The Emergency Planning process is not a one-time event. Rather, it is a continual cycle of planning, training, exercising, and revision that takes place throughout the five phases of the emergency management cycle, which includes:
- Preparedness
- Prevention
- Mitigation
- Response
- Recovery
Emergency Operations Plan
The planning process does have one purpose: the development and maintenance of an up-to-date emergency operations plan (EOP). An EOP can be defined as a document maintained at various jurisdictional levels describing the plan for responding to a wide variety of potential hazards. Although the emergency planning process is cyclic, EOP development has a definite starting point.
Resources & Strengths
The planning process is all about stakeholders bringing their resources and strengths to the table to develop and reinforce a jurisdiction’s emergency management and homeland security programs. Properly developed, supported, and executed operational plans are a direct result of an active and evolving program.