Governance Structures and Authorities
Disasters and Emergency Preparedness
Governance Structures and Authorities
CHS Administration Handbook
Last Revised: January 2014
Disasters and Emergency Preparedness
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Partnerships
Emergency Management
Assistance
Preparing for Emergency Preparedness
In both the distant and near past, Minnesota has responded to a number of disasters: floods, tornados, wildfires, infectious
diseases, and more recently, the collapse of the I-35W bridge in Minneapolis. Since 1965, each of Minnesota’s 87 counties has
been declared a Presidential disaster area at least once, and some multiple times.
The State of Minnesota relies on the following definitions of “disaster” and “emergency”:
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Disaster means a situation that creates an actual or imminent serious threat
 Appendix: Emergency Preto the health and safety of persons, or a situation that has resulted or is likely
paredness Glossary
to result in catastrophic loss to property or the environment, and for which
traditional sources of relief and assistance within the affected area are unable
to repair or prevent the injury or loss (Minn. Stat. § 12.03, subd. 2).
Emergency means an unforeseen combination of circumstances that calls for immediate action to prevent a disaster
from developing or occurring (Minn. Stat. § 12.03, subd. 3).
Responding to disasters has always been an essential part of public health activity, and while public health has focused more
on prevention activities than emergency response in the past few decades, its role in preparing for, responding to, and recovering from incidents has becoming increasingly important. Recent emergency preparedness funding has allowed public health
agencies to improve preparedness infrastructure, identify public health hazards, create and revise preparedness plans, and
conduct exercises to test those plans.
Public health has moved toward approaching emergency preparedness from a more holistic angle, called an “all-hazards” approach—that is, disasters and emergencies contain problems that can be solved by public health. For example: contaminated
drinking water in a flood, food-borne illness in a shelter for tornado victims, air quality during wildfires, or public exposure to
hazardous materials from a train wreck.
Partnerships
Building and strengthening partnerships is a critical preparedness activity in order for effective planning to occur prior to responses. By knowing your partners’ responsibilities, skills, and resources (as well as your own), you can help facilitate a fast and
effective response. This is reflected in a common disaster planning adage: “You don’t want to be exchanging business cards
during the disaster.”
Emergency Management
Emergency management departments serve as a major partner to public health during responses. However, the emergency management culture can be quite different from that found in a public health agency. You may find it useful to ponder the following:
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Emergency management, like public health, has its own “language” con Appendix: Emergency Presisting of a myriad of acronyms and jargon. This language is common to the
paredness Glossary
national emergency management system, and it is helpful to learn it. Emergency management is likely just as baffled by public health’s unique language, but working together will introduce both parties to new concepts and principles.
Minnesota Department of Health Office of Performance Improvement
www.health.state.mn.us/divs/opi/
Governance Structures and Authorities
Disasters and Emergency Preparedness
CHS Administration Handbook
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The culture of emergency management is steeped in its history of being closely associated with the military.
Many emergency managers have been trained in civil defense, military, law enforcement, and/or other first responder
professions; many also carry emergency management duties in addition to full-time careers as veterans’ services directors, dispatchers, sheriffs, etc. Emergency management also has a different proportion of genders in leadership, as
does public health, although both are changing. These differences can create tension and communication gaps. It’s
important to learn how to be comfortable in the emergency management system and with the command style, and to
work cooperatively to achieve an effective disaster response. Exercises, trainings, and planning meetings can help
those new to the emergency management system become more comfortable with new terminology and structure.
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Emergency management policies, plans, and processes are highly formalized and very detailed, but for a very
important reason: this allows organizations to facilitate rapid disaster containment, and ensure that other partners
(like public health) can start to help as soon as possible. Despite this level of detail, emergency managers also highly
value flexibility and creativity, and believe that “thinking on your feet” is an essential skill in the face of a disaster.
Assistance
A number of excellent resources exist to help you learn about the requirements that accompany different preparedness funding
streams, activities that have taken place in the recent past, and the impact of preparedness work. Some include:
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Staff members in your department assigned to preparedness
MDH regional public health preparedness consultant or regional health care preparedness coordinator (RHPC)
County emergency manager
Preparing for Emergency Preparedness
The MDH Office of Emergency Preparedness recommends that all CHS Administrators take, at minimum, the FEMA course IS100.b: Introduction to Incident Command System.
Key Resources
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Emergency Preparedness, Response, and Recovery Minnesota Dept. of Health
Legal/Legislative Issues Related to Emergency Preparedness
Public Health, Health Care, and Behavioral Health Preparedness Regions and Teams
County Emergency Managers Minnesota Dept. of Public Safety
Individual/Family Preparedness
Emergency Preparedness and Response Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Note: Some CDC recommendations may differ from those in Minnesota
Public Health Preparedness National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO)
Homeland Security and Emergency Management Division Minnesota Dept. of Public Safety
Current, Past Minnesota Disaster Declarations Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)
Independent Study Program FEMA Emergency Management Institute
BeReadyMN
www.health.state.mn.us/divs/opi/
Minnesota Department of Health Office of Performance Improvement
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