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How will the organization address training for employees? Explain in detail.How should the public be trained and educated on earthquake preparedness? Explain in detail. Be sure to reference all sources using APA style. Add responses to attached paper
pbad201_public_administration_unit_4_ip.docx
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Running head: EARTHQUAKE EMERGENCY EQUIPMENT AND SUPPLY
A Proposal to Acquire Earthquake Emergency Equipment and Supply Kits
Teandra Vincent
Colorado Technology University Online
Public Administration PBAD201
Professor Lydia Portee
September 12th 2016
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EARTHQUAKE EMERGENCY EQUIPMENT AND SUPPLY
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Background
Management of earthquake disasters is a cycle of activities that begin with mitigation of
the susceptibility, preparedness to respond to operations, responding, providing relief in
emergency cases and aiding recovery. The organization should be prepared to become selfreliant (Hense et al., 2010; EERI, 2011) in the event of a major earthquake disaster. Earthquakes
might destroy major transport and communication systems, which may prevent outside aid from
arriving for days.
To support emergency disaster response in the organization, emergency managers should
acquire and maintain the necessary resources for operations (EERI, 2011; Lindell, 2011). These
resources include creation and equipping the emergency service unit and acquiring and
maintaining necessary equipment. The company should identify the material it needs to conduct
specific tasks, giving particular attention to works only performed during the emergency (Hense
et al., 2010; Lindell, 2011). Specialized equipment will also require routine personnel training,
testing for proper use and preventive maintenance.
Need: Problem Statement
Natural hazards occur due to meteorological, geological, oceanic and technical sources,
which sometimes act in combination with one another (Lindell, 2011). The inevitable effect of
climate change and global warming exposes our organization just like any other susceptible area
to natural hazards, such as earthquakes because of its geology and geography. Nicosia is located
EARTHQUAKE EMERGENCY EQUIPMENT AND SUPPLY
in a coastal region, making it vulnerable to any natural disasters, such as earthquakes and
tsunamis. Nicosia’s public administration serves over one thousand employees to clients and
stockholders. The recent earthquake of 2003, which caused thousands of causalities and left
severe damage to properties and infrastructure (EERI, 2011; Lindell, 2011), put all these people
at a significant risk.
Notably, although the organization has an emergency plan in place, this crisis planning
process does not detect and respond to change. Since the effective plan for an emergency is a
continuing process, hazard susceptibility, organizational structure and staffing, as well as
emergency equipment and facilities change over time (Hense et al., 2010). Also, Nicosia has
failed in the past years to conduct an internal analysis of the available resources, emergency
demands and the institution’s capacity to react to a disaster. The company has also previously
treated written contingency plans as final products, creating a delusion of being ready for any
emergency disaster when this is not true. The 2003 earthquake exposed these areas of weakness
within our organizations. Earthquakes need exceptional preparation for post-impact actions to
implement practices to ensure protection of content, people and building (EERI, 2011; Lindell,
2011). As a consequence, there is need to for the organization to purchase new earthquakes
emergency equipment and supplies.
Proposed Emergency Supplies and Equipment
•
Earthquake Supply Kits
•
Survival kits
•
Medicine and first aid kits
•
Search and rescue tools and equipment, such as hydraulic cutter
•
Blankets
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EARTHQUAKE EMERGENCY EQUIPMENT AND SUPPLY
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Drills
•
Back-up power generation equipment
•
Redundant communication systems like ham radios and satellites phones
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Emergency lights and sanitation supplies
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Objectives and Expected Outcome
This proposal aims at achieving the following objectives and end goals
i.
Adoption and implementation of an effective hazard operational plan and mitigation
policy within the organization.
ii.
Increased employee understanding of the need and alternatives for risk reduction through
information and education programs
iii.
Well-equipped and self-reliant
Budget Breakdown
Approximately $400,000 of the budget should be put aside each year as salary for these
emergency responders and rescue workers. The organization needs to establish an emergency
preparedness department. The administration should hire and train at least ten workers with skills
to serve who will act as firefighters and health providers during the earthquake crisis.
The company also needs roughly $ 500, 0000 to secure an emergency Earthquake Supply
Kits and shelter locations where the kits will be kept. The housing site or supplies will also serve
as temporary shelter for people during the disaster. The money will be used to buy survival kits,
medicine and first aid kits, search and rescue tools and equipment, such as hydraulic cutter,
blankets, drills and backup power generation equipment. Part of the money will also be used to
purchase emergency lights and sanitation supplies.
EARTHQUAKE EMERGENCY EQUIPMENT AND SUPPLY
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About $1000 should be used for emergency communication. The organization needs
supplies of backup communication systems which will be used to reach out to first responders
and any other help. Purchasing redundant communication systems like ham radios and satellites
phones into the organization is a cost effective emergency strategy. The budgeted money will
also be used to train and or license some employees to operate the equipment.
Another budget of about $20,000 needs to be put in training and exercises each year. This
budget allocation is to make sure that all employees know what they should do in case an
earthquake occurs. The money will be used for exercising earthquake plus evacuation plans
regularly.
Proposed Earthquake Emergency Policy
There is a need to develop and implement emergency disaster management policies to
increase organizational effectiveness in earthquake disaster response, recovery and mitigation
(EERI, 2011). The proposed earthquake emergency management defines four basic emergency
response functions; assessment, population protection, hazard operations and incident
management. The following policies and guidelines should be implemented.
Emergency procedures to be followed: If you are inside the building, drop to the floor before the
earthquake drops you. Cover the head and neck using your arms, book or anything that is
available to protect them from falling debris (Hense et al., 2010). If you can move safely, then
crawl for extra cover under tables, interior walls, flat furniture or nearby corners if the path is
clear. Stay away from windows, glasses, outside walls and doors as well as anything that could
fall (EERI, 2011). If you someone is outside, move away from utility wires, buildings, trees,
overhead lines and streetlights. Then drop down, cover your head and hold on (Hense et al.,
2010). All people should wait in their safe positions until the tremor stops.
EARTHQUAKE EMERGENCY EQUIPMENT AND SUPPLY
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When to evacuate: People should leave the building if they can reach safe locations before the
expected earthquake occurs. Evacuation should also occur when the emergency response team
indicates there is time to evacuate (EERI, 2011). If people must leave the building after shaking
has stopped, they should always use stairs, avoid elevators and look for any falling debris (Hense
et al., 2010). The emergency response team should assist visitors and workers in evacuating the
building, directing them to safe routes and exits.
Preparedness planning: To develop a response plan as well as train first responders who will
reduce the damage and save lives. All workers should be informed about the plan so that
everyone at workplace knows what to do when an earthquake takes place. The institution should
also hold training and earthquake drills by all personnel at least quarterly to keep it current
(Hense et al., 2010). Besides, take responsibilities by getting emergency earthquake supply kits
and equipment and stocking them in shelter locations (Hense et al., 2010; Cohen, 2011).
Mitigation and Response: Decide things to be done where health, welfare, and safety risk to the
public has been established to exist (Lindell, 2011). Implement risk reduction programs.
Provide emergency assistance and aid to reduce the likelihood of secondarily associated damage,
and minimize operation recovery problems (Cohen, 2011).
Recovery: Provide immediate support in the early recovery time necessary to return critical life
support systems into minimum (Garnett and Moore, 2010; Cohen, 2011). Continue to offer
support until the organization returns to normal.
Budget: The planning procedure will be formal, and an emergency office will be an assigned
with explicit responsibility with an identifiable budget (Cohen, 2011). Power and resources will
be allocated for this purpose. So every unit within the organization will have its proper role and a
budget allocation corresponding with that role (Garnett and Moore, 2010). Emergency response
EARTHQUAKE EMERGENCY EQUIPMENT AND SUPPLY
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will overlap with disaster recovery because some people will be engaged in response tasks while
others will move to disaster recovery responsibilities.
Challenges of Implementing an Earthquake Emergency Preparedness
❖ A large budget: A common objection to emergency planning is that it consumes
resources (Lindell, 2011). There will be need to purchase equipment, train personnel,
hold earthquake awareness exercises, and maintain such preparedness current, which will
take a lot of money.
❖ Resistance to the process of planning: In manycases, contingency planning is carried out
in the middle of opposition from some and apathy from others (Garnett and Moore, 2010.
The above is true is because the majority of the people dislike the thought of being
vulnerable to a disaster (Lindell, 2011).
❖ The need to develop a program that incorporates broad participatory parties, such as the
fire department, police, county, state agencies, and private sectors like hospitals. The
Institutions might seek to preserve its autonomy, prestige and security, and so resist
collaborative engagements that can threaten these objectives (Lindell, 2011).
❖ Environmental hazards have little salience until an impending threat arises. So,
emergency preparedness, and risk mitigation has to compete with the routine demands for
space within the organizational agenda (Garnett and Moore, 2010).
EARTHQUAKE EMERGENCY EQUIPMENT AND SUPPLY
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References
Cohen, S. (2011). “Haiti Earthquake January 2010: What actions plus policies can the
Government of Haiti implement to improve emergency management response? Master’s
Projects, Paper 214
Earthquake Engineering Research Institute. (2011). Learning from Earthquakes. Retrieved
from
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