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Establishing: Declared and Undeclared Emergencies

One of the many implications for the MRC collaborating with other community response partners is that the decision to utilize volunteers is made by a designated leader, a general agreement of the partners, or according to principles of activation documented in advance.

In emergency management, there may be declared emergency situations that have extended beyond the normal response capabilities in your community.

For example:

• A declared emergency may involve accessing resources at higher government levels: a city may call for county resources, a county may call for state resources, or a state may call for Federal resources.
• It may mean redistributing local resources, such as redirecting substantial medical capabilities to address one particular health emergency.
• It may mean supplementing existing medical and public health capabilities, which is where MRC volunteers may be involved.

An official state of emergency is usually declared by an elected official, such as a governor or a mayor, and the type of emergency may vary. It may involve a public health emergency, such as West Nile Virus or Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS), or it may be a natural or man-made disaster. Regardless, it is important to know which agency or office will assume the lead role in responding to the situation.

The designated response leader often is the local emergency management office. Regardless, he or she will ideally be included in your local emergency response plan. The lead agency or office will coordinate the efforts among other local or state agencies. Declaration of an emergency is particularly important in determining the liability protection available to your volunteers. Some states have laws protecting volunteers that are contingent on the declaration of an emergency. Confirm that you and your volunteers know when they are protected from liability for unintended harm.

Your MRC unit’s response to various local emergencies or crises will depend on your scope of practice and on the needs of your response partners. As part of the planning effort, you will learn which individuals or offices are authorized to make the declaration of an emergency and which agencies or offices will lead in the event of such a declaration.

The policies and procedures guiding your unit’s efforts and those of your response partners should be detailed in your local response plan. Furthermore, these factors and specifics should be integrated into training and exercising your MRC volunteers. This will ensure that your unit is complying with liability protection standards that require volunteer-based organizations to train their volunteers in accordance with all policies and procedures, particularly those intended to reduce the incidence of harm.

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Last Updated on 8/23/2006