UNIVERSITY OF MINES AND TECHNOLOGY, TARKWA

3rd UMaT BIENNIAL INTERNATIONAL MINING AND

MINERAL CONFERENCE 2014 OUTLINE OF PRESENTATION
FACULTY OF MINING AND MINERALS TECHNOLOGY
MINING ENGINEERING DEPARTMENT
PRESENTATION ON:
SEMINAR PRESENTATION Definition of Key Concepts and Terminologies

Types of Disasters and Catastrophes

CONTAMINATION OF FOOD
Mine Safety BY IRON
and FROM GRINDING DISC MILL
Emergency
Management Fundaments of EM

Preparedness
Fundamentals of Emergency
Presented By:
OWUSU ANSAH ERIC
Management Prevention/Mitigation
Co-Authored By:
Mr Charles E. Abbey Response
By JULY 31, 2014 Recovery 2
Yenzanya Sylvester

Definitions Definitions
Accident: An accidents is an unplanned or undesired event A crisis is any event that is, or is expected to lead to, an
that causes harm to people, loss to process and damage to unstable and dangerous situation affecting an individual,
properties or the environment (Amegbey, 2015). group, community, or whole society.

Emergency: An emergency is an unforeseen situation that Calamity: “A massive or extreme catastrophic disaster that
threatens your employees, costumers, the public; disrupt or extends over time and space.” (Drabek 1996, p.4)
shut down your operations; or courses physical or
environmental damage. Catastrophe: “…any disaster that overwhelms the ability of
state, local, and volunteer agencies to adequately provide
Disaster: A disaster is an unplanned or sudden event that victims with such life-sustaining mass care services as
causes great damage or loss of life OR “an exceptional food, shelter, and medical assistance within the first 12 to
event that exceeds the capacity of normal resources and 24 hours.” (GAO, Disaster Management, 1993, p. 1)
organization to cope with it.”
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 Definitions Definitions
Vulnerability: The inability to resist a hazard or to response • Risk: The expectation of loss from hazards and their
when its has occurred. Depend on social, physical and impact. Risk is a function of probability (likelihood) of a
hazard occurrence and the impact (consequences) of a
economic factors. hazard

Exposure: The number of people, properties, livelihoods, • Disaster Risk Reduction: “The systematic development
systems are present in hazardous area and application of policies, strategies and practices to
minimize vulnerabilities and disaster risks throughout a
society, to avoid (prevention) or to limit (mitigation and
Act of God: An unintentional hazard event (usually a natural preparedness) adverse impact of hazards, within the
hazard) whereby society feels that no individual or broad context of sustainable development.” (Cited in
organization is responsible for the hazard occurrence or its FEMA Higher Education Project U.N. ISDR 2002, 25)
impact, i.e., an “accident.”
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Emergency Management Emergency Management

When speaking of emergency management and disaster • Emergency Management: The process of using
response, it is necessary to distinguish between the administrative decisions and operational skills to
activity and the professional discipline. implement policies and coping strategies within the
communities or institutions to lessen the impact of an
emergency event.
The discipline of emergency management is relatively
new.
• A house fire is an emergency—certainly for the
occupants involved. It is a crisis, and public safety
Although many definitions exist in the disaster literature, personnel must manage the situation. But it is not
emergency management can be defined simply as man’s necessarily an emergency management event unless
attempt to identify and deal with potential and actual large- perhaps the fire threatens to spread to the whole
scale hazards, threats, and disasters. block (David Alexander’s (2002, 1)).

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 Types of Emergencies
Emergencies are mainly grouped into natural or man
made.

Canada EMS, 1992

9 Types of Emergencies 10

PRINCIPLES OF EM Principle Of EM Cont’d

Fundamentally, emergency management activities
can be divided into four core phases (also known
Preparation
as the four housemen of EM):

Recovery Emergency Prevention

1. Prevention/Mitigation /Disaster
2. Preparedness Management
3. Response
4. Recovery
Response Mitigation

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 Principle Of EM Cont’d Principle Of EM Cont’d

Pre Disaster Preparations • Preparation Plans, Emergency Drills, Warning

Systems
• Preparedness
• Prevention
• Mitigation
Mitigation • Evacuation Plans, Building codes and zones, Public
warning systems
Disaster

Post Disaster Response • Emergency operation, Public warning systems,

Search and rescue Operations
• Relief/Response
• Rehabilitation/Recovery
• Roads restored, Transportation routes unblocked,
Recovery Power restores, communication restored , pure
drinking water available, sewage etc
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Principle Of EM Cont’d Mitigation

• Any time a concept is neatly categorized, a temptation Two of the phases of emergency management are
develops to think that the concept is simple and neat. undertaken in advance of a disaster or large-scale
emergency taking place.
• Although couching emergency management efforts in
terms of these four phases is extremely helpful for • “Mitigation” relates to those activities directed at
understanding emergency management broadly, it should eliminating or reducing the degree of long-term risk to
be noted that the distinctions between phases are not human life and property from natural and technological
always clear. hazards.
• In some cases, these phases overlap with some • Haddow and Bullock (2006) note that mitigation differs
emergency management activities incapable of being from the other emergency management functions in that
compartmentalized into one phase or another. it is concerned with long-term solutions for minimizing
risk, as opposed to the more short-term activities of
• With that caution in mind, let us examine the four phases preparing for emerging hazards, responding to events,
of emergency management. 15 and then recovering from them. 16

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 Mitigation Cont’d Mitigation Cont’d
• Many activities can be undertaken by emergency
management officials and their organisations to reduce the • Publicly subsidized insurance might be offered
risk of hazards in the long term.
to (or even required for) the public so that if
• Mitigation activities might include establishing building disaster strikes, the financial burden to the
codes that improve the chances of structures remaining victims and the taxpayers is more manageable.
standing after an earthquake.

• Zoning and land management might be used to ensure • Public education campaigns could help citizens
that residences are not located in flood-prone areas.
be more informed and equipped (and therefore
• Relocation funds, tax incentives, and low-interest loans less needy) should a disaster ever come.
might be provided to homeowners or businesses to
encourage their moving from areas prone to floods or
wildfires.
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Mitigation Cont’d Mitigation Cont’d

Challenges
Benefits of Mitigation Despite the advantages of mitigation, there are real obstacles
There are many benefits to mitigation. that make serious mitigation efforts difficult to achieve.
• The chief benefit is that mitigation can indeed save lives • The very nature of mitigation involves taking action before
and reduce the number of injuries. a crisis is even on the horizon.
• Through mitigation, property damage can be reduced or – It is difficult, therefore, to sell mitigation to policymakers,
prevented; economic losses, social dislocation, and elected officials, and the taxpayers when no immediate
stress can be minimized; the damage to critical benefit is realized.
infrastructure and disruptions to key services can be • This is especially true given the fact that mitigation tends to
minimized; the liability of government officials (and by be cost intensive.
extension, the taxpayer) can be reduced; and a positive
political climate may develop due to the perception that – Those costs are not only incurred by government, which
may irk taxpayers, but also by business and industry,
government exercised wise forethought. 19 which customarily pass on those costs to consumers. 20

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 Mitigation Cont’d Preparedness
Challenges cont’d • This phase refers to activities undertaken in advance of an
emergency or disaster to develop operational and logistical
– It can cost quite a bit of money to bring an existing capabilities and to facilitate an effective response should
building into compliance with enhanced safety codes. an emergency management event occur.

– Likewise, the building of new structures for either • Effective preparedness efforts require:
residential or commercial use that are subject to new – proper planning
and costly codes and zoning regulations may be – the allocation of sufficient resources
impeded. – making the training of emergency responders a priority,
and
• Mitigation, frankly, can have a stunting impact on – engaging in disaster simulation exercises in order to
economic development and growth that would otherwise practice large-scale responses and to identify
have taken place. vulnerabilities in the response process.
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Preparedness Cont’d Preparedness Cont’d

1. Adopt emergency management–related ordinances

Rightly or wrongly, the preparedness piece of emergency
management has really come to be associated with • Such ordinances give the necessary authority and power to
professional emergency managers as their primary job EM officials to delineate the responsibilities of these
duty—especially the coordination of disaster simulation officials from the responsibilities and powers of other public
exercises. officials (e.g. police chief or the fire chief).

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 Preparedness Cont’d Preparedness Cont’d
2. Risk Assessment 3. Emergency Operations Plan (EOP)

The development of the EOP is a result of the risk

• Communities must engage in risk assessment as a part assessment.
of the preparedness effort. That is, communities need to
identify the realistic hazards and vulnerabilities present
Every EOP must provide basic information about the
in the community. disaster response mechanisms in the community.

• Therefore, risk assessment is unique to the community Beyond that, the plan provides detailed information,
undertaking it. specific to that jurisdiction’s risks and needs, about
how particular types of disasters and emergencies will
be handled - (Well spelt out in the Lecture on
Can you identify some hazards and vulnerabilities in your Emergency Response Plan ).
communities? 25 26

Preparedness Cont’d Preparedness Cont’d

5. Resource identification cont’d
5. Resource identification • These resources must be identified prior to a disaster—
during the preparedness phase—because the chaotic
• Resources are finite, including money. In a time of environment during a disaster may not permit the marshaling
crisis, they can be particularly scarce. But in the of the manpower or equipment needed in the moment.
midst of a disaster, monetary considerations
generally take a back seat. • Emergency managers must assess internal resources in
their possession, external resources that could be accessed
• The resources that must be employed at the time of and what contingencies might arise in an emergency that
a disaster include personnel, equipment, and would require the various resources available.
supplies. – E.g. When Hurricane Katrina struck New Orleans,
hundreds of school buses that were designated for use to
evacuate city residents sat idle because they had no
27 drivers to operate them. 28

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 Preparedness Cont’d Preparedness Cont’d
7. Mutual aid agreements

• This is directly connected to the scarcity of resources.

• Resource identification, including the • Local communities can be overwhelmed by large-scale

development of resource backup plans, is a disasters and emergencies which are infrequent to warrant
major obligation of emergency managers in their permanent staffing and equipment levels sufficient to meet
preparedness efforts. needs in those times of crisis.

• This is probably true not only of Community A, but also

Community B, and every other community in the region.
Consequently, local governments frequently enter into
mutual aid agreements, which obligate one community to
provide assistance to another community when needed.
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Preparedness Cont’d Preparedness Cont’d

8. Training and exercises.
7. Mutual aid agreements cont’d
• A key element of preparedness is training. First
These details, which can be controversial at times, include:
responders, public safety administrators and emergency
• Are the communications systems interoperable, and if not, managers must know what to do when a disastrous
what must be done to make them so? event occurs.
• Who pays the salaries, fuel, and expenses associated with a • Training of emergency personnel must include topic
mutual aid response? areas such as interdepartmental operations, logistics,
• Who is in charge of mutual aid responders? and the use of the incident command system.
• Who pays line-of-duty benefits if death or injury were to
• Training must also include functional topics such as: how
occur?
to clean up hazardous materials; how to establish a
• Under what circumstance can a community determine not to triage system for assessing injuries in the field; and how
respond to mutual aid request? to preserve evidence of an enormous crime scene while
31 32
performing other first responder duties

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 Preparedness Cont’d Preparedness Cont’d
8. Training and exercises Cont’d 9. Public education.

• In addition to training, emergency managers engaged in • The process of educating the public about what to do in
preparedness must also design and implement disaster large-scale emergencies is also an element of emergency
exercises. management preparedness.

• Exercises also afford the chance to identify weaknesses, • Through education programs, public apathy toward the
knowledge gaps, and vulnerabilities in the emergency possibility of disasters can be diminished without causing
operation plan and among emergency personnel. people to become excessively alarmist.
Exercises can be conducted on a large or small scale. • Education can also impact people’s behavior in a positive
way—hopefully resulting in the reduction of risky behavior
• Emergency managers also design and implement “table (such as continuing to live in a floodplain). Further,
top” exercises. These exercises are the least costly and education will equip citizens to respond to disasters in a
are generally conducted in the classroom or office. safer, more responsible, and more helpful manner.
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Preparedness Cont’d Preparedness Cont’d

9. Public education cont’d 9. Public education cont’d

Among the steps that individuals and families can take to

Disaster education programs for the public cover topics enhance their own ability to cope with disasters are:
such:
– as the causes and consequences of disasters, Assemble an emergency kit.
– how to protect one’s home, • The emergency kit should include items that may be
– where to seek shelter, needed in the event that one’s home must be quickly
– self-preservation skills, evacuated.
– how disaster warning systems operate, and • The kit should include food with a long shelf life, bottled
– the role of government and private agencies when water, medical supplies, a flashlight with extra batteries,
different types of disasters or emergencies arise. blankets, extra clothing, sanitation, and communications
equipment (particularly a radio).
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 Preparedness Cont’d Preparedness Cont’d
9. Public education cont’d 9. Public education cont’d

Compile vital personal information. Create a family communications plan

• Copies of important documents should be included in one’s
emergency kit. • A plan should be developed for how to contact
immediate family members in the event that a
• Alternatively, backup copies could be sent to family members disaster or an emergency occurs when family
in other locations. members are not all together.
• Key personal documents include medical records, insurance
policies, financial account information, an inventory of • Typically, out-of-town relatives can serve as the
household goods, deeds, telephone numbers, extra keys, and
cash. linking pin between dislocated family members.

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Preparedness Cont’d Response

9. Public education cont’d
• Response refers to what the government and other
organizations do immediately before, during, and after a
Be disaster aware disaster or terror event occurs.

• The response phase involves acute activity intended to

Citizens are encouraged to be familiar with the very types
save lives and property and to pave the way for effective
of calamities that are most likely to befall one’s community.
recovery.
Coastal residents obviously must be prepared to deal with
certain types of emergencies that Midland will never see • Damon Coppola (2007) proposed three phases of
(such as hurricanes). response
– 1. Prehazard
– 2. Emergency: Hazard effects are ongoing
– 3. Emergency: Hazard effects have ceased
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 Response Cont’d Response Cont’d
Pre-hazard • At this stage of an emergency management event, officials
have some opportunity to respond in a way that can still
save lives and property. Warnings or evacuation orders
• During the pre-hazard stage, an emergency is could be given.
recognized by emergency management and public
safety officials as imminent, but not yet present. • Law enforcement and fire/rescue units could be alerted and
prepositioned. Hospital emergency rooms could be notified
• For example, rotation may have been spotted in a wall so that preparation might be made to treat potential
cloud, but a tornado has not yet touched down. Or casualties.
intelligence may have been gathered confirming a terror • Depending on the nature of the impending emergency,
attack is imminent against a city’s landmark, but it has there may even be time to engage in last-minute, ad hoc
not yet taken place. mitigation and preparedness measures. This might include
sandbagging vulnerable areas before an expected river
41 breach hours away (Coppola 2007). 42

Response Cont’d Response Cont’d

Hazard effects are ongoing Hazard effects have ceased

• This response phase of emergency management might • But during this post hazard stage of an emergency
also be employed at some level during the emergency responders are no longer focusing on the hazard effects,
while the hazard is ongoing. but rather concern themselves with
• Depending on the nature of the event, the ongoing – tending to victim needs, rescuing the trapped and
phase of an emergency could last seconds, or it could injured,
last hours and even days. – recovering and managing human remains,
– and keeping the situation stable (i.e., ensuring that an
ongoing hazardous state does not return).

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 Recovery Recovery Cont’d

• The final phase of emergency management is • Commonly, the government plays a leading role in
recovery efforts of large-scale, local disasters.
recovery. “Recovery” refers to what the
government does in the mid and long term after
• Recovery efforts focus on the restoration of services and
an emergency management event.
the reconstruction of buildings and transportation
networks.
• Recovery activities are intended to restore the
community to its condition prior to the disaster, • Long-term recovery efforts may blend into mitigation
or even better, improve the condition over what it efforts as measures are explored and taken to ensure
was pre-disaster. similar disasters are averted or at least diminished in
impact in the future.
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Recovery Cont’d The End

• In a major natural disaster, considerable public
assistance is frequently relied upon by large segments of
the citizenry.

• People may need housing assistance in the near term,

food assistance, and may need relatively routine but
necessary medical attention or treatment.
Thank You
• Emergency management efforts must anticipate these
needs and act upon them during recovery.
• The recovery phase also involves efforts to revitalize the
local economy and business sector of a community after
a disaster. 47 48

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 REFERENCES
• Wayne Blanchard (2008) “Guide To Emergency Management And Related Terms, • Peter Aitken (2007) Principles Of Disaster Management Anton Breinl
Definitions, Concepts, Acronyms, Organizations, Programs, Guidance, A Tutorial Centre James Cook University 73pp
on Emergency Management, Broadly Defined, Past and Present • Amegbey N. (2015, Safety Management, Short Course University of Mines
and Technology, Tarkwa, 100pp
• ICDRM/GWU Emergency Management Glossary of Terms Institute for Crisis,
Disaster, and Risk Management The George Washington University Washington,
D.C.

• Jeffrey B. Bumgarner (2008), EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT A Reference

Handbook,308 pp

• Michael K. Lindell, Carla Prater, and Ronald W. Perry (2007) Introduction to

Emergency Management, Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Printed in the
United States of America

• Tony Moore Disaster and Emergency Management Systems, First published in

the UK in 2008 by BSI 389 Chiswick High Road London W44AL-159pp

• Anon., 2015 “Emergency Action Plans” Study Guide, Occupational Heath and
Safety Academy”, Geigle Safety Group International, 38pp
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