Rothstein Associates Inc.

EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT:
PRINCIPLES AND PRACTICES FOR LOCAL GOVERNMENT
STUDY GUIDE
by Lydia D. Bjornlund
International City/County Management Association.

COURSE OVERVIEW

“Emergency management is one of local government's most important public service
operations, affecting the community's ability to avoid extensive damage and facilitate recovery
in the event of a disaster. Effective disaster mitigation can save human lives as well as
millions of dollars of property damage. A successful emergency management program is
dependent on the emergency manager's knowledge of the field of emergency management
and available resources and on his or her ability to work with community leaders and other
departments and agencies that are involved in the four phases of emergency management:
mitigation, planning, response, and recovery.

“The course is based on the first edition of the textbook, Emergency Management.-
Principles and Practice for Local Government, published by ICMA in 1991. The text was
edited by Thomas E. Drabek, professor of sociology at the University of Denver, and Gerard J.
Hoetmer, assistant executive director for program development, public policy, and consortia
at ICMA- The Emergency Management textbook combines a perspective on the basics of
emergency management with current thinking on issues and problems that influence how
emergency operations are managed.

“Emergency Management: Principles and Practice is one in a series of self-study courses on
core local government topics. These courses are made available by ICMA's Training Institute
using the textbooks in the Municipal Management Series. ICMA's self-study program is
based on the philosophy that effective managers never finish learning. There are always new
issues to tackle, new ways to look at ongoing programs, and new techniques to apply to
existing problems. Self-study education provides a way for local government employees to
learn about new innovations and grow professionally while staying on the job. Through the
group option of ICMA's self-study program, local government practitioners can learn more
about their field with colleagues who have similar interests, and get feedback, observations,
and support from the members of the group - all without ever leaving the office.

================================

COURSE AUDIENCE AND OBJECTIVES

The Emergency Management course is designed primarily for people involved in disaster
mitigation and response who want to broaden their perspectives, learn more about current
issues, and expand their management capability. The course can also serve as a refresher
for experienced emergency managers who want to update their knowledge and sharpen
management skills.
Additionally, it can be used as an introduction for emergency personnel or other local
government staff who know something about the field but haven't had much experience in or
exposure to emergency management.

“Specific learning objectives for the course will vary depending on work experience and
personal and professional interests. The overall course objectives are to:
- Provide a comprehensive overview of emergency management emphasizing the
changes taking place today that will influence how emergency operations are managed.
- Help students develop a management perspective so that they see emergency
operations as an integrated whole rather than a separate function of local government.
- Provide tools for assessing existing emergency management functions.
- Raise questions, issues, and ideas that go beyond the textbook.
- Stimulate progressive thinking on the issues, concerns, and constraints effective
emergency managers must think about today and be ready to deal with in the coming
decade.

================================

HOW THE COURSE WORKS

“Emergency Management: Principles and Practice is a self-paced learning package. The
course contains 13 lessons - one for each chapter of the textbook (including the Introduction).
Each lesson includes:
- review questions that highlight the main points of the text;
- application questions to help you apply the information you learn in the text to the
situation in your own community; and
- exercises designed to help you identify the strengths and weaknesses of emergency
management functions and to organize a comprehensive program for your community.

“Take the following steps to complete the course:

1. Read the textbook at your own pace. You may prefer to read only one chapter at a
time or to read two or three chapters together. It is important, however, to read the text in
order, as questions and exercises in the Study Guide introduce terms and concepts the first
time they appear.

2. Answer the review questions after you have read each chapter. (You may want to
familiarize yourself with the questions before beginning the reading.) While you may want to
use the text to answer questions, completing the questions without looking at the text will
provide a better indication of your reading comprehension.

3. Refer to the textbook to check your answers and make necessary corrections. A
reference guide is included in the appendix to help you locate correct answers.

4. Then, answer the application questions, which will help you apply the issues raised
in the course to your own community.

5. Finally, review the exercises, which are designed to guide you as you begin to
strengthen the emergency management function in your community. Refer back to these
exercises and expand on your answers as your knowledge and your emergency management
program grow.

6. After you have completed the study guide, review the information covered by the
review questions. Refer back to the text to go over any information about which you
have questions.

7. Finally, complete the course test at the end of the Study Guide. For this exercise, do
not refer to the text. Score yourself using the answer key in Appendix D. Review the sections
of the text that discuss the test questions that you have missed.

8. When you have thoroughly reviewed all course material, detach the card in the back
of the workbook to notify the ICMA staff that you are ready for the final examination. We will
send you a fifty-question multiple-choice examination to complete and return to the ICMA
Training Institute to grade.”

================================

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Course Overview

Introduction

1: The Evolution of Emergency Management

2: Organizing for Emergency Management

3: Coordinating Community Resources

4: Reaching Out: Getting the Community Involved in Preparedness

5: Perspectives and Roles of the State and Federal Governments

6: Disaster Mitigation and Hazard Management

7: Planning, Training, and Exercising

8: Managing Disaster Response Operations

9: Recovery from Disaster

10: Day-to-Day Management

11: Liability Issues

12: Future Directions

Appendix A: Checklists for Emergency Management

Appendix B: Reference Guide for Review Questions

Appendix C: Emergency Management Test

Appendix D: Emergency Management Test Answer Key

Appendix E: Twenty Characteristics of Effective Emergency Management

================================

1992, 147 pages. Order #DR471.

4 Arapaho Rd.

Brookfield, CT 06804-3104

1-888-ROTHSTEin

Telephone: 203.740.7444; 888.768.4783

Fax: 203.740.7401

All bookstore enquiries should be sent to Rothstein Associates at the above address.

Looking for Practical Knowledge?