In order to protect citizens, infrastructure, business and property, Governors have to perform pivotal responsibilities. In case of a disaster emergency, the Governor which is also the chief executive is responsible for the adequate response of any type of emergency such as human caused, natural or technological incidence1. The performance of a successful emergency response requires from the Governor good communication and relationship with the respective governmental agencies, community, private-sector and institutions2. Therefore, because the Governor should respond to the citizens who voted for him, he should be responsible for maintaining stakeholders always engaged in the public’s health and emergency responses.
According to the Emergency Management Services Code 35 Pa. C.S.A. § 7101-7707, the Governor is responsible of declaring a disaster emergency. In the case of Pittsburgh, although the Mayor can request a declaration of emergency, only the Governor can declare it once the local resources are depleted. If the Governor understands that a disaster has occurred or that a disaster is about to happen, he may issue a Declaration of Disaster Emergency for a period of 90 days. After these 90 days, the Declaration can be reactivated if is still needed3; although the general assembly by concurrent resolution may terminate the state of disaster emergency at any time. Once the Declaration of Disaster Emergency is made by the Governor, then the Commonwealth’s State Emergency Operation Plan (SEOP) is activated. Some of the functions of the SEOP are deployment of Commonwealth personnel and services, implementation of emergency funding measures and the distribution of supplies, equipment, material and other resources. If there are ...
... middle of paper ...
...h the consequences of any type of incident; to command and deploy the National Guard; to coordinate assistance from other States through interstate mutual aid and assistance compacts, such as the Emergency Management Assistance Compact; to request appropriate Federal assistance when the State capabilities will be insufficient or have been exceeded and to coordinate with impacted tribal governments within the State and initiate requests for a Stafford Act Presidential declaration of an emergency or major disaster on behalf of an impacted tribe when appropriate3.
Works Cited
URL’s
1. http://www.pfesi.org/publication_files/pennsylvania-laws-relating-to-emergency-services.pdf
2. http://www.nga.org/files/live/sites/NGA/files/pdf/1011GOVGUIDEHS.PDF
3. http://www.city.pittsburgh.pa.us/ps/emergencymgt/assets/07_Emergency_Operations_Plan.pdf
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.
Claire B. Rubin’s second edition Emergency Management: The American Experience 1900-2010 is a wide ranging book that effectively breaks down over 100 years of America’s emergency response history. In the book, Rubin uses an array of previous emergencies and details local, state, and federal response efforts. In doing so, Rubin effectively portrays the ways in which the Federal Government has played an ever increasing role in emergency response. As Rubin states early in the book, the current mechanisms The United States has in place for emergency response and management have come into existence after many lessons learned from ineffectual response efforts in the past. These disasters, referred to as “focusing events” (p. 4), and they have
Emergency management is a career about managing risk that are both technological and naturally occurring. Though these two terms are synonymous with each other in-terms of modern conceptualization of disasters; this has not always been the case. In the developmental history of emergency management these two sources of disaster; were often seen as two completely independent sources of danger, and as a result the emergency management community encountered steep and costly learning curve in managing the hazards associated with these sources risk.
Having a basic understanding of community or national emergency plans can assist families in disaster. This is especially true during the response phase. The National Response Framework (NRF) is a great example of a national community reference. According to FEMA’s publication, “The National Response Framework,” from 2013, the NRF is a guide which describes the basis of national response to any form of disaster. The NRF was developed from a long line of response guidance plans. The first was the Federal Response plan which was replaced by the National Response Plan. Then in 2008, the NRF was developed to make national response guidance more efficient as well as to include practices created after Hurricane Katrina. The NRF is comprised of 4 sections. These are the foundation document, the Emergency Support Functions (ESF) Annexes, the Support Annexes, and the Incident Annexes. These annexes describe how the NRF can be implemented. It is important to note that the NRF and the National Incident Management System (NIMS) are meant to work in conjunction with each other, while NIMS and its component the Incident Command System (ICS) supply the NRF with an incident management function (Federal Emergency Management Agency, 2013c, pp. 2-3). The NRF is based on several guiding principles. These are engaged partnership, tiered response, scalable operations, unity of effort/unified command, and readiness to act (Federal Emergency Management Agency, 2013c, pp. 5-6).
Pre impact conditions mixed with event specific conditions combined with one another during a disaster produce physical and social impacts to a community. The impact from each disaster can be reduced by interventions through emergency management. By assessing these pre impact conditions, an emergency manager can produce social risks and vulnerabilities within their community. Integrating these social risks and vulnerabilities emergency mangers can use the four most important phases in emergency management: preparedness, planning, response, and recovery to benefit their community as a whole.
As the National Response Framework advises, “[if] local resources are inadequate, local authorities may seek assistance from the county emergency manager or the state” (Homeland Security, 2016, p. 29). "Upon receiving a request for assistance from a local or tribal government, state officials may,” among other things, distribute stockpiled supplies, provide technical support and resources, and reach out to private sector and NonGovernmental Organizations (Homeland Security, 2016, p. 29). Should the responder’s jurisdictional authority conduct the proper liaisons or pre incident coordination, he may well receive the support and resources he needs to survive the direct and secondary threats described by Thompson et al, as well as satisfactorily execute his
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.
The National response plan outlines four key actions the disaster coordinator should take. They are gaining and maintaining situational awareness, activate and deploy key resources and capabilities, coordinating response actions and demobilizing. Throughout the response it is essential that responders have access to critical information. During the initial response effort the situation is will change rapidly. Situational awareness starts at the incident site. For this reason it is essential that decision makers have access to the right information at the right time. By establishing an Emergency Operations Center (EOC) all key responders are brought ...
The model of American governance is based on multiple levels authority that begin with local government, extend to state government, and finally expand to the federal government. Each level of government has different jurisdictions, responsibility, and spheres of influence. While they seemingly operate on different levels the servicers they are responsible for can often overlap creating an interdependence between them (Liesbet, 2003). This interdependence between the various tiers of government is especially critical when it comes to emergency management. A critical incident, such as natural disaster or terrorist event, requires a coordinated effort by local, state, and federal agencies to be effective. Additionally, governmental agencies rely on and need to work well with community, non-profit, and private entities to prepare and response to critical incidents (Sylves, R. (2015).
If there is severe damage or loss of life another government funded organization comes in and help once the governor of the said state declares a state of emergency. The Federal Emergency Management Agency also known as (FEMA) primary purpose is to coordinate the response to a disaster that has occurred in the United States...
Emergency Management has always been an important role in government, communities, and some organizations when dealing with planning and response to emergencies and disasters. However, since the September 11th attacks and other terrorist attacks on United States soil such as the Oklahoma City bombing, or the Boston terror attack, emergency management now has a more active and upfront role. Planning for terrorist attacks is no longer if but when.
A systemic crisis is a crisis in which the breadth of impact reaches many individuals within the system; for example, schools, businesses, entire communities, regions, or it may be worldwide. The individuals involved in a systemic crisis can become overwhelmed with the enormity of the situation and need physical and/or psychological assistance to regain control. Systemic crisis interventions require a combination of strategies working cooperatively together across multiple agencies to effectively address all potential needs of the victims. However, not all systemic crises are the same and require interventions that are specific to the systemic crisis category. The following paragraphs will give a brief description of a natural disaster
The Federal Emergency Management Agency is an organization of the United States Department of Homeland Security, initially formed by Presidential Reorganization Plan No. 3 of 1978 and applied by two Executive Orders on April 1, 1979. The initial first response to a disaster is the job of local emergency services with the nearby help of the surrounding sources. A major disaster can be a result of tornadoes, hurricanes, earthquakes, and floods. The event must be absolutely more than the state or local governments can handle alone. If confirmed, funding comes from the President's Disaster Relief Fund, managed by FEMA and the disaster aid programs of other joining federal agencies.
Emergency management is often described in terms of “phases,” using terms such as mitigate, prepare, respond and recover. The main purpose of this assignment is to examine the origins, underlying concepts, variations, limitations, and implications of the “phases of emergency management.” In this paper we will look at definitions and descriptions of each phase or component of emergency management, the importance of understanding interrelationships and responsibilities for each phase, some newer language and associated concepts (e.g., disaster resistance, sustainability, resilience, business continuity, risk management), and the diversity of research perspectives.
Communities throughout the country and the world are susceptible to disasters. The environment and location of a community often predisposes a greater susceptibility to the type of disaster. For example Central Pennsylvania would not be susceptible to an avalanche however communities in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado would have increase vulnerability. Understanding the types of disaster for which the community is susceptible is essential for emergency preparedness (Nies & McEwen, 2011). All communities are susceptible to man-made disasters; terrorism, fires, and mass transit accidents and emergency preparedness are essential. The Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency (PEMA) is responsible for disaster planning.