Comprehensive Emergency Management
Encyclopedia
Comprehensive emergency management, as defined in various laws throughout the United States, is the preparation for and the carrying out of all emergency functions, other than functions for which the military forces are primarily responsible, to mitigate, prepare for, respond to, and recover from emergencies and disasters, and to aid victims suffering from injury or damage, resulting from disasters caused by all hazards, whether natural, technological, or human caused, and to provide support for search and rescue operations for persons and property in distress.
Comprehensive emergency management is the philosophy that gave birth to the Federal Emergency Management Agency
and the eventual decline of the term civil defense
in the United States. Under Comprehensive Emergency Management, attention is given to the full range of emergencies from small weather incidents to the "ultimate emergency" of war. Its "all-hazards" philosophy stands in contrast to previous state and federal emergency management that focused solely on a massive nuclear war
with the Soviet Union
.
For any local or state jurisdiction, Comprehensive Emergency Management involves the creation of an emergency management plan, typically an Emergency Operations Plan that provides for the activation of an Incident Command System
as a flexible central command structure for in-coming and committed resources that required to deal with all aspects of the incident as an emergency situation. Other command-level constructs include multiagency coordination and public information systems; overall, the federal command construct for Comprehensive Emergency Management is the National Incident Management System
(NIMS
).
Comprehensive emergency management is the philosophy that gave birth to the Federal Emergency Management Agency
Federal Emergency Management Agency
The Federal Emergency Management Agency is an agency of the United States Department of Homeland Security, initially created by Presidential Reorganization Plan No. 1 of 1978 and implemented by two Executive Orders...
and the eventual decline of the term civil defense
Civil defense
Civil defense, civil defence or civil protection is an effort to protect the citizens of a state from military attack. It uses the principles of emergency operations: prevention, mitigation, preparation, response, or emergency evacuation, and recovery...
in the United States. Under Comprehensive Emergency Management, attention is given to the full range of emergencies from small weather incidents to the "ultimate emergency" of war. Its "all-hazards" philosophy stands in contrast to previous state and federal emergency management that focused solely on a massive nuclear war
Nuclear warfare
Nuclear warfare, or atomic warfare, is a military conflict or political strategy in which nuclear weaponry is detonated on an opponent. Compared to conventional warfare, nuclear warfare can be vastly more destructive in range and extent of damage...
with the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
.
For any local or state jurisdiction, Comprehensive Emergency Management involves the creation of an emergency management plan, typically an Emergency Operations Plan that provides for the activation of an Incident Command System
Incident Command System
The Incident Command System is "a systematic tool used for the command, control, and coordination of emergency response" according to the United States Federal Highway Administration...
as a flexible central command structure for in-coming and committed resources that required to deal with all aspects of the incident as an emergency situation. Other command-level constructs include multiagency coordination and public information systems; overall, the federal command construct for Comprehensive Emergency Management is the National Incident Management System
National Incident Management System
The National Incident Management System is emergency management doctrine used nationwide to coordinate emergency preparedness and incident management and response among the public and private sectors.NIMS is a comprehensive, national approach to incident management that is applicable at all...
(NIMS
Nims
The Nims is a river in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany, left tributary of the Prüm. Its total length is 59 km. The Nims originates in the Eifel hills, east of the town Prüm. It flows south through Schönecken, Seffern, and through the western quarters of Bitburg. The Nims joins the Prüm in Irrel....
).
See also
- Federal Emergency Management AgencyFederal Emergency Management AgencyThe Federal Emergency Management Agency is an agency of the United States Department of Homeland Security, initially created by Presidential Reorganization Plan No. 1 of 1978 and implemented by two Executive Orders...
- Civil defenseCivil defenseCivil defense, civil defence or civil protection is an effort to protect the citizens of a state from military attack. It uses the principles of emergency operations: prevention, mitigation, preparation, response, or emergency evacuation, and recovery...
- United States Civil DefenseUnited States civil defenseUnited States civil defense refers to the use of civil defense in the history of the United States, which is the organized non-military effort to prepare Americans for military attack...