Lesson 5 - Emergency Operations Plan

Question 1

What does an Emergency Operations Plan do?

Answer 1

1. Assigns responsibility to organizations and individuals.
2. Establishes lines of authority and organizational relationships and describes how actions will be coordinated.
3. Describes how people and property will be protected.
4. Identifies personnel, equipment, facilities, supplies and other resources.
5. Reconciles requirements with other jurisdictions.
6. It is flexible enough for all emergencies.

Question 2

What is the difference between State and Local EOP’s?

Answer 2

1. Local EOP focuses on measures needed for public protection.
2. State EOP establish the framework within which local EOP are created, and through which the Federal Government becomes involved.

Question 3

What is the NATIONAL PLANNING SYSTEM?

Answer 3

1. Comprised of State and Local EOPs.
2. Integrates nationwide planning by providing interconnected guides and processes.

Question 4

What do the NATIONAL PLANNING SYSTEM guides and processes do?

Answer 4

1. Apply to the whole community and contribute toward the National Preparedness Goal.
2. Provide a common approach for coordinated planning.
3. Establish critical links that span across the five mission areas.

Question 5

What are the EOP PLANNING PRINCIPLES?

Answer 5

1. Must be community based.
2. Must include participation from all stakeholders.
3. Uses a logical and analytical problem-solving process.
4. Considers all threats and hazards.
5. Should be flexible enough to address all types of emergencies.
6. Must clearly identify the mission and supporting goals.
7. Depicts the anticipated environment for action.
8. Does not need to start from scratch.
9. Identifies tasks, allocates resources, and establishes accountability.
10. Includes senior officials throughout the process.
11. Influenced by time, uncertainty, risk, and experience.
12. Effective plans tell those with operational roles what to do and why.
13. Is a fundamental process to manage risk.
14. Is one of the key components of preparedness.

Question 6

What is a THIRA?

Answer 6

1. THREAT AND HAZARD IDENTIFICATION AND RISK ASSESSMENT.
2. THIRA provides a comprehensive approach for identifying and assessing risks and impacts.

Question 7

Which components of the National Preparedness System does THIRA support?

Answer 7

1. Identifying and Assessing Risk.
2. Estimating Capability Requirements.

Question 8

What questions does the THIRA answer?

Answer 8

1. What does the community need to prepare for?
2. What resources are required to be prepared?
3. What actions could be taken to lessen or eliminate the hazard?
4. What impacts need to be incorporated into the community’s recovery preparedness planning?

Question 9

What is the result of the THIRA process?

Answer 9

1. A list of the city’s threats and hazards.
2. Context descriptions for each threat and hazard.
3. At least one capability target for each core capability listed in the National Preparedness Goal.
4. A list of resources required to meet the capability targets, and preparedness activities that reduce future resource requirements.

Question 10

What are the steps in developing and maintaining EOPs?

Answer 10

1. Obtain THIRA results.
2. Form a collaborative planning team.
3. Understand the situation.
4. Determine goals and objectives.
5. Plan development.
6. Plan preparation, review, and approval.
7. Plan implementation, and maintenance.

Question 11

What are the steps involved in Step 1, FORMING A COLLABORATIVE PLANNING TEAM?

Answer 11

1. Identify the Core Planning Team. The emergency manager provides oversight of the planning team, but other gov agencies have overlapping and complimentary responsibilities.
2. Engage the Whole Community. Community leaders and members provide important insight into he community’s needs a capabilities.

Question 12

Who should be part of the planning team?

Answer 12

1. Emergency management.
2. Fire, LEO, EMS.
3. Public Works.
4. Public health, and health care.
5. Utility works.
6. Childcare.
7. HazMat.
8. Transportation.
9. Agriculture.
10. Education.
11. Social Services.
12. Local federal asset representatives.
13. Community organizations.
14. Local, and regional businesses.
15. Critical infrastructure operators.
16. Animal control, and care.

Question 13

What are the steps involved in Step 2, UNDERSTAND THE SITUATION?

Answer 13

1. Identify the threats, and hazards using the results of THIRA.
2. Asses the risks associated, to help the planning team decide which ones need special attention.

Question 14

What are the steps involved in Step 3, DETERMINE GOALS AND OBJECTIVES?

Answer 14

1. Determine operational priorities.
2. Set goals and objectives.

Question 15

What is the difference between goals, and objectives, under Step 3, DETERMINE GOALS AND OBJECTIVES?

Answer 15

1. Goals, are general statements that indicate the intended solution to the identified problems.
2. Objectives, are specific actions that lead to achieving the goals.

Question 16

What are the steps involved in Step 4, PLAN DEVELOPMENT?

Answer 16

1. Develop and analyze course of action.
2. Identify resources.
3. Identify information and intelligence needs.

Question 17

What are the steps involved in Step 5, PLAN PREPARATION, REVIEW, AND APPROVAL?

Answer 17

1. Write the plan.
2. Review the plan.
3. Approve and disseminate the plan.

Question 18

What are the results of Step 4, PLAN DEVELOPMENT, and Step 5, PLAN PREPARATION, REVIEW, AND APPROVAL?

Answer 18

1. EOP Basic Plan
2. Supporting Annexes
3. Hazard-Specific Annexes

Question 19

What is an EOP Basic Plan?

Answer 19

1. Describes expected threats and hazards.
2. Outlines roles and responsibilities.
3. Explains how the plan is kept current.

Question 20

What are the Contents of the EOP Basic Plan?

Answer 20

1. Introductory material.
2. Purpose, scope, situation overview, and assumptions.
3. Concept of operations.
4. Organization and assignment of responsibilities.
5. Direction, control, and coordination.
6. Information collection, analysis, and dissemination.
7. Communications.
8. Administration, finance, and logistics.
9. Plan development and maintenance.
10. Authorities and references.

Question 21

What is the purpose of Supporting Annexes of the Basic Plan?

Answer 21

Supporting Annexes describe policies, roles, responsibilities, and processes for a specific emergency function that can be applied to hazards.

Question 22

What are the Supporting Annexes of the Basic Plan?

Answer 22

1. Functional Annexes.
2. Support Annexes.
3. Emergency Phase Annexes.
4. Agency-focused annexes.

Question 23

What are the recommended FUNCTIONAL ANNEXES?

Answer 23

1. Direction, control, and coordination.
2. Communications.
3. Warning.
4. Emergency public information.
5. Population protection.
6. Mass care, emergency assistance, housing, and human services.
7. Logistics management, and resource support.

Question 24

What are HAZARD SPECIFIC ANNEXES?

Answer 24

Hazard specific annexes focus on the unique planning needs posed by specific hazards and describe emergency response procedures for each.

Question 25

What are the steps involved in Step 6, PLAN IMPLEMENTATION AND MAINTENANCE?

Answer 25

1. Exercise the plan.
2. Review, revise, and maintain the plan.

Question 26

What are the objectives of TRAINING?

Answer 26

1. Describe WHAT personnel are supposed to do.
2. WHEN they are supposed to do it.
3. Describe HOW they are suppose to do it.

Question 27

What are the objectives of EXERCISES?

Answer 27

1. Test and evaluate plans, policies, and procedures.
2. Identify planning weaknesses.
3. Identify resource gaps.
4. Improve interagency coordination and communication.
5. Clarify the roles and responsibilities of all who play a part in response.
6. Improve individual performance.
7. Gain public recognition, and support of public officials.