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Regulation
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Quality | Regulatory Revisions and Updates | Meeting Reports | Statistics | Links |
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| Understand How California Responds to Disasters |
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Click here to look at some of the free online courses that can help you further understand the disaster response system and how your facility fits in. All disasters in California are handled locally, meaning that the local government holds the primary responsibility and is the lead agency on the response. All others (the region, the state, and the federal government) act in support of the local response. It is important that the response be handled at the local level because the locals understand the area better than anyone coming in from the outside. It also helps to ensure that resources that are locally available are used first, which is more efficient. See each of the links below to learn more about how California responds to disasters. The Response System (SEMS and NIMS) California uses SEMS, the Standardized Emergency Management System, to organize its response to disasters. SEMS came about as a result of the 1991 East Bay Hills Fires, during which it became clear that California needed to standardize the way organizations responded to disasters. The goal was to improve the coordination between state and local response agencies. NIMS is the National Incident Management System, and is based on SEMS. NIMS is what the federal government has mandated that they, states and local agencies use to respond to disasters. There are a few differences between SEMS and NIMS, and if you are interested, please click here (PDF file) to review the SEMS/NIMS Crosswalk SEMS helps local authorities with inter-agency coordination, priority setting, and the efficient flow of resources and information–all important elements of a coordinated response. Any agency wishing to receive disaster-related reimbursement (i.e. from FEMA or the state) must document their use of SEMS and NIMS. This is a brief overview of SEMS, and is NOT designed to teach everything there is to know about this complex but effective system. There are many web-based resources that provide a much more detailed explanation of SEMS, as well as educational courses (both on-line and in person) that can provide SEMS training. One place you can visit to learn more about SEMS is www.scc-ares-races.org/sems.htm. You may also check the Governor's Office of Emergency Services website for additional SEMS information and training. There are four key elements of SEMS that it is important for long term care organizations to understand:
As you can see in the diagram (PDF file), your requests for resources (at the local agency level) should go to your local government Emergency Operations Center (EOC), and if they cannot meet the need, the request will flow upward from there. If you are in an unincorporated area, your requests would be made to the Operational Area EOC. The Operational Area is the county and all of its political subdivisions (cities and towns). If the capacity of the Operational Area is exceeded, the request would go to the Mutual Aid Regional Area (PDF file). If the Region cannot meet the need, the request goes to the state, and finally to the Federal Government. After the resources are secured at the "lowest" level possible, they will then flow downward to you, providing all systems are not overwhelmed. When requesting resources, always explain what it is you want to do, not the name of the specific resource you think you would like to have. For example, telling the EOC that you need to dig a large hole is more helpful than telling them you need a backhoe. |
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