Strengthening resilience – NFPA 1660 – Disaster Preparedness: planning and implementation

Emergency preparedness instructions for safety.

This article is the third of a four-part series that discusses the key elements of NFPA 1660 (2024) Standard for Emergency, Continuity, and Crisis Management: Preparedness, Response, and Recovery.

In the previous articles the significant consolidation of the NFPA’s Emergency Response and Responder Safety (ERRS) standards was discussed highlighting the enhanced usability and quality aimed at helping organizations effectively manage a variety of risks and threats. Earlier articles also looked at how these consolidated guidelines provide comprehensive planning and implementation to disaster preparedness, assisting organizations in enhancing resilience and ensuring operational continuity amid crises. This third article will further explore these themes and look at the execution, training and education within the NFPA 1660 strategies.

Chapter 7: Execution

Following the risk assessment and planning process that defines the strategies, chapter 7 focuses on the implementation by the relevant stakeholders of emergency plans for the identified incident types that could adversely affect people, property, operations or the environment and ensure they are adequately referenced throughout the incident management process. This in turn helps to establish the methodology of notification and reporting. Key components to ensure suitable responses include:

Resource management: ensuring that resources are mobilized efficiently during an emergency. A process should be implemented whereby all stakeholders can warn, notify and report an incident having assessed the potential impact.
Incident management: establishing and maintaining an effective incident management system in support of established objectives and tasks. If required, an emergency operations centre (EOC) shall be activated to support communications and coordination between the incident command and the EOC.
Demobilization: Procedures for the orderly and safe demobilization of resources once the incident is under control.

Chapter 8: Training and education

To ensure the effectiveness of emergency management programmes chapter 8 provides guidance on the requirements for developing a training and education curriculum that covers all aspects of the emergency management plan. A competency-based education and training programme focuses on the specific knowledge elements, skills and/or abilities that are objective, that is, measurable or demonstrable being relevant to the employees who have a role in the programme. The training should provide detail on the instruction that imparts and/or maintains the skills necessary for individuals and teams to perform their assigned system responsibilities and is usually focused on known risk exposures.

All personnel designated to perform specific task(s) should demonstrate competence to perform the tasks and meet the expected criteria identified in the performance objectives for the incident response which may include protective actions for life safety (e.g. evacuation, shelter in place and run, hide, fight), conducting damage assessment, initiating recovery strategies and any other measures necessary to bring an entity to a more stable status.

This will entail regular and comprehensive training sessions for all relevant personnel with detailed records of training activities and participants. In addition, efforts should be made to educate the public on emergency preparedness and response.

A tent city was created on Prof. Muammer Aksoy Street for earthquake victims in the Iskenderun district of Hatay, where many buildings were destroyed after the great Turkey earthquake.

Chapter 9: Exercises and tests

With the training and education protocols established, chapter 9 provides a framework and requirements for conducting exercises and tests to evaluate the effectiveness of the emergency management programme. The exercises should be challenging and realistic to test various components of the plan and be used as an instrument to train for, assess, practice and improve performance in prevention, protection, response and recovery capabilities in a risk-managed environment. Exercises can be used for testing and validating policies, plans and procedures; to train individuals; to practice using equipment; to validate alternative site readiness; and to practice utilization of interagency agreements. Exercise goals can include clarifying and training personnel in roles and responsibilities, improving coordination and communications, identifying gaps in resources, improving individual performance and identifying opportunities for improvement of the overall programme. The fundamental purpose is to improve capabilities to respond to and recover from a real incident. Reviewing and analysing the outcomes of exercises assists in identifying areas for improvement. In support of that goal, an exercise should be used to achieve the following:

Reveal planning weaknesses and strengths in plans, standard operating procedures (SOPs) and standard operating guidelines (SOGs), and validate recently changed procedures.
Improve the coordination among various response entities, including, as appropriate, government officials and community support entities.
Validate the training for response (e.g. incident command, hazard recognition, protective actions and communications) and recovery (e.g. crisis management, technology recovery, operational recovery and recovery communications).
Increase the entity’s general awareness of the hazards and protective actions.
Identify gaps where additional resources, equipment or personnel are needed to prepare for, respond to, and recover from an incident.
Provide training and conditioning for team members and personnel in appropriate actions.
Practice established incident command structure, and practice response and recovery in a safe environment.

Chapter 10: Program maintenance and improvement

Ensuring lessons learnt from real-world incidents and training scenarios forms the underlying basis of chapter 10 which focuses on the continuous improvement of the emergency management programme with regular reviews of the programme to ensure it remains current, effective and compliant with relevant law and standards. Key elements include:

Periodic reviews: Organizations must regularly review their emergency management and business continuity plans. These reviews should be scheduled periodically and also triggered by significant changes, such as new regulations, identified hazards or changes in organizational structure.
Corrective actions: Identified deficiencies during reviews, exercises or actual incidents must be addressed through a corrective action process. This ensures that the programme evolves and improves over time.
Documentation and record keeping: Detailed records of reviews, updates and corrective actions must be maintained to track progress and ensure accountability.
Continuous improvement: The chapter advocates for a culture of continuous improvement, integrating lessons learned from exercises, incidents and reviews into the programme to enhance overall resilience and preparedness.

These chapters collectively ensure that emergency management plans are well designed, effectively implemented and continuously improved through regular training, testing and evaluation. As part of the consolidation of NFPA 1660 the scope and purpose of NFPA 1616 Standard on Mass Evacuation, Sheltering and Re-entry Program Management have been consolidated into the NFPA 1660 standard (Chapters 11–16). This is an important aspect requiring specific consideration as it establishes the minimum criteria for the planning, coordination and implementation of mass evacuation, sheltering and re-entry programmes to ensure the safety and security of individuals during and after emergencies. The key considerations include:

Planning and coordination:
1. Emphasizes the need for a comprehensive planning process that involves all relevant stakeholders, including emergency management agencies, public-safety officials, healthcare providers and community organizations.
2. Encourages the development of integrated plans that address the needs of all populations, including those with disabilities and other access and functional needs.
Mass evacuation:
1. Outlines the steps for initiating and managing mass evacuations, including risk assessment, public communication, transportation logistics, and tracking and reunification of evacuees.
2. Addresses the need for clear evacuation routes, traffic management strategies, and coordination with transportation providers.
Sheltering:
1. Provides guidelines for establishing and operating shelters that can accommodate large numbers of evacuees.
2. Covers aspects such as shelter site selection, facility setup, resource allocation and provision of essential services like food, water, medical care and sanitation.
Re-entry programmes:
1. Details the procedures for safely returning evacuees to their homes and communities after an emergency.
2. Highlights the importance of damage assessment, restoration of utilities and services, and ensuring the structural integrity of buildings before allowing re-entry.
Training and exercises:
1. Stresses the importance of regular training and exercises to ensure preparedness and effective response during actual emergencies.
2. Encourages the involvement of all stakeholders in training programmes to enhance coordination and communication.
Public communication:
1. Emphasizes the need for effective communication strategies to inform and guide the public before, during and after an evacuation.
2. Recommends the use of multiple communication channels to reach diverse populations and ensure timely and accurate dissemination of information.
Special populations:
1. Addresses the unique needs of vulnerable populations, including children, the elderly, individuals with disabilities and those with medical or other special needs.
2. Encourages the inclusion of specific provisions in evacuation and sheltering plans to accommodate these groups.

By following these guidelines outlined, communities can enhance their preparedness and resilience in the face of emergencies, ensuring the safety and well-being of all residents during mass evacuation, sheltering and re-entry operations. In the next and final article of this series, there will be a focus on the pre-incident planning process based on the risk profiles and hazard scenarios within the jurisdiction of the relevant entities along with a final overview and summary of NFPA 1660.

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