EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT PLANNING MANUAL

If you don't know where you are going,

You will end up some where else.

CHAPTER 4 - THE PLANNING PROCESS AND THE CLUB PLAN

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ABSTRACT:  This chapter discusses the planning process, the "how to" of  developing a plan and the nature of the emergency operations plan itself.  The plan is the center piece of the club's disaster program.

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4.1  WHERE DOES A CLUB WANT TO BE

            Before we can plan we need to determine what we want to plan for.  For this determination we take a club centered view of the universe, as shown in figure 4 at the right.  From this perspective the world of disaster involvement spreads out like expanding concentric circles.  Each expanded circle, or level, represents a broader range of a club's disaster operations involvement.  A club can classify its range of involvement anyway it wants, but for our purposes we will consider six levels:

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FIGURE 1

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Figure 4

</td> </tr> </tbody> </table>  </td> </tr> </tbody></table>Level 1:  Club's Infrastructure andCapacity.  This level deals with what a Rotary clubneeds to do/maintain, with regard to each phase of the emergencymanagement cycle (covered in Section 1.4 below), in order to assurethat the Rotary Club's capability and network stays protected, andif harmed by a disaster, how to re-establish club capabilityquickly.

 

Level 2:  Club's Rotary Family.  This level deals with what a Rotary club needs to do/maintain, with regard to each phase of the emergency management cycle, in order to be able to respond to Rotarian needs (including individual, family and business) as a matter of assistance and in order to assure a sufficient cadre of Rotarian human resources to carry on Rotary's disaster operation commitments.

 

Level 3:  Club's Local Community. This level deals with what a Rotary club needs to do/maintain, with regard to each phase of the emergency management cycle in order to be able to respond to the club's local community needs in the event of an emergency. 

 Level 4:  Club and the county, region and state.  This level deals with linkages and infrastructure of which a Rotary club needs to be a part in order to be responsive to responding to and coordinating with others in disaster assistance outside a club's immediate sphere of involvement, but less than a national disaster.  

 Level 5:  Club and District/Zone and National Involvement.  This level deals with what a Rotary club and its associated district and/or zone need to do/maintain in order to participate in a national level emergency. 

 Level 6:  Club International Involvement.  This level deals with what a Rotary club and its associated district and/or zone need to do/maintain in order to be able to participate in an international emergency.

In this manual we limit ourselves to levels 1, 2 and 3.  These levels are basically necessary for any meaningful role in emergency management and for participation in levels 4, 5 and 6.  Once a club determines what it wants to do within levels 1, 2 and 3, the club needs to develop its Emergency Operations Plan (EOP).

4.2  PLANNING PROCESS FOR EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT

It is not the intent of this manual to address the planning process.  This manual is not a course in planning.  It is assumed that the reader knows how to plan or has access to the resources necessary to learn and understand the planning process sufficiently to undertake the necessary emergency planning required for the REDI program.

In emergency management, planning is not a one-time event.  It is a continual cycle of planning, training, exercising, and revision and it needs to be applied to all four phases of the emergency management cycle (mitigation, preparedness, response, and recovery).  There are two important purposes of planning with regard to emergency management: the development and maintenance of a Rotary Club's Emergency Operations Plan; and, being able to effectively implement the plan in an emergency.

The emergency management community divides the emergency planning process into four (4) steps:  hazard analysis, EOP development, plan testing, and plan maintenance and revision.  The table below outlines these steps and the impact on a Rotary Club's REDI development activities.

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NO

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STEP

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PURPOSE

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CLUB IMPACT

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1

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Hazard Analysis

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Hazard analysis is the process by which hazards that threaten the community are researched and ranked according to the risks they pose and the areas and infrastructure that are vulnerable to damage from an event involving the hazards.  The outcome of this step is a written hazard analysis that quantifies the overall risk to the community from each hazard.

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From a club's point of view, the hazard analysis work has already been done.  The local community has this analysis.  What a Rotary club needs to do is determine in what areas of a disaster does the club want to participate? 

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2

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EOP Development

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An EOP includes; basic plan, functional annexes, hazard-specific appendices, and implementing instructions.  When the emergency strikes, the EOP is the go-to document for how everyone involved should behave and how things should work.

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Although all EOPs are similar, they are each unique to the organization or entity to which the plan applies.  No one can write a plan for you.  This is the single most important undertaking for a club, because all other activities are driven off the club's EOP.

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3

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Plan Testing

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One can not wait until an emergency occurs to see if the "plan" works.  Exercises of different types and varying complexity allow one to see what in the plan is unclear and what does not work.  Training of the plan gives people the skill and knowledge they need vis-à-vis the plan to function in accordance with the plan and each other.  The outcomes of this step are used to improve the plan and keep it current.

 

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As a general matter Rotary clubs will not be lead actors - they will usually be supporting or assisting responders.  Therefore, Rotary club will test there EOP by participating with others, when those others put on emergency response exercises.  This kind of participation will be a fallout of a club's networking with others involved in the emergency management services of the community.   

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4

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Plan Maintenance and Revision

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The EOP is a living document.  It must be continually updated and improved as hazards or risks change, new developments occur, improved techniques and methodologies come about, and uncover weaknesses.

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As with plan development, only the Rotary club can keep its plan current and up to date.  So a club needs to maintain a process to do so.

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It does not take long to realize, that almost anything we do, or need to do, in emergency management is interrelated to or interdependent with every thing else we do.  Everything feeds back on everything else so that we have cycles within cycle.  Therefore, we must always make sure that the results of any undertaken activity are used to adjust, redefine or improve all the other activities to which undertaken activity applies.  This need is particularly important in emergency management planning.  After the plan is developed, steps 3 and 4 keep the plan current.       

4.3  WHO SHOULD BE INVOLVED IN THE PLANNING

First and foremost, emergency management planning is a team effort.  Emergency response requires significant coordination, and different types of emergencies require different kinds of expertise and response resources.  So, once a club has identified "where it wants to be" in emergency management, its next planning step is the identification of all of the parties that should be involved based on the areas of response and assistance the club has identified in its determination of "where it wants to be."

4.4  THE EMERGENCY OPERATIONS PLAN

The plan is the center piece of the club's disaster operations program.  The club's EOP should cover all the areas in which the club wants to be involved; be comprehensive within those identified involvement areas; take an all hazards approach; be flexible enough to be used in all type of emergencies; and, include hazard specific information.  Most EOPs consist of three (3) parts: the basic plan, functional annexes, and hazard-specific appendices.  In addition, any part of the EOP may have addenda in the from of implementing instructions, which include: Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs), maps, charts, tables, forms, checklists, etc.  Implementing instructions may be included as attachments or incorporated by reference.

The functional annexes explain how the club will carry out a broad function in any emergency, such as warning or resource management.  An appendix is a supplement to an annex and adds information about how to carry out the function in the face of a specific hazard.  Thus every annex may have several appendices, each addressing a particular hazard. Hazard-specific appendices are attached to each functional annex to specify how that function should be carried out in the face of a particular hazard.

Implementing instructions are documents that provide detailed instructions for carrying out tasks assigned in the EOP.  Typically, implementing instructions are included in the EOP by reference only.  Implementing instructions provide tools for carrying out the club's plan.  They help ensure that those who are responsible for implementing the EOP are able to carry out their roles effectively.  There are several types of implementing instructions that club's might want to develop:

§   Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs)

§   Job aids

§   Checklists

§   Information cards

§   Recordkeeping and combination forms

§   Maps

In general, the annexes and appendices parallel the order and subjects of the basic plan.  Specific sections can be developed to expand upon-but not to repeat-information that is contained in the basic plan.

The basic plan usually includes:

• Introduction. Which includes such items as: authorization documents; record of distributions with list of recipients; and, table of contents. ,
• Purpose Statement
• Situation and Assumptions
• Manner of operations
• Organization and Assignments
• Administration and Logistics
• Plan Maintenance
• Authorities and References

4.5  THE PLAN IS A BLEND OF ELEMENTS

Developing our disaster operations plan is a process of taking the various operating parameters that we identify through the planning function and artfully blending these parameters into a functional Rotary club emergency management and disaster operation.

            Some pointers are:

• Keep it simple
• Make sure it works
• There is never enough resources to cover everything so make the best use of what you have
• Don't be complacent
• At first develop each "level of club involvement" separately. Combine later.
• For everything you do ask the question: What level of readiness and response does the club want? Can maintain?

4.6  THE ROTARY DISTRICT ROLL

            Although this manual is for Rotary Clubs, it is helpful to think about how Rotary Districts will participate in the emergency management and disaster operations system.  At this time there are no policies or specifications of the District role in disaster operations.  Ultimately this role should be determined in large part by the clubs.

 

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Figure 5

</td> </tr> </tbody> </table>  </td> </tr> </tbody></table>The emergency management system in the United States isbased on the premise that emergencies are local and theresponsibility of the local authorities.  Higher authoritiesbecome involved as the emergency exceeds the capacity of the lowerauthority.  Rotary hierarchy should follow this samepremise.  The Rotary District is the first authority(structure) level above the club, therefore, the district roleshould be one of providing operational assistance to clubs, andsimilarly for zones.  Following this premise, Figure 5graphically depicts the Rotary District's role as an element insupporting club disaster operations.  The districts role hasfour (4) key services:

            (a)  Helping Clubs Maintain Core Operations.  Helping clubs maintain their readiness and maintaining an environment within the Rotary family for clubs to be encouraged to be part of the Rotary disaster operations is a necessary role for Rotary Districts.  District help can include: accounting management, method and procedure development, planning assistance and best practice protocols.

            (b)  Providing Surge Capacity Resources.  It is important that as the emergency needs grow the resource and capacity base of the clubs grow accordingly.  By definition a club is overwhelmed at some point and so it has to be the role of the District to "kick" in and participate.

            (c)  Coordinating Communications.  Communications is the functional life-line of the emergency management system.  Rotary will need to have the ability to maintain a communications capability and network that transcends club (and districts) with redundancy and alternatives when any part of the Rotary communications network goes down.

            (d)  Managing Training.  Training is a vital need of the emergency management system.  Developing, maintaining and conducting training programs specific to Rotary needs is an important responsibility and one that individual clubs will not be capable of doing on their own.

            (e)  Acting as a Conduit into State and National Emergency Operations.  As one moves up the government hierarchy it will be harder and harder for individual clubs to effectively interact with various government agencies.  District and Zones can fill this void by have the clout to get access and the capability to adequately represent the interest of Rotary clubs.  

4.7  THE NEXT CHAPTER

            In the next chapter we look at how to move forward, at the club level, to put a disaster operations program in place.