Emergency Preparedness and Response
Core concepts
Emergency preparedness is a cycle: prevention, mitigation, preparedness, response, and recovery. Candidates must know the elements of an emergency plan: hazard identification, roles and responsibilities, alarm and communication systems, evacuation routes and assembly points, training and drills, and coordination with external responders.
Response principles
Know the priorities: life safety first, then property, then environment. Understand evacuation versus shelter-in-place, and the role of emergency wardens. Drills test the plan and reveal gaps; they are not a formality. After an incident, conduct a debrief and update the plan.
Traps in questions
- Prioritising property over people.
- Assuming a plan exists because a document exists; training and drills are required.
- Forgetting external coordination and mutual aid.
- Overlooking recovery and post-incident review.
Rule of thumb
When a scenario asks what to do first, choose the action that protects people and prevents escalation. Evacuate or isolate, then call for help, then control the hazard if safe.
Worked example
A chemical spill occurs. The correct sequence is to alert and evacuate the area, call emergency services, and only then, if trained and safe, contain the spill. The trap is answering 'clean it up' before protecting people.