Federal, State, And Local Roles Of Emergency Management

According to Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), there are many factors that will affect the direction of emergency management in the coming years. These can be classified as global challenges, global opportunities, national challenges, national opportunities, professional challenges, and professional opportunities. Global Challenges include some issues like global climate change, increasing population and population density, increasing resource scarcities, rising income inequality, and increasing risk aversion. Global Opportunities has to do with increased scientific understanding of the hazards and societal responses, as well as revolutionary technologies. National Challenges involves increasing urbanization and hazard exposure, interdependencies in infrastructure, continued emphasis on growth, rising costs of disaster recovery, increasing population diversity, terrorist threats, low priority of emergency management, legal liability, and intergovernmental tensions. Due to these factors that will affect the direction of emergency management in the coming years, there is need for us at emergency management division to adjust operational plans to meet these challenges and especially changes emanating from constant changes expected in technology and other threats we face.

This paper is designed to show you the differences between the way conservatives and progressives view the federal role in emergency management. Furthermore, the advantages and disadvantages of each them. Also, we will discuss what you should expect as a practitioner of the profession on how to prepare yourself when you would like to switch from one to the other. Most importantly discuss the criteria of a natural disaster and how human and social perception factors inter play with each other. One question at hand is do we blame the victim? What does “blaming the victim” means? Is there any validity to this or not? Does this concept influence the way our society responds to disaster or any other event that may occur? These are some of

Disaster is anything that can occur causing damages, an ecological disruption and deterioration of health and the health services. Disaster can be manmade or natural disasters such as floods. When disasters like flooding or tornadoes that may be accompanied by floods occur, the public health personnel and public health nurses are normally the first people who respond to the emergency, given that they are the people who understand and know the available resources used in providing first aids to the affected victims.

This chapter provides an overview that describes the basic types of hazards threatening the United States and provides definitions for some basic terms such as hazards, emergencies, and disasters. The chapter also provides a brief history of emergency management in the federal government and a general description of the current emergency management system—including the basic functions performed by local emergency managers. The chapter concludes with a discussion of the all-hazards approach and its implications for local emergency management.

In regards to local and national emergency response, first responders have explicit roles and responsibilities. The National Response Framework (NRF) is an excellent tool designed to outline the precise roles and responsibilities, as they relate to the different echelons. Local governments play a major role in the overall response frame work within their community. Typically chief elected or appointed officials are responsible for the safety and welfare for those within their respective jurisdiction. Also, officials have a role in how laws and policies are formed, in order to to aid preparedness efforts and improve emergency management and response capabilities (DHS, 2006).

Chris Edwards states that the FEMA looks a first hero against any disasters in the United States, and the FEMA is responsible before, during and after any disaster (Edwards, 2014). In this manner, the FEMA spent a lot of money to recover the recently happened disasters, such as Hurricane Katrina in 2005. According to Edwards, “federalism” should support on the efforts to prevent any disasters, to get rid of them, and to recover them as quickly as possible to serve the American people properly. Of course, all Americans should support and put efforts to recover of any kind of disasters that the Americans already proved this in the past. Another issue is about bringing the places affected by a disaster in a good situation, which means “restoration,” as Norman E. McSwain Jr. states in his essay (McSwain, 2010, 587-591). For example, McSwain states that one of the most restoration of the cities affected by Katrina was about health care situation (McSwain, 2010, 587-591). In

Our world is complex there has always been and always will be disasters that can happen anywhere anytime. There can be natural disasters, for example floods, hurricanes, tornadoes, wild fires and drought. There are also man-made and technology types of disasters from hazardous material spills, biological weapons, cyber-attacks to even civil unrest. According to PEMA, the history of emergency management can date all the way back the first civil defense program which was started during World War I and later during World War II the office of civil defense (OCD) was created by Pres. Roosevelt. In the past emergency management, has always been event driven. With each new crisis that our nation has gone through, the reason for and the avenue in which to accomplish emergency management has changed. No more so than when the terrorist attacked on 9/11. The 9/11 commission report states that the Incident Command System is a “proven framework for emergency response” (911 CR). The incident command system is a proven framework for emergency response by providing clear leadership and organizational structure, improving the effectiveness of resource efforts, and maintaining safety for responders.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency FEMA is primarily charged with ensuring that the Americans are all safe in case of any emergency. This is the basis of all their engagements and departments that exist therein. The range of emergencies that are included in the FEMA field of operation are natural disasters like floods, hurricanes, wild fires, earthquakes and man made (both internal and external aggression) disasters that can adversely

NIMS operates under the premise that all events begin and end locally. State and local government retain authority over the event. NIMS gives guidance that increase the ability of first responders, the public and non-government organizations (NGO) to work together more effectively. Federal and state governments support the local government when they do not have the resources to provide for the population affected. It is not the objective of the federal government to take over control of the response activities.

Each disaster response should start at the local or state level, and then depending on the magnitude it may grow to the response level only the federal government can provide. The initial response to an emergency by the state should deal with the emergency needs of the public. The State’s responsibility will be to focus around control of communication procedures; warning of the upcoming emergency if possible, providing public information, any information regarding evacuations and shelter (Federal Emergency Management Agency, 1996). Beyond controlling communication, the state will also be responsible to alert and dispatch the required emergency response teams to engage in protection of people and their property, and if needed a request for aid from the Federal Government (Federal Emergency Management Agency, 1996).

On April 1, 1979 the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) emerged in the United States. The purpose of this agency was to coordinate the response to all types of crises in America to help alleviate local and state government crisis management. In the case of a major crisis in a state, the governor must declare a state of emergency, and request to the president that the state is in need of assistance from FEMA. In addition to assisting states in crisis management, FEMA also provides training of response personnel in the United States, ensuring that people are equipt with the knowledge and skills to assist in case of a disaster (fema.gov).

The burden of emergency management has grown great deal in the last few decades. We have seen an increase in natural disasters, a new threat of terrorism on our front door and an increase in manmade disasters. All of these have tested emergency management in a number of cities and towns across the nation. It is not always disasters that present problems for emergency managers. We have to look beyond our traditional view of emergency management of helping us during times of disasters and view what issues they consider may affect their emergency response. Issues that emergency management see that are moving into the critical area are issues of urbanization and hazard exposure, the rising costs of disaster recovery, and low priority of emergency management.

Disasters, whether natural or manmade, can happen anytime and anywhere, without warning. An earthquake, hurricane, tornado, fire, or hazardous material spill or even an act of terrorism can happen

Every emergency or disaster, from a small house fire to a hurricane that devastates entire communities, have a distinct cycle. This is

This subject aims to teach students the main elements of emergency management for natural disasters and to a lesser degree terrorist attack. Students will understand the principles involved in emergency