Emergency Operation Plan for Wildfire and Earthquakes in San Diego
I need the same writer that wrote or is writing Order Number 00081225
Final Paper
Understanding the intricacies and challenges of emergency planning is not possible without actually undertaking the preparation of an emergency plan. During this assignment, students will develop a comprehensive plan for a town or city of their choice using the FEMA Comprehensive Preparedness Guide (CPG) 101 (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site.. Develop your plan using:
Real attributes, such as critical infrastructure within the town or city when developing the plan.
Various special needs populations (i.e., hospitals, schools, retirement facilities, populations requiring special handling.)
Natural hazards (i.e., hurricane, tornado, flooding, or wild fire) when developing the plan.
The plan for your jurisdiction will contain a basic plan and a minimum of five annexes to include:
Functional annexes
Supporting annexes
Hazard/threat/incident specific annexes
You must use at least eight sources in addition to the course textbook when developing your research and analysis. Some of these are:
Continuity of Government & Continuity of Operations. (2003).Emergency planning guidance for a consolidated approach [PDF file].
. Department of Homeland Security. (n.d.). State and local government continuity of operations planning: Training, tests, and exercises [PDF file].
Writing the Final Paper
The Final Paper:
Must be 10 to 12 double-spaced pages in length (excluding title and reference pages), and formatted according to the FEMA Comprehensive Preparedness Guide (CPG) 101 (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site..
Must include a title page, in APA format, with the following:
Title of paper
Student’s name
Course name and number
Instructor’s name
Date submitted
Must begin with a basic plan that lays out the authorities and responsibilities for the plan. It must include each element as identified in Chapter 3 of the Comprehensive Preparedness Guide (CPG) 101.
Must contain a minimum of five annexes as described in Chapter 3 of the Comprehensive Preparedness Guide (CPG) 101. Plans must include a minimum of one functional annex, (i.e. transportation, communications, emergency operations center), one supporting annex (i.e., continuity of operations, warning, or protection in place, mutual aid), and one hazard, threat, or incident – specific annex (i.e., tornado, hurricane, or fire). Other annexes may include procedures for protection in place or evacuation.
Must use at least eight scholarly sources, including a minimum of three from the Ashford University Library. Incorporation of information from official government websites would also be appropriate.
Must document all sources in APA style, as outlined in the Ashford Writing Center and must be cited throughout your plan with in text citations.
Must include a separate reference page, formatted according to APA style as outlined in the Ashford Writing Center.
Emergency Operation Plan
Name
Instruction
Emergency Operation Plan
Basic Plan
This plan is written for the city of San Diego, located in the state of California, the U.S. The plan will be approved by the mayor of the city, Kevin Faulconer. This plan will provide measures that should be undertaken in case there is a threat of a hazard to ensure that the community is safe and stability is established following an incident. The plan will be activated in case of an earthquake or wildfire emergency within the city. Hazard and threat analysis of earthquakes reveal that an earthquake in San Diego is likely to damage hospitals, schools and essential infrastructure such as roads and water systems (Einde et al., 2017). Residential areas that fall under the earthquake fault zones and wildfire hazard zones are also exposed to damages following an earthquake or a wildfire. The designated incident commander will be the first city official in the emergency response department, who will act on a temporary capacity until someone with higher authority arrives at the scene.
The plan will provide measures on four basic components of emergency management namely:
Preparedness, which involves planning proactively before the occurrence of a hazard or incident that would require an emergency response (Masys, 2015). San Diego will provide training to emergency responders and volunteers, educate the public on emergency preparedness and provide emergency facilities such as shelters.
Mitigation, which entails all activities undertaken to prevent or at least reduce the possibility of a disaster (Masys, 2015). Mitigation is possible when information about a specific hazard has been collected, and measures are then put in place based on the available information. San Diego will ensure that buildings are built with the right materials and are strong enough to withstand earthquakes while at the same time advising on the best designs for residential homes within the wildfire hazard zones.
The response, which entails all the activities undertaken immediately after a disaster to ensure that the number of casualties and property damages is kept at a minimum (Masys, 2015). San Diego will provide evacuation plans, public warning, and emergency medical services as part of the response activities.
Recovery is the last phase of the emergency and entails efforts aimed at stabilizing the situation and restoring things to normal (Masys, 2015). San Diego will undertake both long and short-term restoration activities such as restoring critical services, mending damaged infrastructures and providing temporary shelter for displaced individuals.
This plan is based on several assumptions:
1 Emergency planning and training of personnel are imperative if the city is to expect any positive changes in readiness and response to a disaster, whether minor or major.
2 It is likely that any of the hazards mentioned above can occur at any given time, more so in the high-risk seasons for the wildfires.
3 The initial response to emergencies lies solely on the city of San Diego hence the need to be well prepared. Any other assistance either from neighboring jurisdiction or voluntary organization is secondary.
The city of San Diego can ask for help from the state government if the local resources are insufficient to address the disaster. In such a case, mutual aid such as the California Mutual Aid System can be deployed. Also, the governor of California can declare a state of emergency to acquire the aid that is necessary for dealing with the emergency. This will be in case San Diego has utilized all the resources, both local and state resources and cannot seem to deal with the emergency. As such, the state of California can ask for additional funds from the federal government.
This plan follows the guidelines provided by the FEMA in the development of an emergency operation plan while observing the Americans with Disabilities Act, which provides that no American should be discriminated due to their disabilities (National Council on Disability, 2014). This plan’s main focus is on the provision of a guideline that gives more specific details on functional and supporting annexes that deal with specific hazards. It applies to all the officials in the city of San Diego, including the Mayor and the Emergency Management staff.
Functional Annexes
The functional annexes entail all the functions that will be considered in the formulation of the emergency plan. This plan will consider two functional annexes namely the communication and the emergency public information annex.
The Communication Annex
This functional annex provides details of how, in case of an incident or emergency, communication systems will be utilized (FEMA, 2011). It is important to establish a communication system that will be effective even during the emergency. Alternative methods of communication should also be put in place in case the main method fails. In case of a disaster, cell phones will be utilized by the on-scene personnel. As revealed by Toya and Skidmore (2018), cell phones are the most effective tool of communication because they not only help in disseminating information to warn people of a disaster but also facilitate coordination between personnel during and after a disaster. This ensures that more people are saved. The city of San Diego is prone to earthquakes, which when severe, can damage the cell towers given that the city lacks earthquake-resistant cell phone towers. In such a case, the on-scene personnel will utilize a satellite phone to facilitate communication and paint a picture of the incident so that appropriate resources are disseminated in response to the incident. Neighboring jurisdictions will also be notified of the incident immediately it occurs using cell phones to ensure that they take necessary precautions.
The use of cell phones is also effective when dealing with people with communication disabilities. The city has ensured that any individual with communication disability and working in emergency operations have access to several cell phone apps that will facilitate communication during a disaster. For people with low English proficiency or any speech disabilities, the Google Translate app will be utilized. For people who are visually impaired, the Braille Touch app will be utilized. The decision to use these apps is based on the list of apps provided by the National Council on Disability (2014), which advises that emergency personnel should be familiar with a majority of the apps that are used by those with communication disabilities.
The Emergency Public Information
The Emergency Public Information (EPI) indicates how and when information will be released to the public to ensure that the information is useful during an incident (FEMA, 2011). Lack of proper dissemination of information can cause mass panic. In case of a disaster, the city will greatly utilize the media to ensure relevant information reaches the public. Officials from the Mayor’s office will issue regular media briefings not only to inform the public of the situation on the ground but also to show solidarity with the people which is essential to calm them down. Several media centers will be also be established at the scene, and the most trusted media houses will be allowed limited access. This includes the San Diego Union-Tribune and the Midwest Radio and Television. The city’s social media sites will also be used in releasing information to the public because they are trusted by the public. Medford-Davis and Kapur (2015) posit that it is imperative to use sources that are most trusted by the public to eliminate any rumors and doubts that can cause panic. This will help regulate and observe who has access to the scene and also ensure that the information being passed to the public by the media is genuine. Also, officials who usually have contact with media houses will be used to liaise with media houses in the dissemination of information. This will also help eliminate doubt and enhance control of the information that reaches the public (Medford-Davis & Kapur, 2015).
Part of the EPI annex involves correcting misinformation as quickly as possible (FEMA, 2010), especially given that the wrong information can have dire effects during a disaster. The city will avoid misinformation by providing information to the public at regular intervals. Relevant information will be broadcasted six times a day in the selected, trusted media houses during the cause of the disaster. Bradley, McFarland, and Clarke (2014) reveal that releasing information at intervals is effective in transferring knowledge and enhancing understanding because people have constant and authentic information at their disposal.
The selected television networks will have an ASL interpreter for all emergency broadcast, and as such, it will ensure that emergency information reaches all people with communication disabilities. Further, th...