Disaster vs. Routine Emergencies
Disaster vs. Routine Emergencies : Disasters differ from routine emergencies and cause unique problems for private/public organizations as well as the local, state and federal governments affected. Routine emergencies and critical incidents are events to which response demands are able to be met with local resources. Disasters, compared to routine emergencies and critical incidents, possess unique characteristics. The following are characteristics developed by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA): (1) Create demands that exceed the normal capacities of any one organization and/or government. (2) Cross jurisdictional boundaries. (3) Change the number and structure of responding organizations which may result in the creation of new organizations. (4) Create new tasks and engage participants who are not ordinarily disaster responders. (5) Disable the routine equipment and facilities needed for emergency response. (6) Compound the difficulty of understanding "who does what" in disaster response due to the complexity of governments. (7) Are impacted by lack of standardization in disaster planning and response and complicated coordination in time of disaster. In addition, organizations inexperienced in disaster often respond by continuing their independent roles, failing to See: How their function fits into the complex, total response effort. Routine emergencies and critical incidents are events which do not exceed the normal capacities of any one organization and/or government. These events may include car crashes, suicides, fires, and shootings. (From: New York State Office of Mental Health/ http://www.omh.state.ny.us/omhweb/crisis/crisiscounseling2.html on 28 June 2004/ Crisis Counseling Guide)
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