The four phases of emergency management

The four phases of emergency management

The four phases of emergency management explained simply

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Laura Nägeli Lead Product & Customer Success Management
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The four phases of emergency management explained simply

Emergency management is a central element for organizations and the protection of their resilience. It is about being able to act quickly and in a targeted manner in the event of an incident. Emergency management can be divided into four phases. We use an example to show you the four phases within emergency management and explain the most important terms.

First of all, it is important to understand what exactly is meant by an emergency. Emergencies and crises are often confused or even used as synonyms - but there are significant differences. Basically, an emergency is an unforeseen, short-lived situation in which there is an imminent threat to property or the physical integrity of people. Examples of emergencies are fires, accidents or a shooting spree. A crisis, on the other hand, is a situation that lasts for a longer period of time and has the potential to develop unpredictably. A crisis is described as an extreme situation that threatens the existence of the company and can result from an escalated emergency. It can last for several weeks or months and pose a threat to the entire institution or a large number of people, as is the case with an epidemic/pandemic (COVID-19), for example.

The aim of emergency management is to prepare an organization for the occurrence of emergencies by means of targeted measures in order to reduce the extent and duration of an event as much as possible through rapid and targeted action. Four basic phases can be distinguished in emergency management. These are explained below and illustrated in concrete terms using a possible emergency situation - a fire. The most important terms are included and explained in each phase.

Prevention

The first phase is prevention. It comprises measures to reduce the probability of an emergency or event occurring and relates to an emergency scenario. This is understood to mean a defined damaging event that represents a prepared and expected emergency situation, such as a fire. Preventive measures in this case would be to place candles only on a solid surface and away from flammable material.

(Emergency) prevention

The defined emergency scenarios provide the basis for the emergency preparedness that builds on them, which represents the second phase of emergency management. It includes preparations to reduce and manage the impact of incidents. It also includes the definition, preparation and training of emergency scenarios and emergency measures. In this phase, the emergency preparedness concept is developed, which contains all the information generated during the emergency management concept that is NOT directly required for emergency management. For example, the emergency preparedness concept may define that important data must also be stored in a geographically remote data center in order to prevent a complete loss of data in the event of a fire and the associated possible destruction of local servers. As part of the emergency preparedness concept, the crisis team (also known as the emergency or crisis team) is also defined, which consists of a group of people within an organization and is convened when a critical event occurs. The crisis team members, who are often representatives of different organizational areas, do not take the lead, but typically act under a single responsible leader. This ensures that decisions are made quickly, even under high pressure.

Emergency response

Emergency response is referred to as the third phase. In this phase, the emergency manual is used, which differs from the emergency preparedness concept in that it contains all information that is directly required for emergency response and therefore includes all emergency plans, including communication and recovery plans. With regard to the fire scenario, for example, the emergency manual also includes an evacuation and site plan. Other components of emergency response are alerting and incident communication. While alerting involves notifying the responsible decision-makers and stakeholders as quickly as possible after the occurrence of an incident - with the aim of initiating the management of the emergency - incident communication is managed by the crisis team and ensures that all parties involved have the same level of information and knowledge. Both internal and external communication is regulated in the communication plan. This defines WHO may inform WHOM about WHAT, WHEN and HOW. In the event of a fire, for example, the fire detective alerts the fire department first and then notifies the crisis team. This in turn informs the employees and the management.

Restoration

The measures to reconstruct the original state - before the event occurred - are counted towards the recovery phase, which is also the fourth and final phase of emergency management. In the event of a fire, recovery includes supporting people who have experienced physical or psychological trauma and rebuilding buildings that have been damaged by the fire. In addition, findings from the analysis are used to strive for further improvements in the area of prevention, if necessary, in order to further reduce the probability of occurrence and the extent of damage.

As a tool, the e-mergency® emergency app therefore offers a simple way to support modern emergency management and thus make a significant contribution to targeted and effective business continuity management. This is a critical success factor for the resilience of organizations in an increasingly networked and dynamic environment.

 

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Sources used:

  • Federal Office for Information Security (2008). BSI Standard 100-4. Emergency Management. Version 1. Bonn: Federal Office for Information Security.
  • Berude, A., Hotze, D., Mikulsky, T. & Rammrath, M. (2014). Emergency handbook for companies. Hamburg: Hamburg Chamber of Commerce.
  • BCMnet.CH - The BCI Swiss Chapter (2013). Glossary version 1.1 (n.d.): BCMnet.CH - The BCI Swiss Chapter.
  • Kersten, H., Klett, G. (2017). Business continuity and IT emergency management: basics, methods and concepts. Wiesbaden: Springer.