Biomedical Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
where much of the emergency services
provided might well be without any reim-
bursement or payment)?
4. Is it clear within the emergency-management
plan and other documents how an inci-
dent commander is identified? Is the inci-
dent commander's authority with respect to
the administrative commander (e.g., the CEO)
identified in the documentation, and under-
stood by those who might assume inci-
dent command and/or maintain administrative
authority over the institution?
5. Has the organization's board of directors rati-
fied the chain of command, and is documen-
tation to that effect on file in the Command
Center?
6. Are senior leaders trained in their expected
emergency-response roles, as well as in alter-
native roles they may be expected or required
to assume during an event?
7. Has the organization drilled for the activation
of the Command Center during evening, night,
and weekend shifts?
8. Have specific departments drilled in their
potential responsibilities? In addition to emer-
gency department drills, has the senior-
management team drilled together? Have other
departments (e.g., finance, human resources)
been included in the drills?
IV. Planning (Blue)
The Planning Section Chief anticipates the course
of events over the relevant time horizon, and makes
plans to ensure continued smooth operation of the
facility.
44
At the initiation of an emergency, the
Planning Section Chief assesses staffing needs,
calls in off-duty staff, arranges for transportation
of those who need it, establishes a labor pool, and
other related tasks. Once a longer period becomes
the relevant planning horizon, the Planning Section
Chief shifts from a focus on the “next several
hours” to an emphasis on “the next several days”
as emergency operations commence and stabilize.
Eventually, the Planning Section Chief prepares for
the demobilization or “standing down” of the orga-
nization from the emergency. But planning activi-
ties go well beyond the activities of a Section Chief
during an emergency. Planning is the heart of good
emergency response, and it is found in all activ-
ities engaged in by the organization for its daily
operations. Emergency planning weds the knowl-
edge that an emergency will occur with the routine
management activities the institution conducts.
B. Hazard Vulnerability Analysis
It is important for each organization to conduct a
Hazard Vulnerability Analysis (HVA). In an HVA,
the organization identifies the foreseeable risks it
faces, classifies them as “high” or “low” likelihood,
and assesses their potential effect on the organiza-
tion. What results is a prioritization of emergencies
to plan for, enabling the organization to devote its
attention to the high-likelihood, high-effect risks.
A. Corporate Governance
It is important that an appropriate chain of
succession is established in the event that key
players are unavailable during an emergency
situation.
1. Has the organization established a chain of
command?
2. Has a process been established that ensures
continuous command-and-control functions at
all times and by appropriate individuals?
3. Are documentation requirements established
for an individual who asserts command respon-
sibilities during an emergency?
1. Who is charged with the preparation of the
HVA (e.g., a member of senior management,
the facilities department, a committee)?
2.
If the charged individual is not a member
of senior management, have members of the
senior management team provided their input?
44
Field Operations Guide,
supra
note 13, at 8-3.
