Geoscience Reference
In-Depth Information
The preceding should provide the Emergency Manager with ample reasons for
developing their own departmental or organization strategy. Not only is it a good
business practice, but it also can provide justification and help to outline details
of the direction that the department or organization will be taking in the future.
Elements of the Strategy
The strategy document should be separated into sections and easy to read. One
should feel free to use pictures, charts, and other graphics to illustrate and empha-
size any points that need to be made, particularly those that quantify any accom-
plishments (i.e., amount of grant funds brought in, number of plans written or
reviewed, number of exercises held). The end user/reader should certainly be kept
in mind as the strategy document is developed. The following outlines sections that
the Emergency Manager many want to include in their overall strategy document.
Introduction
This section gives the Emergency Manager an opportunity to explain the depart-
mental or organizational responsibilities. This will be the first page that the reader
will see, other than possibly a table of contents. The Emergency Manager must
ensure that they say everything that they want to demonstrate about their depart-
ment on the first page. Some readers may not read past the first page, and this will
be the only impression of your department or agency that they get.
Mission Statement
The Mission Statement of any organization is essentially a concise definition of what
the Emergency Manager organization or department does. The Mission Statement
should be no more than two sentences long. There should be no extraneous word-
ing. Just a simple answer to “What do you do?” Here is an example:
The City of Plano Department of Emergency Management will serve
the citizens of the City of Plano by directing and coordinating emer-
gency management programs to prevent/mitigate, prepare for, respond
to, and recover from emergencies and disasters.*
This statement is to the point, and clearly defines the role of the organization.
*
Stovall, Shane. City of Plano, Texas. City of Plano Department of Emergency Management
Strategic Plan 2011-2016, p. 3, Plano: 2011. Print.
