Strategic Planning and Critical Infrastructure 501

Introduction to Comprehensive Emergency Management

Course Introduction

This is a survey course designed to introduce you to the field of emergency management. This is a group-start, online course. We will all begin and end together this quarter.

As the developer of this course, I'm excited about helping you apply emergency management and risk-reduction concepts and principles in your current or future work. I teach at the University of Washington after a 23-year career with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). I have managed response and recovery programs in over 50 presidential disaster declarations and have worked in a wide range of emergency management activities. Please review my biography for more information about me. I look forward to getting to know each of you as much as possible during our short time online together.

Course Overview

The purpose of the course is to provide you with the principles and practices of risk reduction. The course emphasizes comprehensive risk reduction and will give you a foundation for other courses in this program. Specifically, this course will provide you with the ability to use emergency management tools, techniques, and resources. You will also gain insight into intergovernmental programs and relationships, and the broader social context involved.

Required Readings

Our textbook, Disasters by Design, presents the best overview of the field to date. It is easier to read than other texts, and you are likely to spend a great deal of time reflecting on its contents. It is not a planning text, like many of the other books in the field of emergency management, but Mileti's material will find its way into the development of your project assignments.

In addition, you will read the following articles. You will find links to these articles from the relevant lessons and assignments.

• FEMA Emergency Management Institute Independent Study Program, Emergency Manager: An Orientation to the Position, Chapters 1 and 2.
• FEMA Emergency Management Institute Independent Study Program, The Role of Voluntary Agencies in Emergency Management.
• "FEMA Higher Education Project Manager Discusses How Emergency Management Must Change." IAEM Bulletin, (Draft), May 2001.
• "Physician Primes the Pump to Stop a Spreading Disease." The Handle, The Magazine of the UAB School of Public Health, Fall 2002: 4-5.
• Emergency Planning Course, Washington State Emergency Management Division, Hazard Identification and Vulnerability Assessment, (slide show presentation).
• FEMA Document, 386-2, Understanding Your Risks: Identifying Hazards and Estimating Losses. Read the Foreword, Step One, and Step Two.
• FEMA Emergency Management Institute, IS-120 An Orientation to Community Disaster Exercises.
• K. Kahn et al., Hazard Identification Vulnerability Analysis, A Special Report Prepared for the City of Redmond, June 2001.
• Seattle Police Department, Emergency Management Section, City of Seattle Hazard Inventory and Vulnerability Analysis. (Draft).
• Alesch, Daniel J., et al. October 2001. Organizations at Risk: What Happens when Small Business and Not-for-Profits Encounter Natural Disasters. Small Organizations Natural Hazards Project, First Year Technical Report, University of Wisconsin-Green Bay, Center for Organizational Studies.
• Background Information on the Nisqually Quake of 2001. Cascadia Subduction Earthquake Regional Readiness Workshop.
• Situation Pamphlet, Cascadia Subduction Earthquake Regional Readiness Workshop.
• Slide Show, Cascadia Subduction Earthquake Regional Readiness Workshop.
• Aurelius, Earl, Executive Editor, Northridge Summary Report 1994. EQE International.
• Former Federal Coordinating Officer Richard Buck's notes on mitigation, personal correspondence with the author.
• FEMA Emergency Management Institute IS 1 Emergency Manager: An Orientation to the Position, chapters 3, 4, 5, and 6.
• FEMA Emergency Management Institute IS 393 Introduction to Mitigation.
• FEMA State and Local Mitigation Planning How-To Guide.
• FEMA Report on Costs and Benefits of Natural Hazard Mitigation.
• Weber, Richard T., et al. Public/Private Collaboration in Disaster: Implications from the World Trade Center Terrorist Attacks, Natural Hazards Research and Applications Information Center, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO. 2002.
• FEMA, Project Impact Community Conducts Risk Assessment and Vulnerability.
• Delaney, Patricia L., and Elizabeth Shrader, Gender and Post-Disaster Reconstruction: The Case of Hurricane Mitch in Honduras and Nicaragua. Decision Review Draft, January 2000.
• Grant, Nancy and David H. Hoover, Terrorism in Shanksville: A Study in Preparedness and Response. The Center for Emergency Management and Homeland Security Policy Research, The University of Akron, Akron, Ohio. 2002.
• Kane, John, The Incident Command System and the Concept of Unified Command at a Terrorist Incident, Sacramento, California Police Department (no date)
• Rubin, Claire B. Rubin and Associates, and Irmak Renda-Tanali, The Terrorist Attacks on September 11, 2001: Immediate Impacts and Their Ramifications for Federal Emergency Management. Institute for Crisis, Disaster and Risk Management, George Washington University, Washington, D.C. 2001.
• Rubin, Claire et al., Major Terrorism Events and Their U.S. Outcomes (1988-2001)Natural Hazards Research and Applications Information Center, Institute of Behavioral Science, University of Colorado. 2003.
• Wagner, Vaughn E.Chemical and Biological Terrorism. Environmental Health Science, Salisbury University. Public Entity Risk Institute. 2001.

Technology Requirements and Skills

See the Online Student Handbook for the technology requirements and skills necessary for this course.

Course Objectives

At the end of the course, you will be able to use the knowledge and skills you are building to

• apply key emergency management concepts and principles to a real neighborhood;
• identify and use Web-based sources of information;
• apply the elements of risk and risk-reduction measures to manipulate vulnerable elements and organizational capabilities;
• synthesize information and provide cogent briefings regarding hazards, threats, disasters, and terrorist acts;
• describe existing organizational arrangements and plans of governmental, military, non-profit, and private organizations to deal with major disasters; and
• use a "tabletop" exercise as a tool to practice applying concepts and principles to a target neighborhood.

How Will We Achieve These Objectives?

The first eight lessons offer key concepts in emergency management from various perspectives. At critical points you will be asked to apply these concepts to a target neighborhood in an earthquake scenario. The course culminates in Lesson Nine with a tabletop exercise. Much of the course requires teamwork. You'll be using a team discussion forum to work with other members of the class, summarizing your discussions, and posting them to discussion forums created for each assignment.

There is also a large amount of required reading. You will find links in the relevant lessons. The recommended reading is available on the Internet. Recommended readings are not required. URLs for recommended readings are listed in each lesson, but Web sites often change quickly; so if you wish, use your favorite search engine to track the readings down. Again, these are only recommended Web sites, so no specific work is required.

Exercise Design

There are several types of exercises in this course. The one at the end of this course is called a "tabletop" exercise because it usually happens around a table with players working problems given to them by exercise facilitators. I will be the facilitator and will give each team the same questions. Please do not exchange ideas between teams. Exercises usually have observers to help with evaluation. This exercise too will have observer/evaluators.

The principle objective of the final exercise is to give you practice in applying concepts learned during the class. In a team discussion and reporting format you will apply the emergency management knowledge, skills, and abilities you have been building. There is a lot of ground to cover, so Lesson Nine will take two weeks.

Working Teams

As is often the case in real-life work situations, you will be asked to work in teams of five to seven members. I will assemble the project teams. My objective is to create the most diverse teams possible in terms of education, experience, and interests. Each team will participate in team-building exercises and be expected to choose a facilitator. The role of facilitator will rotate as we move through the lessons. There are more specific teaming directions in the lesson assignments.

Much of your learning will come through your online interaction with your teammates. If you have a person in mind who you would like as a teammate, contact that person, and then let me know your choice. If possible, I will try to arrange for you to work together.

Where to Hold Team Discussions

In your online syllabus, you'll find a link to a discussion forum for each team. Your team will use this tool to comment on your summary; the instructor will monitor your discussions to assess individual participation. Your team facilitator will post the final draft to the assignment discussion forum.

How the Team Works

First, each team needs to appoint a "facilitator" who will lead and summarize the discussion, get the team's approval, and post the summary to the discussion thread. The facilitator also keeps track of time and lets people know when the discussion must end so he or she has time to write the summary, get it approved, and post it. You should each take a turn as facilitator, as much as is possible.

Each facilitator should encourage teammates to contribute to the discussion, keep the team on task, and determine when to wrap up the discussion. Each facilitator will then write a summary of the key points of the discussion that answer the questions. The team should review the summary before it is posted to the assignment discussion forum.

Selecting a Target Neighborhood

Each team will be expected to select a target neighborhood. The neighborhood can be one that everyone has some experience with. The team may also select the Fremont and Wallingford districts of Seattle as the default neighborhood, since I already have some information about them available.

Although this is not a data-gathering course, you must have some basic information for each target neighborhood, such as maps and pictures of key locations. You will also be allowed to create plausible information where needed. I will offer a conceptual framework in which to analyze risk and offer risk reduction solutions. However, I do expect that you will try to make the information realistic to the neighborhood.

The Exercise Process in a Nutshell

In summary, you will

• learn emergency management concepts and tools;
• create working teams;
• identify a target neighborhood;
• identify and analyze the earthquake threats to the target neighborhood;
• imagine the earthquake destruction of the neighborhood (build a scenario); and
• determine what could have been done to prevent the damage your scenario caused by applying concepts and tools you learned.

Course Organization and Timeline

As I mentioned, this is a group-start, online course. We will all begin and end the course together. The course material is presented in nine lessons. Lesson One through Eight will take a week each. Lesson Nine will take two weeks.

Please use the course schedule in your online syllabus to plan your course activities. There is a lot to do in this course, so please plan your timeline appropriately.

Course Topics

• In Lesson One, we'll talk about the difference between hazards and disasters, and look at the functions of FEMA. We'll also discuss the FEMA definitions of accidents, emergencies, and catastrophes
• Lesson Two looks at the roots of emergency management, as well as Dr. John Snow and the origins of public health. We'll also look at the military's role in emergency management, and at leadership and emergency management.
• In Lesson Three, we'll examine visioning, scenarios, and exercises; the risk reduction planning process; risk, vulnerabilities, and capabilities; and how to use GIS to estimate risk exposure.
• In Lesson Four, you'll learn about hazards, vulnerabilities, and categories; learn to profile a hazard; and discuss earthquakes.
• In Lesson Five, we'll discuss the cycle of emergency management; and introduce the concepts of and mitigation and risk reduction.
• Lesson Six describes goals, objectives, and strategies; contingency planning; and gap analysis.
• In Lesson Seven we'll talk about vulnerability of critical systems, infrastructures, and functions; HAZUS and GIS; and capability assessment.
• Lesson Eight examines terrorism as hazard, as well as vulnerabilities capabilities related to the impact of terrorism.
• Lesson Nine is a "tabletop exercise" dealing with the response phase, recovery phase, mitigation phase; and preparedness.

Assignments

Each lesson has several activities. These include required readings from the text and online course readings, recommended readings from selected Web sites, self-study activities including journal reflections, team discussion forum activities, and individual work.

Discussion Forums

Discussion forums will be our main online communication and collaboration tool; you'll find a main discussion forum, where you can post general comments about the course. There's also a discussion forum for each assignment; you or your team's facilitator will post assignments there. Finally, there are discussion forums for each team; you and your team will use these forums to discuss your work for relevant assignments and create a final version, which your team facilitator will post to the assignment discussion forum.

The discussion forums are for us to discuss, problem-solve, and communicate ideas and insights. I recommend you think before you type; your postings remain long after your emotions have changed. Note, though, if you really need to have a posting deleted, contact your instructor, who can do this task for you.

I expect you to contribute weekly to the discussion forums and especially to be available to your teammates for the exercise. I will be observing your discussions and may make a comment if appropriate. If there are any problems with your discussions, let me know as soon as possible via e-mail.

How to Submit Your Work

You typically have one week to complete each lesson's assignments. You should post work to the assignment's discussion forum unless otherwise directed in the lesson. Each activity will also have specific information about how you should submit it.

If you cannot submit your assignment on time or take part in discussions (due to some real emergency) please contact your instructor as soon as possible to make other arrangements. In general, late work is not accepted.

Evaluation

You will be evaluated principally on four types of activities:

1. Individual discussion forum postings. You'll participate in regular online communication with your peers based on questions posed by the instructor related to the readings and other discussion activities. This is an individual grade.
2. Journal and self-study work. You will keep a weekly journal reflecting on the insights you gain in the course, which you will turn in at the end of the course.
3. Team postings of lesson assignments. The team facilitator will summarize team discussions and post them to the assignment discussion forum. Please review the team summaries and comment on them before they are posted. This is a team grade.
4. Team postings of the tabletop exercises. The main tabletop exercise takes place in Lesson Nine. There is a lot of material to cover in this lesson and it extends for two weeks. Make sure your team has a good plan to complete the work on time. The facilitator will post a summary of your team's discussions and decisions. Please review the team summaries and comment on them before they are posted. This is a team grade.

Evaluation criteria are within each assignment. Criteria can be found with the assignment descriptions. There are no exams in this course.

I will evaluate your submissions based on originality of work and critical thinking. I will be looking for well reasoned, insightful, and well-written submissions that demonstrate a clear recognition of the important concepts and issues.

I will monitor the discussion forums and will evaluate your participation based on your contributions to the discussion and your ability to present clear, well thought out questions, arguments, and opinions. We discuss leadership and emergency management in Lesson Two, and I expect you to apply what you've learned as you facilitate discussions in this course.

Late Assignments

To earn credit, you must complete all parts of each assignment, including all required reading and exercises, on time.

If unforeseen circumstances prevent you from completing an assignment on time, please contact your instructor before the assignment is due to obtain permission for a late submission. Without such permission, your assignment will not be accepted.

Grading

This is a credit/no-credit course. If your assignments overall are satisfactory, you will receive three graduate credits for this course. You will not receive a numeric grade, although assignments will be graded on a numeric scale, using the following criteria:

4.0	Excellent and exceptional work for a graduate student. Work at this level is consistently creative (where appropriate), thorough, well-reasoned, insightful, well written and shows clear recognition and incisive understanding of the important materials and issues. All assignments submitted are of good professional quality. The value of individual contributions to this course is considerable and positively affects the learning of all participants.
3.8	Strong work for a graduate student. Work at this level sometimes shows signs of creativity, is thorough and well reasoned, and demonstrates clear recognition and good understanding of the important materials and issues. Assignments submitted lack professional quality but demonstrate effort and concern for quality. The value of individual contributions to the course is strong and occasionally significant.
3.5	Competent and sound work for a graduate student. Work is well reasoned and thorough but not especially creative or insightful. The student shows adequate understanding of the important materials and issues although that understanding may be somewhat incomplete. Work submitted is competent but not remarkable. The value of individual contributions to the course is such that they do not influence the quality of the course one way or the other. This grade indicates neither exceptional strengths nor exceptional weaknesses, but is the grade for "average" graduate performance.
3.0	Adequate work for a graduate student. Work is moderately thorough and well reasoned, but with some indications that some of the important materials and issues is less than complete and perhaps inadequate for graduate study. The value of individual contributions to the course is minimal. However, the work is above the minimal expectations for the course.
2.7	Borderline work for a graduate student. Work barely meets the minimal expectations for the course and may occasionally fall below them. Understanding of the important materials and issues is incomplete or has not been demonstrated. There is little positive value in the individual contributions to the course and there may even be negative effects on the overall learning. Consistent overall performance at this level would be below that of adequate graduate student performance.

To earn credit, you must complete all parts of each lesson and assignment, including all required reading and exercises, on time. No credit will be given for partial completion or late work.

If unforeseen circumstances prevent you from completing an assignment on time, please contact your instructor before the assignment is due to obtain permission for a late submission. Without such permission, points will be subtracted from your grade for the assignment.

Weighting of Grades

• 20 percent of your grade will be based on your individual work, including your journal.
• 80 percent of your grade will be the result of your participation on your team and its results.

Grading of both individual and team activity will be based, as appropriate, on:

• meeting the objectives of the assignments;
• originality of your work;
• level of critical thinking; and
• demonstration of leadership skills.

Hints on How to Study

To be successful in this course, you'll need to manage your time. Don't try to do everything immediately before the assignment is due. Pace yourself and set aside time each week exclusively for this course. The earlier you set up your course schedule, the easier it'll be to stick to your plan.

Please read the Mileti text first, then my commentary, and then any other readings. There's a lot to read, so do not fall behind in the readings. Communicate with your teammates frequently and regularly. If you are having problems, let me know as soon as possible.

Each lesson includes several recommended Web sites. You will be expected to search the Web in a quest for information about the course. Think of these initial Web sites as ports of embarkation; where your adventure ultimately leads depends on you and the nature of the problems you explore. Be aware, however, if you have any time constraints, that Web searches take discipline and time.

I don't expect you to print Web pages. Usually you will scan the sites for specific bits of information. But don't be afraid to let your problem lead you on a little adventure; just come back for the class assignment.

Developer's Biography

Bob Freitag is the Director of the Institute for Hazards Mitigation Planning and Research.

He is the Executive Director of the Cascadia Region Earthquake Workgroup (CREW) as well as the Director of the Institute for Hazards Mitigation Planning and Research at the University of Washington. CREW is a not-for-profit corporation of private and public representatives working together to improve the ability of Cascadia Region communities to reduce the effects of earthquake events. He is also a Certified Floodplain Manager and is on the Board of Regions for the Association of State Floodplain Managers.

Before coming to the University of Washington, he worked for the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). Prior to that, he was employed by several private architectural and engineering firms in Hawaii and Australia and taught science as a Peace Corps volunteer in the Philippines. Freitag received his Master of Urban Planning degree from the University of Washington.

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