When a major incident occurs, the first few hours can determine how effectively an organization responds.
The emergency manager's job isn't necessarily to have every answer. It's to create the structure, coordination, information flow, and decision-making environment that allows the organization to respond effectively.
Whether the incident is a severe storm, major fire, hazardous-materials release, cyberattack, infrastructure failure, mass-casualty event, or other emergency, the first 24 hours generally revolve around the same fundamental priorities.
Here are seven areas emergency managers should focus on.
1. Establish Situational Awareness
Before making major decisions, establish what is actually happening.
Information will initially be incomplete, contradictory, and constantly changing. Your first objective is to develop a common operating picture.
Identify:
- What happened?
- Where did it happen?
- When did it happen?
- Who and what are affected?
- What hazards are still present?
- What resources are currently available?
- What resources are needed?
- What information is still unknown?
Don't wait for perfect information.
In an emergency, decision-makers frequently have to act with incomplete information. The goal is to continuously improve the picture as new information becomes available.
2. Determine the Appropriate Response Structure
Not every incident requires a fully activated Emergency Operations Center.
Determine what level of coordination is actually necessary.
Depending on the incident, this could involve:
- Monitoring
- Increased coordination between departments
- Partial EOC activation
- Full EOC activation
- Incident Management Team activation
- Area Command
- Multi-agency coordination
The response structure should match the complexity of the incident.
One of the biggest mistakes organizations can make is either under-responding to a rapidly developing incident or creating unnecessary bureaucracy during a relatively simple event.
3. Identify Critical Priorities
Emergency managers should help decision-makers establish priorities early.
A useful starting point is:
Life safety → Incident stabilization → Property/environmental protection → Community recovery
The specific priorities will vary depending on the incident, but everyone involved should understand what the organization is trying to accomplish.
Ask:
"What are the three most important things we need to accomplish right now?"
Then ask the same question again a few hours later.
The answer may change as the incident develops.
4. Establish Information Management
Information can become one of the biggest challenges during a major incident.
Different agencies may have different information. Multiple people may be collecting the same information. Critical information may be sitting in someone's email inbox or on a phone.
Establish a process for collecting, validating, organizing, and distributing information.
At a minimum, consider tracking:
- Incident status
- Critical facilities
- Personnel
- Equipment
- Resource requests
- Road closures
- Utility disruptions
- Shelters
- Evacuations
- Public messaging
- Outstanding decisions
- Unmet needs
The goal isn't to create paperwork for the sake of paperwork.
The goal is to make sure the right people have the right information when they need it.
5. Manage Resources
One of the first questions during a major incident is often:
"What do we need?"
The better question is:
"What do we need, where do we need it, and when do we need it?"
Resource management should account for both current and projected requirements.
Consider:
- Personnel
- Vehicles
- Heavy equipment
- Communications equipment
- Fuel
- Food and water
- Medical resources
- Sheltering supplies
- Specialized teams
- Transportation
- Generators
- Temporary facilities
Don't wait until a resource becomes critical before identifying how long it will take to obtain.
If an incident is expected to last several days, begin planning for the next operational period while managing the current one.
6. Establish an Operational Rhythm
Large incidents can quickly become chaotic if there isn't a predictable rhythm to the response.
Establish recurring activities such as:
- Situation updates
- Operational briefings
- Planning meetings
- Resource updates
- Executive briefings
- Public information coordination
- Situation reports
- Shift changes
The exact schedule will depend on the incident.
The important thing is that everyone knows when information will be available and when decisions will be made.
Predictability becomes extremely valuable during stressful operations.
7. Start Planning for What's Next
One of the easiest mistakes during an emergency is becoming completely consumed by the current operational period.
While the response team is dealing with today's problems, someone needs to be thinking about tomorrow.
Ask:
- What happens if the incident continues for 24 more hours?
- What happens if critical infrastructure remains unavailable?
- Do we have enough personnel?
- Do we need additional shifts?
- What resources will we need tomorrow?
- What recovery issues are already developing?
- What decisions will leadership need to make next?
This is where good emergency management becomes more than simply reacting to events.
The emergency manager should be helping the organization stay ahead of the incident.
A Simple First-24-Hour Checklist
If you're responsible for emergency coordination, consider using this basic checklist:
☐ Establish situational awareness
☐ Identify incident priorities
☐ Determine activation/coordination requirements
☐ Establish communications and reporting procedures
☐ Identify critical resource needs
☐ Establish an operational rhythm
☐ Coordinate public information
☐ Identify outstanding decisions
☐ Begin planning for the next operational period
☐ Document major actions and decisions
What This Means in the Field
The first 24 hours of an emergency will rarely go exactly according to plan.
That doesn't mean planning isn't valuable.
Plans, checklists, procedures, training, exercises, and established relationships give organizations something to fall back on when conditions become unpredictable.
The objective isn't to eliminate uncertainty.
It's to build an organization capable of operating effectively despite it.
At Response-Depot, we're building practical resources, tools, and equipment for the people responsible for preparing for and responding to emergencies.
More emergency management resources and tools are coming soon.
Response-Depot
Practical tools for emergency management, preparedness, and response.