Optimally, emergency management within a society is completed at all levels by all organizations regardless of the cause and the consequences. Challenges to this idealistic model include the high cost of emergency response, the limitations of training in an industrial related incident, differing levels of expectations across governments, companies, and cultures, and the jurisdictional confusions in a society where legal authorities may be broad and generic.
The level of emergency response expertise varies dramatically around the globe. A correlation between expectations set by the community, government, and the energy company with the level of response competence is very high. The greater the expectations, the greater the capability. Add to that the economic perspective; the higher the liability associated with an industrial crisis, the better the emergency response capabilities will be.
A second correlation exists between the level of prevention integrated into the operations and the level of preparedness found within the facility and the organization. An organization attuned to the benefit of prevention will have an intrinsic appreciation for robust emergency response capabilities.
In a energy facility operating in a developing economy, the emergency response organization will be built upon the expertise and resources of the facility operated emergency responders to a much larger degree than will be found in a developed economy. In the instance of a petrochemical emergency, local responders outside of the originating facility may not have the ability to operate safely within the affected area. Well meaning, but uninformed, responders may become additional casualties.
In developing an emergency management program, a three pronged comprehensive system must be used. It must encompass:
Common terminology across disciplines using a common incident command system
Integration of preparedness, prevention, readiness and response programs
Provisions for continuous improvement.
An integrated approach to emergency response addresses all response resources including the properly equipped local community and regional fire, police, medical, and relief agencies that are capable and willing to provide response resources. Also necessary in an integrated program is a comprehensive response management system that ensures each agency and organization is capable of communicating on a common system using the same terminology, language, and processes.
Additionally, an integrated response organization will operate with one set of goals and objectives under a unified system of command. This requires a tremendous amount of trust between the agencies and organizations, and a tremendous amount of skill to operate cohesively and efficiently.
The paper discusses a process for developing an integrated emergency management program that is being currently used in several parts of the world. The presenter discusses the issues and challenges in developing a cohesive and integrated emergency management system. This system is revising age-old practices and setting standards of integration for contingency planning, training, and exercise management. The goals of these programs are to assure that all emergencies are handled expeditiously and efficiently with minimal threat to the local population and maximum benefit of the local response agencies in an integrated response organization.
