Concepts in emergency management

It entails preparedness, mitigation, response, and recovery processes from natural, technological, and intentional hazards. The fundamental goal of emergency management is to protect life and property from hazards (Waugh, 2015). For instance, in case of a flood, risk management officers buy flood and fire insurance , prepare for floods by developing evacuation plans and stocking enough food and water, respond to the floods by evacuating the victims, and recover from the emergency by offering the affected victims with financial assistance to cater for the damages caused by the floods. Terrorism refers to the illegal use of violence and intimidation in the pursuit of political, religious, financial, and ideological goals. Terrorism uses hazards such as explosions, fires, shootings, and release of harmful agents. It includes what actions, where to go, and who to contact to effectively manage an emergency.

For example, creating emergency hotlines, developing disaster drills, and stocking enough food and water before an emergency occurs. Incident command system (ICS) is a command system intended to facilitate effective and efficient emergency management through incorporation of facilities, personnel, and procedures (Kapucu, 2012). It entails the features, collaborative management constituents, and organization of incident management and emergency response groups involved during the course of emergency management. ICS is designed to deal with the issues associated with the commanding, controlling, and coordinating response to emergencies. For instance, in mitigating a fire emergency, safety standards should be adhered to during the selection of building materials, and appliances and also fire insurance should be bought before the fire occurs. Response entails the measures implemented to save lives and prevent excessive damage to property during an emergency.