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Emergency Planning, Response, and Recovery Dynamics: The Oklahoma City Bombing The Value of Public/Private Partnerships in Emergency Planning Discuss the issues and interactions between the public and private sectors in the areas of information collection and exchange during the emergency planning process. What lessons, both good and bad can be learned from past history? Author:
Jonathan B. Smith Michigan
State University 's School of Criminal Justice I chose to focus upon the Oklahoma City bombing that occurred on April 19, 1995 to review the information collection and exchange process during the emergency planning and response process and the lessons learned from the incident. There has been a great deal of analysis and reflection by both the public and private sectors as a result of the bombing. A great deal of the lessons learned relate to the the interaction between members of the public and private sectors. This post provides a highlight of some of the most important lessons learned, but is certainly not all inclusive. The Call for Leadership The most important lessson learned was to have a disaster plan in place; it saves time, resources and lives in the heat of a crisis. Just having a plan is not good enough, the plan needs to be tested, effectively communicated within the community and regularly tested with involvement from members of botht the private and public sector. The planning and preparedness exercises that were in place before April 19, 1995 were crucial to the crisis management operations success. Inter-Stakeholder Communication Communication during a crisis is absolutely critical. Often times, communications technology is overwhelmed during and incident because of the spike in communications volumes. Therefore there needs to be a plan in place to augment the existing system, as was done in Oklahoma City via the cooperation and planning between the public and private sectors. THe augmented communication included:
In addition to the communication technology, it is extremely important that any critical messages are clearly and comprehensively delivered to the community. Examples of ensuring good social communications include: avoid using company jargon / acronyms, keep workers informed, communicate among agencies, not just within, and maintain an up to date contact list. Good relations and planning for working with the media are also an integral part of executing a successful disaster recovery communications strategy. Incident Command System - Differing Needs The incident command center (ICS) structure was effective, yet it was initially overwhelmed with too many non-essential personnel. Ultimately additional tents were set up, a media center was established at another facility and a family assistance center was created. The lesson learned was that the ICS needs to be limited to critical emergency management officials with media and family related offices housed elsewhere. The family assistance center proved to be a key piece in the crisis response plan. Following an incident like the Oklahoma City bombing, family members of workers or building occupants will often come directly to the site to look for missing loved ones. Having a family assistance center and phone number in place gives family members a place to find information and assistance in their time of need. Healthcare Considerations The emergency management workers mental and physical health are an important piece of the response effort. During the response to the Oklahoma City bombing, emergency workers were limited to 12 hour shifts - which helps to ensure safety and clear decision making. In addition, food was provided by local restaurants 24 hours a day. Mental health clinics were available to anyone who needed their assistance. It is critical that the "team" is well fed, rested and in the right frame of mind to execute the recovery plan. Coordination with the medical community was another key tenet of the disaster recovery operation. The medical community is a pillar of the emergency response effort and they need to be involved in the preparedness and planning phases of emergency management, to ensure their effectiveness during a crisis. In addition, emergency responders need to be prepared to handle the influx of injuries and the related grief stricken family members. Once again planning is the key to the proper execution. Donations and Relief Supplies There were hundreds of lessons learned from the Oklahoma City bombing, too many to cover in this limited case study. Above all, planning proved to be the most potent response tool to help mitigate the crisis. If nothing else is learned from the incident, communities should take the time to plan for a crisis because it is no longer a matter of "if" it is going to happen, rather a question of when. Community Recovery The community in Oklahoma City established the National Institute for the Prevention of Terrorism (MIPT) in an effort to honor those who were lost in the tragedy and offer a center of competence to help avert such disasters in the future. This MIPT sponsors research, training and develops methodologies for helping to prevent and respond to acts of terrorism. The center is funded by a Congressional appropriation and conducts specific research into
The MIPT is an extraordinaty
example of the strength and potential public/private partnerships and
of the human spirit to overcome adversity and the challenge with great
ingenuity and commitment. We should all be very proud of the citizens,
first responders and community leaders for the courage they demonstrated
on April 19, 1995 and their continued commitment to making the world a
better and safer place. Works Cited Murphy, Jarrett. (2001).
"The Lessons of Oklahoma." CBSNEWS.com The Oklahoma Department of Civil
Emergency Management. (1995). "After Action Report: Alfred P. Murrah
Federal Building Bombing." Oklahoma National Memorial Institute
for the Prevention of Terrorism. (2002). "Oklahoma City - Seven Years
Later." Terrazas,
Michael. (1995). "Guarding against another Oklahoma City." American
City & County
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