HAZARDS RISK MANAGEMENT

FEMA Emergency Management Institute

Instructor Guide Materials Under Development

The Development Team

Greg L. Shaw – Project Manager

George Haddow

Claire Rubin

Damon Coppola

The George Washington University

Institute for Crisis, Disaster, and Risk ManagementFEMA Hazards Risk Management Course

The Hazards Risk Management course is designed and developed as both a stand-alone course and to complement additional related courses such as Hazards Risk Assessment and Hazards Risk Communication. For the purpose of this course, hazards risk management is conceptualized as an over arching process that includes: establishing a context for hazards risk management; risk identification, risk analysis, risk assessment, risk communication; risk based decision making; risk mitigation; and overall process monitoring and review.

Session 1Course Introduction, Overview, Definitions, and Concepts (3 Hours)

  • Instructor and student introductions
  • Class standards of behavior
  • Course syllabus, assignments and expectations
  • Definitions
  • Disciplines of risk management
  • Concepts (risk, risk perception, risk communication, stakeholders, etc.)
  • Processing the learning experience

Session 2Emergency Management: Past, Present, and Future (3 Hours)

  • Evolution of Emergency Management
  • Evolution of Hazards Risk Management
  • IDNDR, Yokomama Strategy and Plan of Action, ISDR

Session 3Hazards Risk Management Context of Today (1 Hour)

  • Process owners and stakeholders
  • Incentives
  • Obstacles
  • The hazards risk management model

Session 4Public Sector Competencies and Techniques (1 Hour)

  • Professionalism
  • Training and education
  • Certification

Session 5Private Sector Hazards Risk Management (2 Hours)

  • Similarities and differences between the private and public sectors
  • A private sector model for risk management
  • Training and education
  • Certification
  • Applying private sector processes to public sector hazards risk management

Session 6Australian and New Zealand Experiences (1 Hour)

  • Overall philosophy
  • Turning philosophy into plans and actions

Session 7Legal Basis for Hazards Risk Management (1 Hour)

Session 8Federal Requirements for Hazards Risk Assessment (1 Hour)

Establish the Course-Specific Context

Session 9The Hazards Risk Management Approach (3 Hours)

  • Defining the problem
  • Establishing a strategic context
  • Understanding the local (location of the University/College) community
  • Building a culture of disaster preparedness
  • Shifting from a response emphasis to a hazards risk management emphasis
  • Defining objectives
  • Defining measures of effectiveness
  • Reintroduction of the hazards risk management model
  • The importance of hazards risk communication

Session 10Issues Management (2 Hours)

  • Public consultation, purpose and process
  • Identifying stakeholders
  • Defining and identifying issues
  • The lifecycle of an issue
  • Developing an issues management program
  • Implementing an issues management program

Session 11Making Hazards Risk Management work (2 Hours)

  • Selling (marketing) the hazards risk management approach
  • Visual presentation tools (GIS, Maps, Internet, etc.)
  • Developing and implementing policies
  • Enforcing policies
  • Case studies

Risk Identification

Session 12Hazards (1 Hour)

  • Natural, technological and human induced
  • Hazard profiling
  • Data/information sources and collection

Session 13Community and Environment (1 Hour)

  • The physical community
  • Interdependence of communities/regional context
  • The local community extended to regional concerns
  • Mutual aid agreements
  • Growth plans
  • The built environment
  • The physical environment
  • The social environment
  • Critical infrastructure

Session 14 Scope Vulnerability (1 Hour)

  • Social vulnerability
  • Physical vulnerability
  • Infratructure vulnerability
  • Economic vulnerability
  • Proximity to hazards

Session 15Risk Perceptions (2 Hours)

  • Public perceptions
  • Business perceptions

Session 16Risk Statements (2 Hours)

  • Relationship between hazards and elements of risk
  • Elements of risk statements
  • Risk statement matrix development

Session 17 Midterm Exam (1 Hour)

Analyze Risks

Session 18Determine likelihood and consequence (2 Hours)

  • Qualitative and quantitative
  • Knowledge to shape decisions
  • Translation of science into policy
  • Risk communications issues

Session 19Modeling techniques (1 Hour)

  • Physical
  • Virtual
  • Mathematical
  • Intuitive
  • Evaluation of models
  • Assumptions of models
  • Uncertainty of models

Evaluate Risks

Session 20Compare the risk evaluation criteria with the levels of risk (1 Hour)

  • Context of risks

Session 21Prioritize risks using the risk levels (1 Hour)

  • Set priority criteria (i.e. extreme, high, moderate, low, etc.)
  • Identify types of potential mitigation actions

Session 22Determine which risks are acceptable (1 Hour)

  • Who decides (i.e. elected officials, commissions, public, etc.)?
  • Impacts on infrastructure
  • How different processes work
  • Ranking risks

Communicate and consult

Session 23Public input (1 Hour)

  • Solicit input and support from variety of audiences
  • Conducted continually throughout planning process
  • Informs planning process
  • Audiences – residents, business owners, public officials
  • Mechanisms - surveys, focus groups, public meetings and partnerships
  • Public and organizational involvement in process
  • Technology

Session 24Communicating risk (1 Hour)

  • Communicating natural hazard risks
  • Communicating technological hazard risk
  • Communicating terrorism and homeland security risk
  • Terminology
  • Media

Session 25Communicating actions and plans to the public (1 Hour)

  • Methods of communications
  • Interactive communications
  • Communications research
  • Technology
  • Role of leadership

Session 26Building public-private partnerships (1 Hour)

  • Partnership opportunities and targets
  • Outreach programs and techniques
  • Existing partnerships
  • Leveraging resources and communications

Session 27Marketing risk mitigation management and actions (1 Hour)

  • Developing a marketing strategy
  • Research into public awareness and knowledge
  • Identifying best media components
  • Production of marketing materials
  • Dissemination of marketing materials
  • Managing a marketing campaign

Session 28Monitor and review (1 Hour)

  • Ongoing throughout planning process
  • Evaluation of planning and implementation phases
  • Evaluation of communications
  • Evaluation of risk reduction

Mitigate Risks

Session 29Generate risk mitigation options (1 Hour)

  • Structural (i.e. levees, dams, retrofits, safe rooms, etc.)
  • Non-structural (i.e. building codes, zoning, land use, etc.)
  • Large steps vs. small steps

Session 30Consider the assessment criteria for risk mitigation options (1 Hour)

  • Impacts on various community sectors (i.e. homes, businesses, infrastructure)
  • Impacts on community capitol building and maintenance plans
  • Economic impacts
  • Funding and jurisdictional considerations
  • Impacts on environment
  • Public awareness and education

Session 31Assess and select appropriate mix of risk mitigation options (1 Hour)

  • Impact on risk reduction
  • Probability of implementation
  • Funding
  • Timing
  • Leveraging resources

Session 32Insurance (1 Hour)

  • Risk transfer
  • Affordability and availability

Session 33Prepare and implement risk mitigation schedule and plan (1 Hour)

  • Budget
  • Timeline
  • Responsible agencies and organizations
  • Communications
  • Partnerships

Case Studies

Session 34Case studies – Application of the Hazards Risk Management Process to actual situations (2 Hours)

  • Napa, CA
  • Boulder, CO
  • Tulsa, OK
  • Columbia, SC
  • Mecklenburg County, NC
  • State of Oregon
  • Deerfield Beach, FL
  • Seattle, WA

Session 35Final Exam (2 Hours)

Course Text Books

Living with Risk: A Global Review of Disaster Reduction Initiative.

Preliminary version, July 2002. Prepared as an inter-agency effort coordinated by

the ISDR Secretariat with special support from the Government of Japan, the World Meteorological Organization and the Asian Disaster Reduction Center (Kobe, Japan)

Emergency Risk Management: Applications Guide. Australian Emergency Manuals Series Part II, Volume I. Compiled and edited by Peter Koob, Tasmania State emergency Service. Echo Press, Australia. 2000.

State and Local Mitigation Planning, how-to guide. Understanding Your Risks: Identifying Hazards and Estimating Losses. FEMA 2001. Version 1.0

Integrating Human-Caused Hazards into Mitigation Planning. FEMA 2002 (coming soon)

Cumulative Bibliography 05/22/03

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Blanchard, B. Wayne. 2002. FEMA Higher Education Project Course Theory, Principles and Fundamentals of Hazards, Disasters and U. S. Emergency Management. Draft Sessions 1 and 4.

Bokman, Lloyd. ( March 2003) All Hazards Planning, What Does It Mean,in the Natural Hazards Observer. URL:

Britton, Neil R. 1998. Managing Community Risks. Ministry of Civil Defense, New Zealand, 2nd Edition.

Broadleaf Capital International. 1999. The Australian and New Zealand Standard on Risk Management, AS/NZS 4360:1999. Broadleaf Capital International. Pymble, Australia.

Burby, Raymond J. 2002. FEMA Higher Education Project Course. Building Disaster ResilientCommunities. Session 1 Overview. 2002.

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