Week 2 Emergency Management 670 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Week 2 Emergency Management 670 - Essay Example In most cases, the emergency manager has to be prepared for any possible circumstances without knowing much about the actual danger. The greatest risk mitigation scheme available to emergency managers is to procure resources before any disaster occurs. Historically, the funding available to local emergency managers was low which caused a multitude of problems when it came to handling active emergencies and disasters (Fagel, 2011). Emergency managers need to emphasise primarily on political strength in order to procure the required resources before a disaster strikes. The second area for focus is planning that result from vulnerability assessments. The emergency manager has to keep an eye out for what kind of situations his team might have to face. Some threats may be common such as the risk of terrorist attacks but other risks may be confined to a particular geographical region. For example, emergency managers in Alaska would have to be prepared against snow storms while emergency managers in Louisiana would have to look out for hurricanes. The emergency manager must possess the necessary vision to demarcate what risks his team might have to face and how these threats would be handled on a planning basis (Canton, 2006). The third area for focus is the response made available when a disaster situation arises. Given the fact that emergency managers are adequately equipped and supplied does not mean that they would be able to handle emergencies just as well too. A proper appraisal of the response system must exist such that the response system is dynamic so that it can adapt quickly to situations. Moreover, any disaster situation will entail by-products that are not wanted but are nonetheless outcomes of the situation. For example, emergency workers in the field would be subject to hazards as well as stress that they must know how to deal with. The emergency manager has to ensure that these