Emergency management begins with the individuals in the laboratory. It progresses to the laboratory facility, the institution, the city or township, the region within the state, the state, the national region, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) within the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, and finally to the President of the United States. Communication is a critical part of emergency planning; each entity must ask for assistance before the next agency in the organizational structure will intervene.
Each laboratory is responsible for developing and implementing an emergency management plan based on its own risks. This plan must be shared with local and state emergency management organizations. This allows for the coordination of efforts and federal support in the event of an emergency.
Your local, regional, and state emergency planning organizations have plans, procedures, equipment, supplies, medications, vaccines, modes of deployment, and communication plans. As an example, the State of Michigan has its own
emergency management plan. It is important that you locate your laboratory's emergency management plan and determine the role your laboratory plays in emergency planning.
