Understanding Emergency Management: Preparedness, Response, and Recovery (Full Transcript)

Speaker 1: Our world is growing more complex every day. Natural and man-made emergencies and disasters are increasing in frequency and intensity. You have likely experienced or know someone who has been affected by an emergency or disaster. For example, we frequently deal with severe storms, security breaches, and sometimes even threats to our personal safety, among many other situations. When an emergency occurs, we all react differently. While some may be quick to react, others may hesitate. It's natural for us to feel this way, but it's important that we are prepared to discuss these issues for the benefit of our patients, our families, and our community. We use emergency management to prepare for, respond to, and recover from emergencies. Doing this work is both the right thing and the safe thing to do. In addition, we are required to continuously update our preparedness and planning to be in compliance with regulatory standards. People in our care expect us to provide outstanding service and care, no matter the circumstances. You may be wondering what's the difference between day-to-day operations and an emergency. It's helpful to think about this difference like a scale. On a regular basis, the scale is in balance. We have the proper amount of staff, supplies, and equipment to meet current needs. However, an emergency tips that scale out of balance. For example, we may be short on equipment or staff during an emergency. It's emergency management's responsibility, in partnership with you, to bring the scale back into balance as soon as possible. Emergency management uses four steps to accomplish this goal. These four steps are mitigation, preparedness, response, and recovery. Mitigation involves preventing future emergencies or minimizing their effects, such as having an emergency generator in the case of a power outage. The next step is preparedness. Preparedness increases our ability to respond to difficult situations. For example, we improve our response by participating in training, drills, and exercises. When we do respond to an emergency, we implement our plans, policies, and procedures. Eventually, we recover from the emergency and return our organization to a near-normal state. This brings the scale back into balance. Emergency management is everyone's responsibility. It may seem overwhelming at first, but really it's quite simple. Just like getting your annual flu shot, a little preparation now avoids a larger problem in the future.