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Emergency Management's Role in Homeland Security Which organizational model do you feel is the best for an emergency management program (i.e., administered either by the local fire department, police or sheriff's department, or as a separate, stand-alone agency), and why? Author: Jonathan B. Smith Date: September 21, 2004 Michigan
State University 's School of Criminal Justice The pros and cons of the organizational model for an emergency management program are highly dependent upon the size of community that is being supported by the program. Cities, towns and villages (Population > 100,000 people) can not afford to have a separate stand-alone agency to manage their emergency management programs. Their only choice is to have the programs administered by a member(s) of their first responder community. However, larger cities, counties and state regions (“Large Communities”) can generally afford and are best served by a stand alone agency. This forum response will focus upon the reasons Large Communities should have stand-alone agencies. Developing an emergency management system requires cooperation from a diverse group of agencies, jurisdictions, and constituencies. There is a substantial amount of
that helps to create any high quality and effective emergency management system. Benefits of Focus When dealing with such a diverse set of issues it is often helpful to have an independent specialized agency help coordinate the efforts of the whole. The community’s first responders are trained to respond to local incidents, not necessarily to navigate the political and diplomatic processes at the local, state and federal levels. Economies of Scale Large Communities require coordination and networking across a wider range of people, geography and issues. Creating a single stand-alone entity for this community helps to create efficiencies (financial, training, resources, expertise) that can not be achieved at the local level. Everyone within the Large Community can benefit from the economies of scale offered by this model. Chain of Command The government and military agencies have been operated on a hierarchical chain of command structure with great success, since the beginning of civilized society. Creating a system based upon a hierarchy with clear lines of communication and reporting helps to maintain order in times of crisis. Creating an agency with a clear expertise and purpose helps to support this historically successful management model. Feet on the Street The downside with this model is that the stand alone agency does not typically have direct contact with the citizens of the Large Community. However, this model still does maintain primary contact with the citizens via the first responder network. The first responder network are the eyes and ears of the emergency response system. Hybrid Approach The emergency response organization needs to be made up of a hybrid system that includes stand-alone agency planning, management and execution of the emergency response program; which will be physically delivered via the first responder networks in the local communities. Each local community’s first responder force should have a member who is designated the point of contact with the emergency response organization and ideally will be actively involved in executing the emergency response program from mitigation to preparedness to response to recovery. How is emergency management organized in your own community? The emergency management organization in my community (Oakland County, Michigan) is organized as a stand alone agency that is part of the county government. Details about the community’s emergency management system can be found at: Oakland County Emergency Management Works Cited Emergency Management Institute. (2004). IS-230 Principles of Emergency Management. Retrieved September 21, 2004, from http://www.training.fema.gov/emiweb/IS/is230.asp Public Entity Risk Institute. (2001).
Characteristics of Effective Emergency Management Organizational Structures.
Retrieved September 21, 2004, from http://www.riskinstitute.org/ptrdocs/CharacteristicsofEffectiveEmergency.pdf
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