Emergency management is the process of preparing for, mitigating, responding to and recovering from an emergency.
Emergency management is a dynamic process. Planning, though critical, is not the only component. Training, conducting drills, testing equipment and coordinating activities with the community are other important functions.
What Is an Emergency?
An emergency is any unplanned event that can cause deaths or significant injuries to employees, customers or the public; or that can shut down your business, disrupt operations, cause physical or environmental damage, or threaten the facility's financial standing or public image. Obviously, numerous events can be "emergencies," including:
- Fire
- Hazardous materials incident
- Flood or flash flood
- Hurricane
- Tornado
- Winter storm
- Earthquake
- Communications failure
- Radiological accident
- Civil disturbance
- Loss of key supplier or customer
- Explosion