Disaster Operations and Decision Making

For the last 10 years I have worked in the field of training local and state Emergency Operations Center (EOC) staff. For this reason, I was interested in reading this book to see whether it was actually a useful reference or whether it would just contain "war stories." In my professional opinion, Mr. Huder has done an excellent job of creating a how-to manual for handling disasters at all levels. While the book is written from the viewpoint of the state/municipal EOC, this blueprint is also applicable to corporate emergency operations. In fact, given that many corporate EOCs are somewhat in their infancy - much as states and counties were twenty years ago - this book is an invaluable resource for anyone creating corporate disaster emergency management procedures.Since there is no "Look Inside" for this book, here is a summary of the chapters:1. The Emergency Manager: Leading in a Crisis - The EM's job in terms of leadership and creating connections in the community. Gaining the credibility needed for when a disaster strikes.2. Crisis Decision Making - Discussion of Naturalistic Decision Making and the Boyd Cycle. What questions to ask in order to formulate a disaster response.3. Disaster Operations - Details the phases of disaster response (impact, stabilization, sustainment, recovery)4. Decision Graphics: The Green Light System - how to create operational graphics that easily show a common operating picture (COP)5. The Emergency Operations Center - physical layout and function including Fit-to-Fight checklists6. The Press, Friend and Foe - includes sample press releases7. NIMS and ICS - details the Emergency Support Functions (ESFs) and their duties8. Technology and Social Media - yes, Facebook and Twitter can be a resource in disaster response9. Building the Team - the Core Liaison Group: This chapter links back to the first and to me is one of the core tenets of the book. Disaster response is a team effort, and an effective EM is the leader of that team.10. Training the Team - Developing and conducting exercises, discussed in the context of organizational pressures and adult learning theory.The book includes extensive references - probably a third of the total page count is devoted to detailed exercise scripts and injects, and planning and operational checklists.If you've ever wondered how the government handles (or SHOULD handle) a disaster, this book lays it out in clear detail. It should be required reading for anyone who might be called on to work in an EOC or crisis management center.

If your new to the role of emergency manager and have come from a previous role where you undertook the functions of an incident controller this book is for you.Understand your role as a meta-manager in an environment of big ego leaders and how you can build trust and influence those people for the betterment of the communityUnderstand the functions you are in control of in an emergency operations centreIt's my emergency manager 'bible'

Very good source for understanding the variables that come into play prior to, and after, decisions are made

This was an easy read with a good amount of information. short, info packed chapters but seems like the content is very personalized to the author. I wish they had scanned the pages in color though, would help with many of the diagrams.

Very nice book with interesting ways for preparing our selves in case of emergency situations.

This book was practical and thorough. Written with lots of expertise, plainly, and by someone who obviously has the expertise. An easy read with samples and procedures that are also easy to follow.

Good book!

I have worked in both the public and private sectors for a combined 30 + years, and emergency/disaster planning and operations have always been a major component of my job. I have read dozens of text books, field manuals, and other reference materials related to this topic, and this book is by far the best resource I have found.Mr. Huder has clearly leveraged his knowledge and in-depth experience to create a masterpiece that can be used by any/every organization as a blueprint to create a successful emergency/disaster management program. Roger has mixed a perfect blend of operational requirements, decision making skills, real life scenarios and decision aids and worksheet templates to benefit experts and novices alike.Here is a BRIEF overview of the chapter content:The first 2 chapters focus on the Emergency Manager and what it takes to lead in a crisis as well as the critical characteristics of crisis decision making. Chapters 3 & 4 focus on the Art of Operations, and organizing processes and people to ensure the most effective and efficient response. Chapter 5 addresses the Emergency Operations Center, which is the facility utilized as the central point to manage all components of a disaster. This chapter not only discusses how to design an EOC physically, but also addresses personnel, communications and networks and interoperability. Chapter 6 focuses on the press, who can be your greatest ally, or your worst nightmare. Chapter 7 lays out the major components of the National Incident Management System (NIMS) and the Incident Command System (ICS), and goes into appropriate level of details related to the 16 Emergency Support Functions (ESF) that may need to be activated (in part or in whole) depending on the type of crisis that needs to be managed.As a technology professional, I was extremely pleased and impressed to see how Roger addressed the importance and use of Technology and Social Media in Chapter 8.Chapters 9 and 10 focus on Building and Training the Core Team, and really pulls together all of the other information and concepts from the previous chapters. Chapter 11 is about 60+ pages of Decision Aids and worksheets to be used as tools to help organize information.This book is a MUST READ if you have any role in Emergency Operations or Disaster/Crisis Management. Kudos to Mr. Huder for writing what should be the NEW text book for this field!