Local

Emergency
Management
PAF 160: How to Survive the 21st Century
Module 7
 • Review
• Core concepts
• Resilience capacities
Local EM structures
Agenda
•

• Intro to coordination
and command
systems
• Next steps
Review

Week in Review
Week in Review
• Systems Dynamic Perspective: A set of interconnected elements that
form a coherent whole
• Complicated systems (many parts but predictable) versus complex
systems (unpredictable)
• Nodes (key parts of a system), connections (relationships), flows (what
moves between parts), and boundaries (what’s in/out) are the key parts
and connections of a system
• Understanding how systems works helps reveal hidden vulnerabilities,
interdependencies, disaster risk, and plan for resilience
• Examples in emergency management: emergency response networks,
supply chains for critical resources, public health infrastructure,
communication systems
Parts and Connections
of a System
• Nodes (parts of system)
• Connections
(relationships)
• Flows (what moves
between parts)
• Boundaries (what's in/out)
UNDRR
Local Emergency Management

Introduction to
Local Emergency
Management
First Principles

• “Local emergency
management is focused on the
coordinated effort to ensure
community readiness,
response, and recovery from
disasters”
• “Emergency management is
inherently local” – Claire Rubin
• Local capacities determine
outcomes
FEMA
What capacities are
needed to manage a
disaster in your local
community?
Old Framework:
Disasters as Random and Rare

Kayyem (2024)
New Framework:
Disasters as Standard Operating Procedure

Kayyem (2024)
Emergency
Management
Cycle
Emergency
Management
Framework Activities that
(Cycle) reduce or
eliminate long-
term risk. This
includes ongoing
actions that secure
communities
Immediate actions against the worst
during and after effects of disasters
an incident.
Actions include
those that restore
and strengthen
communities.
Local Response
Quarantelli's 4 core findings on local
response from “Disaster Crises
Management: A Summary of Research
Findings” (1988)
• Quickly relate emergency resources
and personnel to new disaster
demands
• Process (new) information
• Exercise decision-making for
uncertain outcomes
• Develop overall coordination for a
emergency operations

City of Atlanta
 Response Reality
The “72-hour principle” (and longer) focuses on building local
preparedness for self sufficiency in the first hours and days of a disaster.
This is because response times from emergency personnel can vary
depending on the scale and impacts of the disaster event.

Office of Climate Change, Sustainability and Resilience, O’ahu; Adapted from FEMA
What phase of
emergency
management interests
you the most (or you
work in already)?
Local Emergency Management

Resilience Capacities
and Emergency
Management
Human (Social) Capital
Framework
Putnam’s “Bowling Alone: America’s
Declining Social Capital” (1995)
• “Social capital” represents the social
ties and trust between people and
institutions
• Indicator of community health and
resilience
• We are more vulnerable when we do
not have a strong social capital, aka
resilience
• This results in low or sustainability, or
long-term instability in a community

City of Atlanta
Resilience Capitals

NOAA
Four Conditions of
Community Vulnerability
Eric Klinenberg (sociologist) has four
conditions:
• Demographic shifts (aging
populations, changing family
structures)
• Cultural conditions (fear-based
isolation, reduced neighbor
interaction)
• Spatial transformations (loss of
public space, reduced community
interaction)
• Fragmented support networks

City of Atlanta
Key concepts of resilience capitals in
emergency management
• Communities build resilience through integrated development of multiple capitals
(social, economic, physical, etc.), requiring emergency managers to work across
sectors and strengthen these resources before disasters strike, not just during
response
• Each type of capital reinforces the others in emergencies - for example,
communities with strong social networks and trusted institutions (social/political capital)
can more effectively mobilize and repair critical infrastructure (physical capital) during
disasters
• Emergency managers play a crucial role in helping communities build everyday
resilience by 1) identifying gaps in different capitals, 2) developing partnerships that
strengthen multiple capitals simultaneously, and 3) ensuring emergency plans protect
and quickly restore all forms of capital

City of Atlanta
FEMA Community Lifelines
• Lifelines were established by the Federal Emergency Management Agency
(FEMA) to increase the effectiveness of disaster management.
• Framework for understanding community systems.
• Lifelines are the most fundamental services in the community that enable
all other aspects of society to function.
• Represent the integrated network of assets, services, and capabilities
that are used day-to-day to support the recurring needs of the community.

FEMA, 2023

FEMA
Of these capitals,
which are most
important to you?
Local Emergency Management

Local Emergency
Management
Structures
Scales of Jurisdiction and Governance

State

County

Neighborhood

ESRI
EM Governance Structure
Resilience Hubs = Hyper-Local
Emergency Management
• Physical space (building) used to assist
hyper-local needs before, during, and
after emergencies
• Can identify “hidden hazards”
• Provides services, resources, training during
down-time
• Acts as a place for shelter and emergency
activation during a disaster
• Local approach to emergency management
that is driven by residents and connects to
government support when feasible
City of Tempe
 Resilience Hubs
USDN Model
Definition and Frameowork
Core functions diagram
Success metrics – balitmore

Center for Resilient Neighborhoods; UoH

City of Atlanta
Emergency Management Offices =
City/County Emergency Management
Emergency Management Office serves as the primary coordinator for:
• Program development
• First responders (Fire, Police, EMS)
• Public Works and Utilities
• Public Health
• Community Partners
• Public Risk Communication
Emergency Operation Center
(EOC) = City/County+ Scale

An emergency operations
center (EOC) is “the central
direction, control, and
coordination point of
emergency operations. It is
the place to decide what
specific information should go
to persons carrying out an
‘emergency service’ operation”
(FEMA, 1981)
Emergency Operation
Center (EOC)
• Typically function at the city/county scale,
but also exist at state/federal (NRCC and
RRCCs) scales
• Scaled to meet day-to-day crises as well
as catastrophic events, coordinating
across multiple jurisdictions
• Located in public buildings for
local/county/state/federal coordination
• Used to harmonize response and
recovery activities among different
organizations
The Community Emergency
Response Team (CERT)
Educates volunteers about disaster
preparedness for local hazards
• Nationwide approach, run by FEMA
• Locally embedded
• Volunteer
• Connects local emergency management
offices with residents and community
members to advance personal preparedness
• Supports all ages and all levels

City of Trinidad
What scales of
emergency
management interest
you the most?
Local Emergency Management

Introduction to
Coordination and
Command Systems
Organizational architecture

• Focused on anticipating impacts versus waiting for

surprises
• Governance needs to embrace all players and
capacities
• Structure of governance is a reflection of priorities
(Kayyem, 2022)
Who are the players (stakeholders)?
• Local responders
• Local emergency managers (city or county)
• State responders
• Elected and appointed local/state leadership
• Emergency Operation Centers (EOCs)
• Federal government
• Volunteer Groups or Voluntary Organizations Active in Disasters (VOADs)
• Utilities, communications, medical (FEMA “Community Lifelines”)
• Residents, community, businesses, visitors
City of Atlanta
National Incident Management (NIMS)

• NIMS establishes common language and processes for all

incident management, from minor accidents to major disasters
• Incident Command System (ICS) and Emergency Operation
Centers (EOC) structures provide clear roles and scalable
coordination across agencies, sectors, and jurisdictions
• The framework integrates government, private sector, and
community organizations through standardized protocols
• NIMS converts preparedness into actionable capabilities through
consistent operational systems

FEMA
National Incident Management (NIMS)

FEMA
Incident Command System (ICS)

FEMA

Oregon Department of Transportation

Unity of Effort

• Coordinating across all

organizations during a disaster
• Response capabilities are part of
core capabilities
• Focus on resource management
and communication
Next Steps

- Complete your readings

- Take your quiz
- Submit your Yellowdig
- See you next session!