Hurricane Playbook Released
Local responses to structure fires, HAZMAT incidents, or multiple casualty vehicle crashes are safer and more effective if they are guided by pre-plans, Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs), and they are practiced through organized drills. This is also true of responses to mass casualty incidents where police, fire, and Emergency Medical Services (EMS) responders rely heavily on planning and exercises, because they occur so rarely in any given location. For the Federal response to disasters to be rapid, safe, and effective, Federal agencies must also develop formal response plans.
These plans or playbooks must describe what will likely be needed for each type of scenario and how those requirements will be met. The plans must be shared with all of the agencies that will need to work with them under emergency conditions, and they must be practiced. A Hurricane Playbook has been released by the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response (ASPR) at the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and is available at: http://www.hhs.gov/disasters/discussion/planners/playbook/hurricane/index.html.
The Hurricane Playbook was developed by ASPR, together with the partner agencies that would assist during a Federal response to a major hurricane. It was based upon the structure used in the National Response Framework (NRF) ( http://www.fema.gov/emergency/nrf/mainindex.htm ) to organize its planning and responses to disasters. Under the NRF, the major missions that make up the Federal emergency response are grouped into 15 emergency support functions (ESFs). Each ESF has a Federal department or agency that leads it.
The Department of Health & Human Services (HHS) has the lead for ESF #8, which is called “Public Health and Medical Services.” The plans for the Federal ESF #8 response to the different disaster scenarios are set out in ‘playbooks’.The basic structure of each playbook is the same, and uses standard Incident Command Structure (ICS) terminology (command, logistics, planning, and operations) to describe how the responders are organized. Each playbook contains the following five (5) major sections:
- Scenario,
- Concept of Operations,
- Action Steps/Issues,
- Pre-Scripted Mission Assignment Sub-Tasks, and
- Essential Elements of Information.
The Hurricane Playbook is organized by the phases of the response and is aligned with the FEMA Hurricane Season Concept of Operations. It is made available here so that State and local planners and emergency responders can anticipate some of the capabilities and limitations of a Federal response. It provides an overall summary of decision points and action steps for Federal ESF #8 agencies prior to, during, and after a hurricane or tropical storm makes landfall in the United States or its territories.
One of the most important parts of the ESF #8 Hurricane Playbook involves evacuation and shelter-in-place options for individuals with medical needs who live at home or are in hospitals, nursing homes, or assisted living facilities. The Playbook also addresses:
- Life-Saving Operations
- Life-Sustaining Operations
- Restoration of Public Health and Medical Infrastructure
- Patient Return to Location of Origin
- Veterinary Assistance
- Fatality Management
- Worker Safety and Health
The information contained in the Hurricane Playbook is not a substitute for State or local emergency preparedness activities. It is not intended to replace existing emergency operations plans, procedures, or guidelines developed by health departments, emergency management agencies, public safety departments, or hospitals. State and local planners of health and medical responses to disasters are encouraged to coordinate with HHS Regional Emergency Coordinators (RECs) to develop seamless, joint plans for the most effective possible response to the threat of hurricanes.
For more information on emergency preparedness and planning, resources, and reference tools, visit: http://www.hhs.gov/disasters/index.html.
