Geoscience Reference
In-Depth Information
The “Take-It-with-You” CEO Checklist
No commercial pilot would think of taking even a routine flight without going over
the preflight checklist carefully. If pilots with hundreds of hours of training and
practice need them for safety reasons, shouldn't you, as a CEO, have a checklist
available when you are “flying solo” during a major emergency?
You can use the CEO Checklist included in this kit as it is—but it will be
better and more effective if you use it as a prototype for addressing your com-
munity's specific needs. The Checklist folds to credit card size, so you can take
it anywhere with you. Essentially, the Checklist is a set of reminders for the
following:
◾
Information you should gather
◾
Questions you should ask
◾
Immediate steps you should take
◾
Key points for you to remember as you begin to manage your community's
response
The Checklist is designed to take you through the first hours following a disas-
ter. Make your version of it a synthesis of your role in your community's EOP.
Remember that neither this nor any other tool will substitute for direct involve-
ment in your community's emergency planning process. Rather, the Checklist
should be a reflection of your involvement in planning, development, training, and
exercising.
A sample of the Checklist is included in this kit for your use. The Checklist is
organized into six panels:
◾
Background Information
◾
Immediate Actions
◾
Personal Actions
◾
Legal Requirements
◾
Political Requirements
◾
Public Information
Each panel lists key reminders in brief phrases. To help you understand the phrases,
each panel is explained in more detail on the pages that follow. If the meaning of
any phrase is not readily apparent to you, refer to the appropriate section in this kit
for a reminder as to its meaning.
If you see the value of the Checklist and are convinced that it or one similar
to it would be an important tool for you in meeting your emergency management
responsibilities, you may want to skip to the final item in this section. That item is
a draft memo that outlines points you might like to raise with your staff when you
forward this material to them for action.
