What is a resource?
A 'resource', as described in this subject, is anything of value or use in emergency management. This includes people, equipment, ideas, training, organisations, management systems, legislation, standards, physical activities, money, and prevention, preparedness, response and recovery strategies and actions. These resources can be applied to prevention, mitigation, preparedness, response and recovery.
As we found in our earlier discussion of prevention and mitigation strategies, there is a lot that can be done in emergency management, but it is sometimes difficult selecting what should be done. And there are other questions such as:
- What is currently being done?
- What is the difference between the ideal situation and the current situation?
- Who is responsible for correcting any variation between the ideal and current situations?
- Is it cost-effective (that is, is the expenditure of money in this area really worth it)?
These questions can be answered by combining the results of your potential problem analysis with the resource needs analysis, and by using selection criteria such as those suggested by Foster (refer back to Topic 5).
