Geoscience Reference
In-Depth Information
What Are Your Goals?
If, after reading the information presented above, you believe that you can and
should do more to improve your community's preparedness for emergencies and
disasters, you might begin by setting some goals for yourself. Some examples of
goals that you might set are listed below.
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Understand the need to have a personal commitment to emergency manage-
ment, to have the capability to judge its status, and develop the public policy
to improve it.
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Understand how some emergencies differ from the management of normal
operations and encourage the development of EOPs that all response agencies
practice regularly and implement when responding to all major incidents.
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Ensure that ICS is adopted by all response agencies and implemented during
exercises and in all responses.
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Understand the interaction among federal, state, and local governments dur-
ing a disaster or severe emergency.
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Understand your responsibility to educate citizens about what they can do to
prevent and prepare for emergencies that present a high risk to the community.
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Understand your responsibility to communicate to the community how dif-
ferent types of emergencies can affect their lives and property and how sound
emergency management policy is a good investment in public safety.
Reducing Your Risk by Using This Kit
After reviewing and determining your personal emergency management goals, you
need to follow up with several concrete actions. You should
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Review the contents of this kit.
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Conduct the self-assessment.
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Assign staff to prepare your survival kit.
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Review the survival kit.
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Take other actions, as necessary, including:
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Direct senior staff to develop similar kits for their own use.
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Chair monthly Emergency Management Council meetings to improve
interagency working relationships for both day-to-day and disaster
response.
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Participate—and direct your senior staff to participate—in disaster exercises
at least once each year.
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Review and update the kit contents at least semiannually.
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Review the action steps included in Appendix C for more ideas to strengthen
your community's comprehensive emergency management program.
