The Emergency Management Cycle... What is it? The first national movements toward preparedness began during World War II - not when we entered the war, but actually beforehand. There was great fear of attack upon our homeland, with the greatest concern being the California & Oregon Coasts, and the Eastern Seaboard (although as it turned out, Germany was trying to coerce our long-time ally Mexico into opening that frontier to them for attack.) For a long time after World War II, decades in fact, emergency management focused primarily on preparedness. Governmentally, this generally involved preparing for enemy attack. More recently communities have looked at preparedness for all disasters, including identifying resources and expertise in advance, and planning how these can be used in a disaster.  Local government and social committees, Fire Departments, and CERT (Community Emergency Response Teams) have played a big part in this. While we offer a broad range of supplies and information for preparedness at First-aid-product.com, it is vital that businesses, groups, and community leaders realize that preparedness is only one phase of four crucial steps in emergency management. There are four phases of emergency management:
  1. Mitigation (aka Prevention) Preventing future emergencies or minimizing their effects. The first phase in emergency management is Prevention or Mitigation.Mitigation is taking action to eliminate or reduce the loss of life and property damage related to an event or crisis, particularly those that cannot be prevented.
    • Buying flood and fire insurance for your home is a mitigation activity.
    • Mitigation activities take place before and after emergencies. Prevention is acting to decrease the likelihood that an event or crisis will occur.
    • Includes any activities that prevent an emergency, reduce the chance of an emergency happening, or reduce the damaging effects of unavoidable emergencies.
    • Strapping a water heater to avoid it toppling over in an earthquake is an act of prevention. Both Mitigation and Prevention activities take place before and after emergencies.
  2. Preparedness Preparing to handle an emergency. Preparedness includes making plans or procedures intended to save lives and to minimize damage when an emergency occurs. Planning, training, and exercising are critical elements of preparedness. These steps ensure that when a disaster strikes, emergency responders will have the plans and practice necessary to provide the best response possible.Remember that preparedness is not limited to the emergency response community.  Everyone should take steps to ensure personal preparedness for emergencies and disasters; at work, school, home, and even when on the road or traveling.Preparedness activities may include:
    • Plans or preparations made to save lives and to help response and rescue operations.
    • Evacuation plans and stocking food and water are both examples of preparedness.
    • Developing all-hazard policies, procedures, and protocols with input from key community partners such as law enforcement, medical services, fire services, and even mental health.
    • Establishing an incident command system (ICS) for organizing personnel and services to respond in the event of an emergency.
    • Preparedness activities take place before an emergency occurs.
  3. Response Responding safely to an emergency. An Emergency Operations Plan provides the framework by which any organization or group will respond to and manage emergency incidents.The primary objectives of Emergency Operations Plans are to apply all available resources to: Preserve of human life Protect property Protect the environment Facilitate continuity of operations
    • Response is putting your preparedness plans into action.
    • Seeking shelter from a tornado or turning off gas valves in an earthquake are both response activities.
    • Response activities take place during an emergency.
  4. Recovery Recovering from an emergency. Continuity of Operations is an effort to ensure that Essential Functions continue to be performed during and after a wide range of emergencies, including localized acts of nature, accidents and related emergencies.Recovery is an ongoing process. The type and breadth of recovery activities will vary based on the nature and scope of the emergency. However, the goal of the recovery phase is to restore the community, business, and the environment. Planning for Recovery begins in the Preparedness phase, and requires support from government, community, and each individual.Recovery includes: Physical and Structural Recovery Business Recovery Restoration of the Environment Psychological and Emotional Recovery
    • Includes actions taken to return to a normal or an even safer situation following an emergency.
    • Recovery includes getting financial assistance to help pay for the repairs.
    • Recovery activities take place after an emergency.
emergency-management-cycle  

The Four Phases of Emergency Management
MitigationPreventing future emergencies or minimizing their effects
  • Includes any activities that prevent an emergency, reduce the chance of an emergency happening, or reduce the damaging effects of unavoidable emergencies.
  • Buying flood and fire insurance for your home is a mitigation activity.
  • Mitigation activities take place before and after emergencies.
PreparednessPreparing to handle an emergency
  • Includes plans or preparations made to save lives and to help response and rescue operations.
  • Evacuation plans and stocking food and water are both examples of preparedness.
  • Preparedness activities take place before an emergency occurs.
ResponseResponding safely to an emergency
  • Includes actions taken to save lives and prevent further property damage in an emergency situation. Response is putting your preparedness plans into action.
  • Seeking shelter from a tornado or turning off gas valves in an earthquake are both response activities.
  • Response activities take place during an emergency.
RecoveryRecovering from an emergency
  • Includes actions taken to return to a normal or an even safer situation following an emergency.
  • Recovery includes getting financial assistance to help pay for the repairs.
  • Recovery activities take place after an emergency.