The content of emergency management plans

The content of emergency plans depends entirely on the purpose of the plans. Some written plans are intended as operational documents, that is they will be used in an actual emergency, and they thus require information and a structure that are of operational use. Other plans are more strategic or policy-oriented, and it may not be intended for them to be used for operational purposes. These strategic plans will most likely be supported by operational procedures.

Some plans are intended to cover one organisation only, others describe the tasks and management of many organisations. Some plans are developed for only one hazard, whereas others may cover many hazards. The scope of some plans are for large geographical or administrative areas, others are for quite small areas. As you can see from these statements, plans are not generic and, as stated earlier in this Topic, should be developed specifically for the context in which they are required.

Activity 3.2 What do you think are the essential elements of an emergency management plan? Take 5 – 10 minutes and jot down your thoughts now before continuing on.   Read Textbooks AEM: Emergency Planning Chapter 8. Carter, Disaster management: A disaster manager's handbook, Chapter 12. How does your list of essential elements of an emergency plan compare to those described in these two readings? Print this activity

There are, of course, other types of content that may be required for hazard/ risk-specific or function-specific plans, and some of these will be described in Topic 11.

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