We are working with a major humanitarian aid organization on a pro-bono basis to think through how to put in place a program to jump-start their Disaster Operations Teams. (Every single one of you knows this group.) This requests your help in taking that thinking to the next level. Please send any and all comments and suggestions to me at [email protected]. Or comment on this blog. Here's what we've got so far:
Disaster Operations Team Quick Start Program
PURPOSE: Save lives and relieve suffering.
PREPARE IN ADVANCE – Resources staged and ready to go.
People. In roles of: overall team leadership, safety, communications (with public, other organizations, team/extended team), operations/people status, planning, logistics, finance/admin, incident commanders, local “guides” & leaders, other vols.
Practices. Develop process to secure and deliver water, food, medicine & tools, shelter.
Plans for possible scenarios. (Have common templates to adapt to live situations.)
Knowledge of local resources, structures, infrastructure, cultures and customs.
Skills. Practice activities (drills, simulations) to build skills and familiarize team members.
Equipment. Identify transportation, heavy rigging equipment.
Materials. Identify water, food, medical supplies & tools, temporary shelter.
Money. Know sources of short and longer-term funds.
PAUSE TO ACCELERATE – Resources on the ground optimally organized.
Determine what know, not know but need to know, what think, predict (scenarios), issues, risks.
ID resources, gaps, situational things including local culture that can take advantage of:
- Assigned resources (people, equipment, materials, money).
- Available resources (staged).
- Out-of-service resources.
Plan:
Situational Objective: The desired outcome of this situation.
Priorities: What need to do to achieve that desired outcome in priority order.
- Isolate, contain, control, stabilize situation. (Things, organisms, people)
- Support, or at least not hinder search and rescue operations.
- Secure infrastructure; stage and deploy resources to fulfill basic human needs.
- Implementation checklist: What getting done by whom, when, with what help.
Communication: How assemble and evaluate information and provide updates to all.
Injuries: Procedure if someone on team is injured.
IMPLEMENT – in line with implementation checklist.
- Mobilize people, equipment, materials, money.
- Move quickly and decisively to isolate, contain and control, and stabilize situation.
- Support & coordinate with search and rescue as they sort priorities and deal with injuries.
- Secure infrastructure required for humanitarian efforts (water/sanitation, power, transport).
- Deploy resources to fulfill basic humanitarian needs (water, food, medical, shelter).
- Assemble and evaluate available info.
- Provide frequent updates across team and evolve plan/list as information gaps are filled.
- Notify and update community contacts.
CAPTURE LEARNING AND REVISE PREPARATIONS – to do even better job the next time.
[Note, this particular blog post is being continually updated as people give me suggestions. So far, it includes ideas from Ms/Messrs/Drs Adams, Aggleton, Barosso, Berman, Chresomales, Dattner, Dorf, Evans, Fay, Goutas, Harrison, Ira, Janco, Jaspal, Karp, Maconga, Nesbitt, Reid, Palleshi, Pennella, Pinzon, Ruppel, Sherman, Stengel – from around the world.]
