Emergency Preparedness
Climate changes, social demographics, and increasing extreme weather events demand that communities and businesses are better prepared for whatever comes their way.
Emergency Preparedness
The APTIM Emergency Management & Disaster Services team stands ready to support communities as they prepare for large-scale events, emergencies, and man-made or natural disasters. We use data analysis, modeling, site assessment, and 30 years of experience to partner with clients in developing a successful plan for disaster response and recovery.
APTIM’s comprehensive emergency preparedness services include:
- Emergency plan development and implementation for the following:
- Comprehensive emergency management
- Mass-care and disaster housing
- Disaster logistics
- Emergency operations
- Incident and function-specific
- Emergency action
- Operations and business continuity
- Disaster Recovery
- Hazard mitigation
- Resiliency
- Exercise design and delivery utilizing the Homeland Security Exercise and Evaluation Program methodology
- Training
- Risk and vulnerability assessments
- Program review and gap analysis
How to Plan for Disaster Response
- The first step in emergency preparedness is to assess hazards and risks. The Atlas of Disaster shows 90 percent of U.S counties experienced a federal climate disaster between 2011–2021, with some having as many as 12. In 2021 alone, the U.S. experienced 20 separate billion-dollar climate disasters with over 688 fatalities. It is crucial to determine potential hazards, how likely they are to occur, and their consequences.
- After identifying mitigation strategies, take an inventory of the organizations’ finite number of resources. Understanding and planning for resource prioritization and expanding capacity and capability will ensure the plan can succeed. Consider if there are enough staff and tools to perform the tasks listed in the plan, as well as the ability to expand capacity and attain a higher quantity of compatible resources if necessary.
- Next, hold trainings to ensure stakeholders are aware of the plan, enabled to successfully perform assigned duties, and given the opportunity to provide feedback on processes. Then, hold exercises to determine your preparedness level by testing plans in a controlled environment absent the real-world chaos and consequences. Exercise participants should include all stakeholders who have roles and responsibilities identified in the plan.
- Finally, review and maintain your plan on a regular basis. Confirm that names and contact information are up to date and technological tools are not obsolete. The plan should be realistic, efficient, and innovative. Bring in an external partner, like APTIM, to offer a different perspective, determine readiness, and help to manage the plan.
For more information on developing a comprehensive disaster response plan, click here.
APTIM. In Pursuit of Better.
“It is not ‘if’ but rather ‘when’ you will be impacted by a disaster. Once a disaster occurs, your moment-to-moment decisions and available resources will impact its short- and long-term effects. Your level of preparedness will directly increase the success of response and can decrease the time of recovery.”
- Amy Courville, Director of Preparedness, APTIM