’s Emergency Agency in addition to other elements fo EOP, EOG and applicable annexes. In the case of revisions on the above-mentions documents Improvement Plans and Action Reports will be prepared. All documents will be distributed in accordance with office, job title, responsibilities, and area of jurisdiction. The entire emergency plan will be updated and reviewed as required and will call upon the reviewer to undertake any necessary any relevant changes as needed. 

Succession Authority 

The ability of Bobville town to respond adequately for an emergency will be expanded to cater for the absence of any personnel of official. Thus, the Mayor’s office will have a well-crafted succession authority with the purpose of ensuring that there is continuity and adequate response if needed. They will include; 

The Sherriff 

And Director of Emergency Preparedness and Promotion 

The Bobville town management will be at a position to respond to any arising emergency all-round the clock. For example, during the official business times, personnel will be reached through their office official lines. Any call will be a signal for the officer to contact the town’s emergency unit for an emergency. According to Alexander (2015) direct contact is critical for staying alert and ready to respond for an emergency. Any failure to respond to an emergency situation may result into a large amount of damage. All calls will be managed and logged to the Mayor’s emergency unit where they will be reviewed and updated as required. 

References 

Alexander, D. E. (2015). Disaster and emergency planning for preparedness, response, and recovery. Oxford University Press. 

Fagel, M. J. (2016).  Principles of emergency management and emergency operations centers (EOC) . CRC press. 

FEMA, D. (2010). Developing and Maintaining Emergency Operations Plans.