1 Basics of Emergency Planning for Area Agencies on Aging March 17, 2011 Video Workshop

2 Why do Emergency Planning?   To keep people safe during and after an event—   ourselves   staff   the people we serve   the people we work with in the community

3 Why do Emergency Planning?   To Build in resilience—the ability to bounce back after an event—for our staff, our agencies, our clients and our communities.   It’s prudent.

4 Why do Emergency Planning? It’s now required by the Older Americans Act.

5 Why Don’t We Plan?   Brainstorm:   What are some barriers?   Potential solutions?

6 Plan for safety and resilience of… Pre-Event Preparedness ResponseRecovery Staff and Volunteers Agency Operations Clients/ Seniors in General Community

7 Engage Staff and Volunteers in the Preparedness Process   Everyone Survives and Thrives   Get away from the “fear message” to one of self-sufficiency:   “You can take pride in being able to take care of yourself, to be prepared.” and   “The process can be fun.”

8   Create a culture of preparedness.

9   Find an enthusiastic staff person to head the individual and family preparedness campaign in your agency

10 CARD* Signage & Pottie Posters *Collaborating Agencies Responding to Disaster, Oakland, CA

11 Individual and Family Preparedness

12 Staff are Encouraged to Have Individual and Family Emergency Plans   Staff members have a family plan, increasing their chances that they will come in when you need them during a disaster.   3-day Kit now recommended 5-day   “Skip Kit” to take when you have to evacuate your home   Think about having food, water, blankets and basic supplies at the office.

13    Local Chapter of American Red Cross    CARD Collaborating Agencies Responding to Disaster  Individual & Family Preparedness Resources

14 Agency Preparedness: Area Agencies on Aging Senior Nutrition Programs

15 Writing an Agency Plan (or a Plan for Your Nutrition Program)  Agency Emergency Plan:  Outlines how your agency prepares for and responds during a disaster  Continuity of Operations Plan (COOP) or Business Continuity Plan (BCP):  Specifically outlines, how you will maintain basic business functions and offer your core (essential) services during and immediately after and event. 

16 Steps in Emergency Planning Process 1. 1.Assess the disasters likely in your area 2. 2.Think through all aspects of your own situation with staff. Ask “what if…?” questions 3. 3.Have conversations with other organizations, your vendors, conttrractors, Emergency Management & responders

17 Steps in Emergency Planning Process (cont.) 4. 4.Get agreements in place 5. 5.Write your plan 6. 6.Test your plan with exercises or real life 8. 8.Debrief and revise your plan 

18 Chemical Event Structure Fire Volcano Flood Assess the Disasters Likely in Your Area Pandemic

19 Some situations are emergencies for seniors and people with disabilities that are only challenges for the rest of us

20 Think through all aspects of your own situation  Different scenario “What if’s…..?”  Different types of disaster  Full-staff vs Short Staff  Different communication limitations  Identify for what and for whom you are responsible.

21 Chain of Command

22

23 Another way of looking at Chain of Command CARD, “Agency Emergency Preparedness”

24 Communications Plan  Where will the information come from, to whom will it go?  How to spread the word within your own organization?  Who formulates the message? Who decides when the message changes?  How do you communicate with: Field Offices? Meal Sites? Kitchen? Contractors?  With whom else in the community should you be in communication?

25 Communications Plan Continued  Phone tree or other  Maintain updated employee contact list,  Updated volunteer list  At-risk client list  Who calls whom?  One person speaks to Media  One person speaks to Emergency Operations Center

26  Plan alternative communication methods in case phones and electricity go out (redundancy). 

27 Goals:  To continue providing core services under emergency circumstances, or to begin operating at modified level as soon as possible.  To return to normal operations as soon as possible after the event. Continuity of Operations Plan

28 Think through….  Core Services  Personnel: Staff & Volunteers  Facilities  Processes  Paperwork  Clients

29 Identify Your Core Services by agency and department  What do you provide that MUST continue if the disaster is extended? Or as soon after as possible?  Identify key business functions that must continue during and shortly after an event.

30 What would it take to keep offering the Core Services and Business Functions?  Back-up Kitchen?  Back-up power?  Ability to call in volunteers?  Alternative transportation?  Import staff from another office?  Make a plan for each function, each site.

31 Staff & Volunteers  Staff have family emergency plans.  Staff knows the Chain of Command, including roles and backups.  Staff know their roles in Emergency Operations Plan.  Duties are assigned for each position  Prioritize: what should be covered first if few people are able to come in

32 Facilities Is your building appropriate to be a shelter or to store emergency supplies? Is your building appropriate to be a shelter or to store emergency supplies? Plan a back-up location for your office (or more than one) in case you have to leave. Plan a back-up location for your office (or more than one) in case you have to leave. Plan evacuation procedures, including a place for staff to meet up. Plan evacuation procedures, including a place for staff to meet up.

33 If you must evacuate   Do you turn off the utilities? Who does it?   Whom do you notify that you’re out of the building?   How do you know when it’s safe to go back?  If building has been damaged, how do you arrange for inspection before beginning to use it again?  “Go kit” of key items, documents, etc. Or with some items plus a list of what should go.

34 Manage personnel, supplies, transportation, procurement Manage personnel, supplies, transportation, procurement Keep records, track resources, plan to make payments to contractors Keep records, track resources, plan to make payments to contractors Reassign personnel as needed Reassign personnel as needed Interact with emergency personnel Interact with emergency personnel Manage program in recovery—insurance, emergency funds, etc. Manage program in recovery—insurance, emergency funds, etc. Processes

35 Paperwork Back up data, store it off site. Back up data, store it off site. Develop agreements Develop agreements MOUs with key community partners MOUs with key community partners Contracts with suppliers Contracts with suppliers Create a “Go Kit” with list of important paperwork: fiscal records, contracts and agreements, insurance information, a copy of the plan, etc. Create a “Go Kit” with list of important paperwork: fiscal records, contracts and agreements, insurance information, a copy of the plan, etc.

36 Clients  Clients are given information on family emergency preparedness—pre-event.  Depending on how much responsibility you have for clients,  Maintain client list prioritized by severity of risk  Plan to check in on high-risk clients  Adult Foster Homes (Type B’s) 

37 What Special Considerations Do AAA’s have? What Special Considerations Do Nutrition Programs have? 

38  Get agreements in place.. Think:  Transportation providers  Alternate facilities  Contractors  Vendors

39 The complexity of the plan will vary with the size of the organization Write your plan

40 Basic Elements of an Agency Emergency Plan   Assessment or Potential Hazards   Chain of Command   Communications Plan   Continuity of Operations Plan   Program-by-Program or Site-by-Site   Agreements (Formal MOU’s or informal)

41 It Could Start Out as Simply as a Grid that Shows Emergency Functions and Responsible Persons Action Who is AssignedWork #Home #Cell # Pager or other Pre-Event XXXXX XXXXX In Case of … XXXXX In Case of Evacuation of Office Disconnect and take hard drives Disconnect and take hard drives Take client records Take client records Take contract files Take contract files After the Event

42 …and expand to a checklist for each function or position   Step-by-step, with names and phone numbers of responsible parties or positions with reference to the Agency Phone List   Include special instructions   Locations of key tools, shut-off valves, valuable items, etc.   Include numbers of contractors, providers

43 …in a three ring binder   Tabs for each section, organized logically the way people think about the organization.   Place checklist at front of each section, ahead of the narrative.   Keep the checklists updated on a regular basis—at the same time the Agency Phone List is updated.

44 It could be a few pages or a small book. The important things are that:  The plan be accessible and easy to reach in a hurry.  It be simple and clearly written.  Clearly labeled hard copies are kept at each building/program  That building’s section highlighted.  Keep a list of where the copies are so they can be updated as changes are made.

45 For the plan to be effective…  Involve staff in planning process  Review emergency procedures with staff at least once a year before bad weather season  Practice parts of the plan periodically so people can integrate it with all their senses and common sense.

46 Effective Plans continued  Don’t plan in a vacuum. Share your plan with local emergency managers and community partners so you know what to expect of each other.

47  Filling out a template will get you a plan on paper that will pass inspection.  Engaging everyone in the agency in preparedness activities will get you a plan that works.

48 Test the Plan  Hold regular table-top or live exercises of different aspects of your plan.  And…it may be tested for you by real life. 

49  Debrief after every exercise or activation.  Revise your plan based on lessons learned

50 When the disaster comes along, it won’t fit your plan  Part of planning is having a process for changing the plan, as needed. 

51 Resources For Agency Emergency Plans  Collaborating Agencies Responding to Disaster (CARD)  Department of Human Services emergency preparedness website  FEMA and 

52 Participate in Your Local Community’s Vulnerable Population Planning Process Area Agencies on Aging have permission/ responsibility for participating or even leading that process

53 Emergency Management Emergency Responders Public Health Hospitals Human Service Providers Four Worlds That Don’t Normally Meet Must Work Together To Plan Emergency Preparedness for Vulnerable Populations Advocates

54 Build Your Coalition 54 Childcare Division County Public Health Non-Governmental Svc Providers Family Day Care Childcare Centers Sr. & Dis. Svcs RVCOG (Area Agency on Aging & Medicaid LTC Prog) Emergency Services Parish Nurses Churches Red Cross Emergency Transportation Group Long Term Care Facilities Group Home Health Citizen Corps Council Medical Reserve Corps CERT Developmntal Disability. (County/ Private Provider) CrisisTeam Vulnerable Populations Committee JCEC/ARES (Amatuer Radio) Group Neighborhood Watch Lifeline Josephine/Jackson County Integrated Fire Plan Committees County Mental Health Durable Medical Equipment Providers Hospitals HPP Hospital Preparedness Prog COAD Comm Orgs Active in Disaster Head Start Josephie Co Emergency Manager Adult Foster Homes In-Home Care DD Group Homes, Foster Homes, Independent Living Assisted Lvg, Residental Care, Nursing Facilities MH Group Homes, Res.Treatment Progs

55 Meet Your Local Emergency Manager   Become a resource to assist him/her with the job of planning for the safety of the whole community.   Make sure the populations you serve are referenced in the County Emergency Operations Plan   And learn His/Her Language

56 Incident Command System (ICS) * Also called NIMS (National Incident Management System)

57 You can become ICS/NIMS Certified on the FEMA website   MSTrainingCourses.shtm#item1 MSTrainingCourses.shtm#item1

58 Community Preparedness Resources   List of local Emergency Managers n_train/locals_list.pdf (Oregon) Vulnerable Populations Emergency Preparedness Coalition

59 Thank you! Feel free to contact with questions. Connie Saldana, SDS RVCOG Steven A. Guzauskis FGP Director Central Oregon Council On Aging