Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
EMERGENCY ACTION LEVELS
A practical way to classify the seriousness of an incident and quickly convey
this information to other personnel is to use emergency action levels (EALs),
which may be designated by code names or numbers associated with situations
of different intensities. The higher the number, the more serious the problem. A
four-level classification system is typically adequate:
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Level 1: Minor building incident.
This can be resolved by the responding
service unit. No other entities are involved.
Level 2: Building incident.
This can be resolved with existing facil-
ity resources or limited outside help. These incidents are usually
one-dimensional events having a limited duration and little impact, except
those using the space/building in which the incident occurs.
Level 3: Major emergency impacting a sizable portion of the facility
and/or outside community.
Level 3 emergencies may be single or multi-
hazard situations, and often require considerable coordination, both within
and outside the facility. These emergencies include projected events on the
facility or in the general community that may develop into a major crisis
or a full disaster.
Level 4: Catastrophic emergency involving the entire facility and sur-
rounding community.
Immediate resolution of the disaster, generally mul-
tihazard, is beyond the emergency response capabilities of the facility and
local resources.
The use of EALs has the advantage of standardizing response to different
classes of events in terms of the resources mobilized to cope with the emergency.
It also improves communications during critical times.
EMERGENCY RESPONSE ORGANIZATION
A major objective of contingency planning is the creation of a response organi-
zation structure capable of being deployed in the shortest time possible during
an emergency. For this purpose, the following questions must be answered:
What will be the command structure and who will be in command of emer-
gency operations?
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Will the command structure change as more response personnel reach the
event site?
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How will the command structure evolve if the emergency worsens?
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Who will decide what company resources to allocate to mitigate the conse-
quences of the event?
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Who maintains communication with whom during an emergency?
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