5 Key Terms in Emergency Management

5 Key Terms in Emergency Management

Important Emergency Management Terms

• Advance Readiness Activities
• All-Hazards Approach
• Human-Made Disasters
• Flood Return Periods
• White Level Search

Persons who choose to work in emergency management will need to learn a variety of important terms related to the field. Learning these terms will help to ensure that emergency management graduates will be knowledgeable and successful in their new careers. Although the list of these terms is a bit lengthy, the following five terms are among the most important.

1. Advanced Readiness Activities

One key term in emergency management is advanced readiness activities. Advance readiness activities refers to those activities that can help to prepare for an emergency when there is a potentially high risk for a particular emergency. There are times, such as when weather forecasts an impending hurricane, when emergency management teams are able to prepare in advance. Preparation often depends on the emergency but may include stockpiling water and food provisions, cutting back tree branches away from power lines, and evacuating high-risk areas.

2. All-Hazards Approach

Another key term in emergency management is known as the all-hazards approach. The Federal Emergency Management Agency lists several definitions for the all-hazards approach. While one definition is to generalize approaches to all emergency situations, a better definition is to be prepared to handle any type of emergency situation. Emergency management teams must be prepared to handle any crisis they are confronted with whether it is a hurricane, an earthquake, a wildfire, a tsunami, a landslide, a nuclear explosion, or a terrorist attack.

3. Human-Made Disasters

Human-made disasters is another term that emergency management professionals need to be aware of. Human-made disasters consist of emergency situations that are directly caused by people’s actions. These actions can be accidental or deliberate and can include such things as toxic spills, civil wars, groundwater contamination, mining accidents, terrorist attacks, bomb explosions, structure failures, and some transportation accidents. While some of these incidents cannot be predicted, EM teams must know how to handle them if and when they occur.

4. Flood Return Periods

Yet another key term in emergency management is flood return periods. Flood return periods rely on statistical analysis to predict the likelihood a flood will occur. Data from previous floods throughout history is used to make these predictions. In addition to likelihood, data may help determine the severity of flooding, geographic probability, and possible dates. Probability is typically expressed in percentages and gives estimates of events of similar nature and intensity.

5. White Level Search

White level search is also a key term in emergency management. At times, areas need to be inspected to ensure that they are secure. This may be true for workplaces or areas where an event is being held that is expected to draw a large crowd of spectators. In these cases, a white level search is necessary. During a white level search, emergency management teams closely inspect the area taking note of any unusual or suspicious objects and in some cases, persons.

Emergency management is a great career choice for people who want to help others in crisis. But for persons interested in this field, there are several key terms in emergency management that they will need to learn. Although the list of these terms is a bit extensive, five of the most common are described above.