Basic Emergency Preparedness Planning Checklist

Working on a health-related EOP plan for your community? Worried that you might leave a critical component out?

Here is a list from the CDC of basic elements and protocols common to most health-related emergency operations plans.
Have you:

• Outlined the purpose of the plan?
• Cited the appropriate Federal, State and local public health authorizing legislation, ordinances and regulations?
• Outlined any assumptions on which the plan is based?
• Have you assigned responsibility for the ten essential services and other key emergency public health functions?
• Identified specific individuals and alternates authorized to direct the public health emergency response?
• Referenced the major scenarios or scenario categories?
• Explained all abbreviations and defined key or unfamiliar terms?
• Included procedures for maintaining a record of plan distribution and a record-of-receipt form?
• Provided update guidance and a record-of-change page?
• Included a signature block?

Does the plan contain the following protocols?

1. Convening police, fire, EMS, hospitals, public health officials, LEPC members, EOCs and other relevant parties on a periodic basis to review the content of the plan
2. Designating, by title, the public health personnel (and alternates) responsible for staffing the centralized EOC when activated
3. Coordinating public health responsibilities with law enforcement responsibilities
4. Notifying interagency, media and public of an emergency
5. Informing the public of population prevention measures including: hazards to expect, precautions to take, requirements for evacuation or shelter in place.
6. Conducting a credibility threat assessment (in coordination with FBI)
7. Implementing an emergency epidemiologic investigation for human and animal exposures
8. Implementing evacuation and mass casualty transportation
9. Initiating the public health response when a device is found that may contain a biological or chemical agent
10. Methods for collecting, handling, decontaminating, transporting, preserving and storing biological and chemical evidence, including maintaining the chain of custody, referral to state public health laboratory and referral to federal laboratory
11. Interviewing potentially contaminated or infectious victims
12. Critical incident stress counseling for victims or response personnel, including public health and medical professionals
13. Protecting care-providers and victims from secondary exposures
14. Decontaminating mass casualties (pre-hospital) and patients upon their arrival at the treatment facility
15. Ensuring that contamination of treatment facilities does not occur when patients are evaluated or treated.
16. Instituting mass isolation within a health facility
17. Incorporating state and federal assets into the local response efforts
18. Requesting state or federal (civilian or military) pharmaceutical stockpiles
19. Receipt, security and distribution of stockpile assets
20. Instituting mass vaccinations or medical distribution to first responders and to medical/health care providers
21. Responding to mass mortuary needs
22. Identifying and obtaining mental health resources that will treat both responders and victims
23. Baseline and post-incident medical screening for all personnel involved

Emergency Preparedness
Emergency Operations Plan
"All Hazards" Approach
Health-related EOP
Planning Checklist