Background
Emergency management plan has become one of the most crucial components in any given nation or society that is involved in the process of strategic organizational management with the aim of protecting critical assets from catastrophes or disasters caused by hazardous risks.
As a matter of fact, emergency processes are conducted with the sole aim of ensuring that a community, society or nation continues to operate within its planned lifetime. This paper takes a critical look at the emergency plans for Branford town, Connecticut and compares its standards with that of Groton town which is also located in Connecticut.
An overview of geographical areas for Groton and Branford town, Connecticut
To begin with, it is vital to mention that the emergency plan for Groton covers a geographical area of about 38.3 square miles which is also the piece of land on which Groton town is built. Reports indicate that in the census conducted in 2008, the population of Groton stood at 39167 people (Town of Groton, Connecticut 6).
Due to such a growing population, it has been found quite necessary to develop ways and means of building robust emergency operation systems that can be employed in the event of disasters. The town has political subdivisions and boundaries as well as a governing structure such as the City of Groton which is headed by a Chief Executive Officer.
In addition, Groton Town has a government which is composed of a Town Council, a Town Manager and Representatives. The Town Council and Elected Representatives assist the Town Manager in conducting emergency operations and management of the town. Other important organs in the towns are the police department and the fire department among others that assist in tackling emergency issues (Town of Groton, Connecticut 6).
Due to such an elaborate leadership structure, it has been quite convenient for the town to balance its emergency plan both in terms of duty allocation to various officers as well as implementing various proposals that have been put in place. On the other hand, the emergency plan for Branford, a town in New Haven County is not clearly stated in terms of geographical coverage.
Reports indicate that the town has a population of 28,000 people who live as a community (Town of Branford, Connecticut 7). Branford, unlike Groton that has political subdivisions and boundaries as well as a governing structure headed by a Chief Executive Officer, has a government which is comprised of Town Meeting Representatives, a Board of Finance as well as a Board of Selectmen.
The government of Branford is assisted by the police department and the fire department officers among others who tackle emergency issues (Town of Branford, Connecticut 7).
Comparison of Branford and Groton emergency operations plan
Professional activities and phases:
In both towns, one important and common factor they share in their emergency plan is the nature of disaster management design which is highly dependent on local social and economic situations.
Experts and analysts of the emergency plans for Branford and Groton indicate that the plans have been se up to mostly tackle disasters which are economic in nature.
The cycle of their management in terms of emergency focuses on human justice issues, public awareness as well as infrastructural work which are long term. As such, their emergency plans are carried out in four emergency management phases that include preparedness, mitigation, response and recovery.
Mitigation:
In terms of mitigation, both plans have been designed with an attempt of preventing the development of hazards into disasters as well as curbing the possible effects of disasters.
It is imperative to mention that the emergency plan for Branford, unlike that for Groton, covers all hazards and its mitigation efforts target reducing loss of property and life by lessening the consequences of disasters. Nevertheless, mitigation designs for both emergency plans are made possible through risk analysis.
This is done via acquiring in formation and insurance which are used as bases for activities involving mitigation and protection of financial investments. In terms of mitigation measures, Branford applies both structural and non structural measures.
Its technological emergency solutions under structural measures are used in Annex ‘H’ for evacuation and Annex ‘I’ for shelter and for national emergencies as well as for development and maintenance of plans. However, Branford shares non-structural plans with Groton some of which include insurance, land use planning and legislation.
Preparedness and response:
The levels of preparedness in both plans exhibit a design which shows a continuous cycle of improving activities, monitoring, evaluating, creating, exercising, equipping, training, organizing, managing and planning activities.
These preparations have been included in the emergency plans to enhance capabilities and ensure effective and efficient coordination activities involving mitigation, creation of resources, recovery, response, protection and prevention against disasters.
Other common methods of preparedness in the plans include communication plans, emergency service trainings, emergency evacuation plans and population warning exercises and stockpiling of disaster equipment and supplies.
In terms of response, both towns have emergency services that a rescue plan has been efficiently conducted. Their response teams include fire departments, officers from police departments and ambulance crews. In some cases, they employ federal response plan and mutual aid.
Recovery:
The recovery plans for both Groton and Branford emergency plans aim at ensuring that the affected areas after a disaster have been fully restored. Their process of recovery basically entails re-building various areas within infrastructure, hiring again those who had lost their jobs as well as property building.
It is important to mention that the recovery process involving building back is undertaken with an aim of ensuring that occurrences of similar disasters are mitigated. The recovery plans are also meant to ensure that those who are affected are brought back or restored back to original.
Is the plan effective?
The plans that have been put underway to manage emergency issues are efficient in both locations bearing in mind that there is improved flexibility especially in terms of exposure to risks. In addition, there are up-to-date mitigation measures that have been put in place to take of both visible and foreseen risks.
Emergency management for both Branford and Groton are not tactical processes but have been organized to represent strategic processes managed at the executive level. In other words, the process of planning largely deals with coordination and offering pieces of advice that are needed in the general emergency planning of the towns.
The emergency plans for both towns have management teams which ensure that there is a thorough integration and application of emergency plans at every level of both towns. Besides, the management teams are also tasked with the role of seeking assistance from other top government bodies, getting additional resources and managing emergencies.
Works Cited
Town of Branford, Connecticut. Emergency operations plan. n.d. Web.
Town of Groton, Connecticut. Emergency operations plan and annexes. n.d. Web.