Geoscience Reference
In-Depth Information
of the strategy document. The Executive Summary should contain the following
information:
◾
Who
is covered in the strategy—what department, organization, or program.
◾
What
the department does and what agency has generally accomplished in
the past.
◾
Why
the strategy is being developed—internal requirement, to provide a
foundation for future direction of the agency, other? All of the above?
◾
When
the strategy will be reviewed and updated.
◾
How
the strategy is laid out structurally in order to give the reader an idea of
the layout of the strategy document (section names, chapters, etc.).
In general, the Executive Summary should be no more than one page in length. It
is important to keep the word “summary” in mind for this section.
Standards
Emergency Management professionals are faced with many different types of stan-
dards that should be figured in when developing a program strategy. This section
will take a look at a few of these standards, and why they should be considered
when developing an Emergency Management program strategy.
State Emergency Management Standards
Many states put forth requirements that dictate the elements that local Emergency
Management programs shall have included in their programs. Oftentimes, these
requirements are in the form of requirements for inclusion in a local Emergency
Operations Plan (EOP). Some states include training and exercise standards as well.
For instance, the “State of Texas Preparedness Standards” focuses on three
activities that contribute to the overall readiness of a community. These three
activities are planning, training, and exercises. The Texas Division of Emergency
Management (TDEM) uses a series of collective assessments of local emergency
preparedness programs to measure their effectiveness and determine where areas
of additional emphasis are needed. The “State of Texas Preparedness Standards”
set forth criteria for local jurisdictions to meet in order to meet certain levels of
preparedness. These levels include Basic, Intermediate, and Advanced levels of pre-
paredness. Each level of preparedness contains a specific set of criteria prescribed by
TDEM with respect to planning, training, and exercise programs.
Compliance with these criteria does not imply that a jurisdiction's efforts in
emergency management should be limited only to the criteria outlined in the “State
of Texas Preparedness Standards.” The standards that are set forth do not assess
staffing levels, funding for emergency programs, the level of training provided
for emergency responders, or the availability of response equipment or emergency
