A community's ability to function and maintain its well-being during calamities or disasters is called its "lifeline." The community's resilience and recovery depend on various sectors and systems that make up these lifelines. For communities to properly prepare for disasters and emergencies, respond to them, and recover from them, it is essential to recognize and ensure the resilience of these lifelines.
How many community lifelines are there?
According to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), there are 7 community lifelines:
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Safety and Security: This lifeline includes mechanisms that ensure public safety, such as law enforcement agencies, emergency management organizations, and healthcare facilities, as well as emergency services, including police, fire, and medical response.
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Food, water, and sheltering:- This lifeline includes the availability and distribution of vital resources like food, water, and temporary shelter. It comprises farming practices, food delivery systems, water treatment plants, and emergency shelters.
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Energy: The lifeblood of significance includes the creation, transfer, and stability of fuel, electricity, and other energy sources. It comprises power plants, electrical networks, fuel providers, and distribution and transportation infrastructure.
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Communication: Systems and networks that permit communication and information sharing in times of emergency are part of this lifeline. It comprises radio and television stations, internet service providers, telecommunications companies, and emergency alert systems.
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Transportation: The methods, services, and infrastructure that make it possible to move people and commodities include transportation, and it has public transit networks, logistics, highways, bridges, railroads, and airports.
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Healthcare and medical: This lifeline comprises public health systems, medical services, and healthcare facilities. It encompasses the accessibility of necessary medical equipment and supplies and hospitals, clinics, pharmacies, emergency medical services, and public health organizations.
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Hazardous Materials: The dangerous materials lifeline focuses on managing, storing, and transporting harmful substances. It contains manufacturing facilities for chemicals, warehouses, emergency response units, and regulatory organizations.
Stabilizing community lifelines is the primary effort during situations of disruption, as their impact can greatly affect people's ability to live and work safely and comfortably.
Here are some of the things that can happen when community lifelines are disrupted:
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People may be unable to get to work or school.
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Businesses may be forced to close.
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Food and water may become scarce.
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Medical care may become unavailable.
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Crime may increase.
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Public health may be threatened.
It is important to be prepared for disruptions. You can do this by:
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Having a plan for how you will communicate with family and friends during an emergency.
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Having a way to get around if transportation is disrupted.
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Knowing the location of your nearest shelter.
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Being familiar with the warning signs of hazardous materials spills.
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Knowing what to do in the event of a power outage or other emergency.
Community lifelines can be used by?
Yes, all levels of government, the private sector, and other partners involved in emergency management and community resilience can employ community lifelines. Cooperation and coordination amongst various stakeholders are crucial for the community lifelines to be utilized and maintained properly. Partnerships, cooperation, and information sharing amongst these stakeholders are necessary for the efficient coordination and use of community lifelines.
All levels of government:- Government organizations establish policies, rules, and frameworks for managing and preserving community lifelines at the local and federal levels. They provide resources, finance, and oversight to guarantee the durability and effectiveness of these lifelines during catastrophes.
The private sector:- A significant part in sustaining and preserving community lifelines is also played by the private sector, which includes enterprises, industries, and utility providers. They own and manage the facilities and operations that support transportation, communications, and other lifelines, as well as energy. They work with government organizations to provide resources, knowledge, and skills to strengthen the resilience of community lifelines.
Other partners:- Community lifelines can be supported and used by non-governmental organizations (NGOs), volunteer groups, community organizations, and individual people. They can offer support services, support during an emergency, and local knowledge and resources to help keep the lifelines operational.
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What are the 4 stages of lifelines?
There are four phases that lifelines go through during emergencies or disasters are referred to as the four stages of lifelines. To construct a more resilient future, communities continuously plan to respond quickly and recover from emergencies and disasters. Proper management and investment in each stage are essential to ensure the resilience and dependability of lifeline systems, particularly during emergencies or natural disasters. These stages are:
1. Pre-incident:- This stage involves the preparation and planning activities conducted before an event occurs. It includes risk assessments, infrastructure inspections, maintenance and upgrades, emergency response planning, and public education.
2. Incident:- This stage occurs during the event itself when a disaster or emergency takes place. Lifelines are subjected to various stresses and disruptions, such as power outages, communication failures, transportation disruptions, and damage to infrastructure. The severity and duration of the incident depend upon the nature and scale of the event.
3. Incident Response:- This stage involves the response and recovery efforts to restore and rehabilitate the affected lifelines. It includes activities such as damage assessment, debris removal, repairs, restoration of services, and resumption of normal operations.
4. Stabilization:- The final stage is stabilization, focusing on the reconstruction, mitigation, and long-term resilience building of lifelines. This stage aims to learn from the event and implement measures to reduce future vulnerabilities and enhance the overall resilience of lifelines.
What are the other 12 core capabilities that are specific to response?
12 core capabilities that are specific to the Response mission area in emergency management are as follows:
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Critical Transportation: The capacity to offer transportation support, coordination, and control during emergencies to ease the transfer of personnel, goods, and equipment.
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Environmental Response/Health and Safety: To evaluate, reduce, and resolve the risks to public health and safety and to control and lessen an incident's ecological effects.
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Fatality Management Services: To organize and control services for retrieving, identifying, and handling human remains and assisting orphaned families and loved ones.
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Fire Management and Suppression: The ability to avoid, combat, and put out flames to safeguard people, property, and the environment.
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Infrastructure Systems: The capacity to support the recovery and restoration of vital infrastructure systems, including transportation, communications, energy, and water.
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Logistics and Supply Chain Management: To oversee and plan supply chain and logistical activities during catastrophes, including the gathering, buying, distributing, and tracking resources and supplies.
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Mass Care Services: To deliver vital services to those affected, such as food, shelter, first aid in an emergency, and other support services required to meet basic human needs.
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On-Scene Security and Protection: To deliver security and protection measures at a scene of an incident, including crowd control, perimeter security, access control, and the protection of vital infrastructure.
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Operational Communications: To set up, run, and maintain dependable and interoperable communication channels to support coordination and information sharing across response partners and agencies.
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Public Health and Medical Services: To deliver public health and healthcare services, such as medical triage, treatment, and emergency medical transportation, as well as general health surveillance, disease control, and epidemiological research.
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Situational Assessment: The capacity to compile, examine, and disseminate data and intelligence regarding the incident and its effects to enhance situational awareness and decision-making.
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Supply Chain Integrity and Security: The ability to guarantee supply chain security and integrity, including safeguarding vital transportation routes and infrastructure and preventing theft, fraud, and unauthorized access to resources and commodities.
Source:
https://www.fema.gov/emergency-managers/practitioners/lifelines