Disaster Preparedness Paper

Disaster Preparedness Student’s Name Institution Disaster Preparedness In the wake of rising incidents of disasters in the US, it is becoming increasingly important for organizations to prepare for emergencies. If the news headlines are anything to go by, the U.S. has had a surge in incidents of mass shootings that have threatened the safety of the members of the public. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) [n.d.], other major types of emergencies that individuals, businesses, healthcare facilities, and governments have to be prepared for include natural disasters, bioterrorism emergencies, radiation emergencies, and chemical emergencies. This paper explores the role of healthcare facilities and professionals in disaster preparedness. Disaster preparedness has become increasingly important in today’s healthcare environment not only because healthcare facilities are susceptible to emergencies but also because healthcare personnel has to respond in case of external emergencies. The survival rates after a disaster has occurred depends on the ability of healthcare facilities to provide care under pressure and to handle a sudden inflow of a large number of victims (Veenema, Losinski, & Hilmi, 2016). Therefore, healthcare facilities must have a response plan in case a disaster occurs. It is important to note that the security and safety of a healthcare facility are critical components in the provision of appropriate care environment in the event of a disaster (Huser, 2015). Apart from the influx of victims, healthcare facilities have to handle other people who are trying to take advantage of the situation such as thieves and kidnappers. Other categories of people such as members of the press and lawyers may also try to access the facility (Huser, 2015). Without proper handling, such people can jeopardize the ability of a healthcare facility to provide appropriate care under pressure. The significance of disaster preparedness means that healthcare facilities have to set apart enough resources for preparation and planning. It is a requirement for healthcare facilities to have an Emergency Operation Plan (EOP) to guide them on how to respond during disasters. An EOP for a hospital lays out a plan of how security activities will be coordinated during the disaster (Huser, 2015). Given the involvement of many security agencies such as the National Guard, law enforcement as well as hospital security, the coordination of different activities is important. In regards to security activities, the EOP should describe the integration of external agencies into the process, identification of involved personnel, and sharing of resources (Huser, 2015). With these activities involving different agencies, prior planning with each of the agencies is critical. The EOP plays a vital role during the disaster response. As informed by Keim (2013), the US Federal Emergency Management Agency has laid down the specific functions served by an EOP. The plan assigns responsibilities to the specific individuals and organizations during emergencies that cannot be handled by one agency. The plan also specifies the lines of authority and depicts how the coordination of actions will be conducted. Furthermore, the plan describes all resources available including personnel, facilities, supplies, and equipment (Keim, 2013). Other key functions of the plan include a description of the protection procedure for people and property, identification of the process of addressing mitigation concerns, and provision of legal basis. Huser (2015) also points out that the EOP describes how hazardous and waste materials will be managed and how the hospital will ...