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The term consequence management refers to the measures that are taken to safeguard the health and safety of the public, restore important services from the government, and give emergency relief to businesses, governments and individuals who are affected by the impacts of a high-yield situation that is explosive or a biological, chemical, nuclear. Good consequence management does not only provide effective preparedness for potential disasters but also ensures there is improved response for emergency, actions that are constant and consistent actions that reduce the risk of incidents related to the emergency. It also provides efforts that are coordinated in remediation and recovery (Erickson, 1999).

One of the major consequence planning is response planning an effective response has three phases namely: prepare respond and recover and in each, some tasks are performed as outlined below.

Phase 1: Prepare

One of the tasks done at this phase is planning which is all about developing plans, policies, mutual aid and agreements for assistance, procedures, strategies, and other arrangements for performing tasks and missions. The plans normally address all hazards and disasters that are tailor made for each jurisdiction (Nicholson, 2013).

Organizing is the other task, and it involves executing response activities and it involves coming up with an overall structure for an organization, making the leadership stronger at all levels, and establishing teams that are highly-qualified made of volunteer staff that are paid for essential tasks of response and recovery. Exercises involve providing chances to test plans and make improvements on proficiency.

Evaluation and continuous improvement involve establishing programs for corrective action to assist response team in evaluating operations, capture learned, and improve areas that are weak (Nicholson, 2013). In case an incident happens, the situation is assessed by responders, they identify and make priorities on requirements, and use resources available and capabilities to save people’s lives protect the environment and property, and meet the basic human needs.

Phase 2: Response

The first task done here is gaining and maintaining the situational awareness whereby there is continuous monitoring of information available about incidents happening and those coming up. Taking initial actions for response is the other task, coordinating response actions, managing the actions and demobilization (Nicholson, 2013).

Phase 3: recover

This is the final phase there are two groups of recovery: Short and long-term recovery. Recovery in short-term is normally immediate, and it overlaps with a response. These actions involve ensuring there are essential services for health and safety for public. Returning the utility interrupted, reestablishing routes for transportation and giving food and shelter to the displaced people by the incident. However, some activities may take even a week to complete. (Nicholson, 2013).

Long-term recovery, on the other hand, is outside the coverage of the National Response Framework NRF, and it involves some similar actions, but it takes several months or years.

In 1996 July 27, there was an anonymous call on 911 that was warning that a bomb would explode during Olympic games in Centennial Olympic Park Atlanta, b in Centennial Park. You the caller reported that there was a bomb in the park, and it exploded 20 minutes later. As a result of this bombing and more than 100 people injured. Suspect The Eric Robert Rudolph was arrested and convicted for placing the bomb that weighed 40-pound and filled with nails screws and nails in the park.

The consequence management team and structure were ready when the bomb exploded at this Park. Since there were no suspected or apparent chemical agents spread by the blast, the structure for consequence management response was not officially activated. There was no evidence, however, that the danger of biological contamination was considered by security authorities (Erickson, 1999).Those in charge of CM received the call that was unofficial from the assistant fire chief of Atlanta within five minutes after the blast, and they sent their representatives to the scene within 15 minutes after the call. Within a period of 20 minutes, they had a workforce of 300 people who were fully protected and ready to act as a way of response. This shows that the two phases of effective response especially prepare and respond applied in this incident.

References

Nicholson, W. (2013). Emergency response and emergency management law cases and materials. Springfield: Charles C Thomas.

Erickson, P. (1999). Emergency response planning for corporate and municipal managers. San Diego: Academic Press