EM 101
This EM phase is most often underfunded despite offering the highest return on investment
What is Mitigation?
LEPC
What is Local Emergency Planning Committee?
The first operational priority in any incident
What is life safety?
This document guides long-term community rebuilding efforts
What is a recovery plan?
In The Day After Tomorrow, the biggest failure before the storm hits was this EM sin
What is ignoring scientific warnings?
This federal framework focuses specifically on long-term recovery, not response
What is the NDRF (National Disaster Recovery Framework)?
NIMS
What is National Incident Management System?
This ICS document outlines objectives, strategies, and assignments for the operational period
What is an IAP (Incident Action Plan)?
This recovery concept focuses on reducing future risk during rebuilding
What is "build back better"?
In Jurassic Park, the emergency escalated primarily due to this critical infrastructure failure
What is loss of power?
This planning document should be flexible enough to work for any hazard
What is the Emergency Operation Plan/Comprehensive Emergency Management Plan?
EMAC
What is Emergency Management Assistance Compact?
This ICS principle prevents freelancing and conflicting actions
What is unity of command?
This type of recovery often takes the longest to fully address
What is emotional or psychological recovery?
This common disaster trope ignores how people actually behave in real emergencies
What is mass panic and total social breakdown?
This EM principle emphasizes shared responsibility between government, private sector, nonprofits, and individuals
What is whole community?
HMGP
What is Hazard Mitigation Grant Program?
This difference separates field response from EOC operations
What is tactical vs coordination/support?
This process determines eligibility for state and federal aid, but is often misunderstood as “just paperwork”
What is damage assessment?
Shows like Grey’s Anatomy suggest this person should run disasters, despite zero EM authority
What is a surgeon?
This behind-the-scenes EM responsibility prevents chaos by deciding who can legally make decisions when leadership is unavailable
What is COOP/COG planning?
SALTT
What is Size, Amount, Location, Type of Resource, and Timeframe?
This function exists to prevent agencies from freelancing on social media during incidents
What is the Joint Information System/JIC operations/coordinated messaging?
This recovery issue can overwhelm communities when goodwill outpaces coordination
What are unmanaged donations and spontaneous volunteers?
This fictional setup erases the role of emergency management entirely
What is disaster being managed exclusively in the field?