Emergency management is an ongoing process, with four major components forming an integrated cycle: mitigation, preparedness, response, and recovery.

Emergency management training and education

The most cost-effective component of emergency management, mitigation reduces hazards or minimizes exposure to them, thus lessening their overall impact. Although the best mitigation is done before an event occurs, much mitigation is initiated during the recovery phase (e.g., structures can be repaired/rebuilt to higher safety standards or relocated to safer ground). Mitigation efforts include:

• Building codes and retrofitting
• Non-structural improvements (i.e., protecting building contents as opposed to the structures themselves)
• Land-use controls
• Flood-plain buyouts
• Levees and stream channel modifications
• Slope stabilization
• Improving chemical storage facilities or reducing hazardous inventory
• Public education and other prevention programs

Project Impact, a FEMA-funded program at the local level, was created to generate public-private partnerships at the local level to "build disaster-resistant communities." Several area counties, including Multnomah and Clackamas, received Project Impact grants. TVF&R was an active participant, representing the Clackamas County Fire Defense Board, in developing the Clackamas County Natural Hazard Mitigation Plan - the first in the nation to be approved! Washington County also has successfully adopted a Natural Hazard Mitigation Plan, as have several cities in our district.

Thorough preparedness picks up where mitigation leaves off. For hazards that cannot be mitigated, preparedness should minimize disaster impact and generate effective response. Preparedness includes:

• Disaster and contingency plans
• Government and business continuity of operations plans
• Warning and emergency communications systems
• Evacuation plans with predesignated routes
• Equipment upgrades
• Mutual aid agreements
• Training and exercises
• Public information and education

The response is mostly reactive, addressing emergency needs once an incident has occurred. Response includes:

• Warning system activation (sirens, TV/radio broadcasts)
• Emergency medical, fire, police
• Activation of emergency operations centers (EOCs)
• Mutual aid (local, state, and federal, including National Guard and specialized teams)
• Disaster declarations and implementation of emergency statutes
• Chemical release containment

Recovery, the process of "getting back to normal," starts while response is still going on, and may include mitigation. Although many people think of recovery as shelters and financial assistance (low-interest loans, grants, insurance settlements), there are many other components, including:

• Longer-term temporary housing
• Debris removal, including demolition of unsafe structures
• Continuity of government, business
• Economic aid to offset business losses
• New land-use controls (e.g., floodplain easements, reforestation)
• Re-establishment of essential services
• Health and safety education

Emergency preparedness tips

Contact TVF&R's Emergency Manager
Email: Jeff Rubin
Phone: (503) 259-1199