Emergency management is a coordinated effort, involving local, state, and federal government agencies as well as volunteer organizations and businesses.

Within an integrated emergency management framework, these entities assist citizens and their communities to prepare for, respond to, recover from, and eliminate or reduce the effects of natural, man-made, civil, and technological emergencies and disasters.

It is an unfortunate fact of life that emergencies and disasters do occur. These often unpredictable and tragic events have various effects on our society, economy, environment, and personal lives. It is to minimize, or eliminate where possible, these events and their impacts that government, businesses, and individual citizens make plans for emergencies.

From natural disasters to acts of terror, we are aware of the all too frequent events that impact our lives, our communities, and countries halfway around the world. No single agency has the capacity, skills and resources, with which to address these disasters successfully. Disasters demand a combined and coordinated approach, linking the expertise and resources of the emergency management community and local authorities with a variety of other organizations.

To many, responding to disasters and emergencies does not come naturally. The response from the various agencies and organizations has developed with thorough and informed planning, training, exercises, and unfortunately, experience of responding to past disasters. This experience has been invaluable in highlighting the need for considered, integrated, and coordinated emergency planning.

Planning for emergencies ensures that the emergency services, local authorities and other organizations better communicate and coordinate their efforts, improving the management at the scene, in the emergency operations center, and the post-disaster recovery process.