Activity 2.1
A Question of Resources
1.	Take a moment to reflect back on what you learned in Emergency Management Planning 3 regarding resources. What are resources?

Resources are:	………………………….

To obtain a better understanding of the relevance and importance of the utilisation of resources in emergency situations you should now read the following.
Read
Textbook:  Carter, Chapter 4, paras 19–21; Chapter 8, Chapter 13.

Pay particular attention to the following in your reading and make notes, written or otherwise, in response to the questions posed:

2.	An important management proviso (Ch 4, para 20).  What is the difference between inter-agency direction/ co-ordination and single agency responsibility?

3.	Operational integrity (Ch 8, para 7).  What is a significant factor in the effectiveness of a ‘resource’ organisation and why is this so?

4.	Functional requirements of resource organisations (Ch 13, paras 10 – 11).  Consider the possible implications of these and the ways in which they may be satisfied.

5.	What might happen if organisations are not aware of their disaster roles and how might SOP alleviate this problem?

6.	How can SOP assist in the ‘timely role conversion’ requirement?

7.	Could we use SOP to monitor ‘role capability’, e.g. as an activity benchmark for exercises etc.?

8.	At what point in the emergency management planning process should matters such as organisational disaster roles, scope and limitations be resolved?

9.	The onion effect and standard operating procedures (Ch 13, paras 12 – 18).  What consequence does the onion or balloon effect have on an organisation and how can this be controlled?