Standard #1: Essential functions/ services are identified.
1. The agency has thoroughly assessed their services, client/community needs and internal capabilities.
2. The agency has developed a disaster mission statement that identifies the critical services they would provide or the role they would play in an emergency or disaster.
3. The mission is formally adopted by the organization’s governing body.
4. Staff, clients and other key stakeholders are aware of the disaster mission.
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Standard #2:
The agency has a plan for how it will operate during a disaster, and if the agency is unable to operate have a backup plan for how critical services will be addressed.
1. The agency has determined which services will be provided in a disaster and which ones will be discontinued.
2. If the agency is not able to operate, have a plan for how it will close down.
3. The agency has a process to notify clients if they will not be served at/by the agency.
4. The safety and care of clients and visitors who are at the agency at the time of a disaster are addressed.
5. There is a notification process to communicate changes in services to key partners and disaster responders:
- What hours the agency is open, and if it is closed, when it expects to resume services
- If the agency is closed, what the reason is for the closure
- How and to whom clients are being referred, if services are not being provided
- How the agency will notify key partners that services are resumed, if they had been suspended, and under what conditions
- How to contact someone at the agency with questions
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Standard #3: Multiple communication tools are identified and established in order to contact internal and external stakeholders.
Maintain a list with contact information for all staff such as home phone, cell phone, or pager numbers and ask staff which would be their preferred method of contact. Update yearly to ensure contact information is up-to-date. Have an electronic and print version available, such as Staff Emergency Contact Information
In the event of an emergency, what is your primary method of contacting staff and key partners? If that service, such as internet for email or land lines for phones, goes down, what is your alternate method of contact? Make sure you have more than one way of contacting critical staff and key partners. These should also be maintained in an electronic and print list of contact information.
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Standard #4: Staff are personally prepared to fulfill their role in a disaster
There is some basic training that can help prepare staff for response efforts during a disaster. FEMA’s National Incident Management System (NIMS) provides a systematic approach to prevent, respond to, and recover from incidents, regardless of the cause, size, or location. There are four basic training courses that can help staff organize and respond to a disaster that are available for free on the FEMA website.
These courses are:
Incident Command System (ICS) 100 Training: Provides training on and resources for personnel who require a basic understanding of the Incident Command System (ICS).
Incident Command System (ICS) 200 Training: Provides training on and resources for personnel who are likely to assume a supervisory position within the Incident Command System (ICS). The primary target audiences are response personnel at the supervisory level.
Introduction to the National Incident Management System (NIMS) (IS-700): Provides training on and resources for the National Incident Management System (NIMS). NIMS provides a consistent nationwide template to enable all government, private sector, and nongovernmental organizations to work together during domestic incidents.
Introduction to National Response Framework (NRF) (IS-800): Provides training on and resources for the National Response Framework (NRF). The NRF presents the guiding principles that enable all response partners to prepare for and provide a unified national response to disasters and emergencies – from the smallest incident to the largest catastrophe. The Framework establishes a comprehensive, national, all-hazards approach to domestic incident response.
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