Planning

Specialized Planning

Shelter In-Place, Mass Care, Special Needs, Recovery, and Comprehensive Emergency Management

Emergency planning is a critical function for any community and organization. Planning considerations must include the uniqueness of a particular area or facility, existing hazards and vulnerabilities, the plausible consequences of a terrorist attack, and other critical incident requirements. Planning also includes considerations for the specialized requirements in preparing for, responding to, and recovering from an emergency.

At a minimum, emergency plans should be reviewed and updated annually. This review is particularly important with changes in contact information, construction of new facilities, and presentation of additional hazards and threats after a plan has been written. These occurrences and circumstances will necessitate changes in emergency response requirements and pose additional challenges for a community or organization that will require special considerations, planning, and expertise. GP can assist you with your change management and planning cycle to meet your growing challenges and special requirements.

Our Unique Approach to Specialized Planning

Shelter In-Place and Evacuation Planning

An emergency plan should be flexible enough to accommodate both evacuation and in-place sheltering throughout the duration of a response. While many plans thoughtfully consider evacuation and in-place sheltering, others do not put the same energy into re-entry requirements during the recovery phase.

GP makes sure all bases are covered. From evacuation criteria, sheltering in-place logistical and resource requirements, and re-entry credentialing to communications strategies for the public and with other agencies you need to coordinate with in an emergency evacuation.

Mass Care Planning

In the event of emergencies involving evacuation, you need to have plans in place to protect victims and evacuees from the effects of the disaster, as well as provide them with support following a disaster. GP helps you plan for providing temporary shelter, food, medical care, clothing, and other essential life support needs to those displaced from their homes as a result of disaster or threatened disaster.

GP believes in applying Integrated Emergency Management principles to planning for mass care services and strives to ensure that each plan addresses the capabilities and responsibilities for the jurisdiction. Our planners have developed mass care-related plans in multiple states and are skilled in the application of best practices and government (as well as non-governmental) guidance to develop realistic, practical mass care plans.

Special Needs Planning

GP delivers comprehensive plans for evacuating young, elderly, infirm, disabled, and otherwise physically, medically, or emotionally challenged individuals in the event of an emergency. We assess existing plans and develop new ones by considering all aspects, including logistical steps to take once patients have left your facility. Our planners use the latest information from federal agencies, such as the Target Capabilities List, as well as from advocacy groups, such as the National Organization on Disability and the Interagency Coordinating Council on Emergency Preparedness and Individuals with Disabilities. This information ensures that the needs of those with increased vulnerability are planned for and handled in a compassionate and appropriate manner. GP also incorporates these planning issues into practical exercises to validate the plans.

Recovery Planning

The recovery phase is your best opportunity to mitigate the future effects of a threat. Efficient timing is essential to restoring critical infrastructure and to providing the foundations for full economic and physical recovery. GP helps you plan, improve, and assess the effectiveness of your recovery plans to ensure that your plans sufficiently address the immediate and long-term needs of your people, customers, and community.

Our approach encompasses the coordination of the public assistance process and addresses the development of strategies to speed the recovery of the community. GP helps in prioritizing the restoration of key community resources to enable the return of business and industry to the affected area.

Comprehensive Emergency Management Planning (CEMP)

The use of the National Incident Management System (NIMS) is a nationwide effort that is federally mandated for local, state, and federal government agencies per Homeland Security Presidential Directive 5 (HSPD-5). For compliance and consistency with federal, state, and local response structures, a Comprehensive Emergency Management Plan (CEMP) should follow the framework of NIMS. Should an incident occur that requires multiple jurisdictions, functional agencies, and emergency responder disciplines, it is critical that the operations of the incident be coordinated effectively and efficiently across public, private, and volunteer agencies on the local, state, and federal levels of government. GP uses a systems approach to integrate all emergency agencies into a unified framework for incident management from an all-hazards approach. This framework forms the basis for interoperability and compatibility that will enable a diverse set of public, private, and volunteer agencies to conduct well-integrated and effective incident management operations. This framework also allows for the integration of improved technologies and concepts to enhance the overall response capabilities and coordination.

Our Special Planning Experience

Some of our experience related to special planning includes the following:

• Provided post-Katrina planning support for the New Orleans City Assisted Evacuation Plan, which addressed special needs and underserved populations
• Developed a recruiting program for volunteer evacuation support staff in New Orleans
• Provided training on emergency planning for New Orleans city departments
• Reviewed and improved existing emergency response plans and developed a countywide all-hazards emergency operations plan for Westchester County, New York, Department of Emergency Services
• Integrated NIMS into the county CEMP for DeSoto County, Florida
• Provided emergency management planning support, integrated the NIMS into county CEMPs and conducted NIMS tabletop exercises for Hardee and Glades Counties, Florida