Effective Disaster and Emergency Response Plans
Plans
As we face a disaster: Organize the human element to respond appropriately and minimize physical and material damage.
How to respond appropriately to a disaster: Organize human resources efficiently and technically to minimize effects and protect people and the environment.
What is a catastrophe: An unfortunate event that severely disrupts the normal order of things.
What is an emergency: An accident or hazard requiring immediate action; a system disturbance endangering stability.
Emergency Operations: Disturbs the system without an imminent threat to people or facilities.
Emergency Risk: Disturbs the system and represents a higher risk to people and facilities.
Who determines the degree of an emergency: A trained and qualified person with decision-making powers.
Control of an emergency situation: The responsibility of each organization member; a single mistake can cause an emergency.
Those involved in an emergency plan: Supervisors and workers must apply rules, regulations, and procedures for emergency control; implement a system, not improvise.
Emergency classification:
- Types:
- Techniques: Fire, Explosions, Boilers, Pressurized gas containers, Flammable liquids spill, Exhaust fumes.
- Natural: Earthquakes, Floods, Hurricanes, Volcanic eruptions, Tsunamis.
- Social: Terrorism, Bombings, Vandalism, Demonstrations.
- Biological and Chemical Terrorism: Easily transmitted, causing high loyalty, social disruption, and panic; requires special health measures.
Direct Losses by Fire: Human lives, equipment, materials, goods, facilities, buildings.
Fire indirect losses: Loss of customers, profits, confidence, prestige, power, industrial, labor, hard running.
End of an Emergency Plan: Improve organization and utilization of resources, know buildings and facilities, ensure reliability of protective equipment, avoid emergency causes, have trained personnel for rapid and effective action.
Stages of Emergency Plan:
Risk Assessment:
- Analysis of risk material and potential.
- Environment of buildings, status of foreign media, and protection of water supplies for fire.
- Construction features, location, and characteristics of facilities and services.
Disposal routes: Evacuation routes (primary and alternate), vertical and horizontal, for plant or area-specific fires and other influencing circumstances.
Necessary adjustments: Indicate necessary adjustments after analyzing risk material (access, facilities, escape routes, etc.).
Risk assessment:
Risk of fire:
Assess fire risk in each activity or building/fire sector using a suitable, legal method.
Evacuation Conditions:
Assess evacuation conditions as adequate or inadequate; calculate maximum evacuation time in unfavorable circumstances for each escape route and exit.
Plans:
Translate collected information into plans, including: Site plan and access roads, orientation, surrounding hazards (use, distance, height), building height and number of plants (including adjacent if risky), warning systems/alarms (bells, sirens, public address), areas with automatic fire detection, fire extinguishing media.
Means of Protection:
Inventory of existing facilities:
Inventory fire protection resources: fire detection, extinguishers, hydrants (BIE’s), sprinklers, water supplies, special lighting, alarms.
Media Assistance:
Indicate existing health care services (material: kit, nursing, x-rays; human).
Human means:
Indicate establishment occupation and permanent staff available for self-protection actions.
Classification of action plans:
Emergency response plans should consider: Day (normal operation), Night, Holiday, Vacation.
Emergency Plan:
Clarify: What will be done? Who will? When? How? Where?
Emergency Classification by severity:
Near misses, partial plant emergency, general emergency.
Actions taken in each situation: Alert, Alarm, and intervention.
Self-protection equipment:
Roles of each party:
- a) Be informed of fire risk in different units.
- b) Identify and verify remedy of anomalies.
- c) Determine the existence and operation of available material.
- d) Be trained.
- e) Fight fire with extinguishers, wet web.
- f) Provide first aid.
- g) Coordinate activities with other team members.
Head of Emergency:
The JE has total emergency responsibility, acts from the Control Center (CC), decides on actions based on information from the JC, seeks external assistance, determines Control Manager, Evacuation Coordinator, Access Control, and Support Team Leader; at least one EP and alternate per shift.
Chief of Control:
Acts at the emergency point, assesses and classifies the emergency, manages and coordinates the emergency brigade, reports to the Chief of Emergency; at least one JC and substitute per shift.
Squad Leader:
Acts at the point of emergence, under the command of the controlling JC emergency brigade.