Phases of Emergency Management

Phases of Emergency Management

Emergency management is management that focuses on dealing with and avoiding risks. Emergency management can be defined as the preparation for and the carrying out of all emergency functions necessary to mitigate, prepare for, respond to, and recover from emergencies and disasters caused by all hazards, whether natural, technological, or human caused (IAEM, 2007). The process of emergency management is based on four phases. These phases make up a model that is viewed as a circular rather than linear. The goal of emergency management is to limit the loss of life and property of citizens during times of a disaster (Kemp, 2003). The four phases of emergency management are mitigation, preparedness, response and recovery.

The first phase of emergency management is mitigation. Mitigation involves the steps and activities related to preventing future emergencies or minimizing their effects. It is usually considered the initial phase of emergency management, although it may be a component of other phases (IAEM, 2007). The phase of mitigation is activities that can keep a disaster from happening. Activities that either prevent the occurrence of an emergency or reduce the community's vulnerability in ways that minimize the adverse impact of a disaster or other emergency are examples of mitigation ("Cal state fullerton," 2008).

In the United state mitigation activities can include zoning, building codes of structures and insurance to reduce the financial impact of disasters. These things can reduce the impact of disasters once they occur. Mitigation measures may be general or hazard specific, usually based on local vulnerabilities. Other activities that can be done in the mitigation process include federal assistance programs, the United States Homeland Security advisory System and threat Analysis and Assessments. With the federal assistance programs there are many programs the assist local officials in the mitigation phase. U. S....