mgt 338: risk and vulnerability assessments for rural ......assessment, a vulnerability assessment,...

MGT 338: Risk and Vulnerability Assessments for Rural Communities (RVA)Non-Procedure Participant Guide

August 2010

This program of instruction was developed by NorthWest Arkansas Community College (NWACC), a member of the Rural Domestic Pre-paredness Consortium. The Institute for Corporate and Public Safety (ICPS), a department of NorthWest Arkansas Community College, is a comprehensive education, training, and research institute tasked with preparing both the public and private sectors regarding methodolo-gies and best practices for a crisis event. It is the belief of ICPS that it is essential for communities to pre-plan for crisis events to mitigate the effects, lessening the long-term effects on the community. This can only be done through collaboration of both the public and private sectors, utilizing all available resources.

Risk and Vulnerability Assessments for Rural Communities (RVA)

This program was supported by Cooperative Agreement Number 2004-GT-T4-K007, administered by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Training and Exercise Integration. Points of view or opinions in this program are those of the author(s) and do not represent the position or policies of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.

The Rural Domestic Preparedness Consortium (RDPC) was estab-lished by Congress and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to develop and deliver relevant all-hazards training in support of rural homeland security requirements. All training delivered by the RDPC is certified by DHS and offered tuition-free to the nation’s emer-gency response community and associated stakeholders. Visit www.ruraltraining.org to view the course catalog and training schedule or call 859-622-8994 for more information.

Risk and Vulnerability Assessments for Rural Communities (RVA)

Non-Procedure Participant Guide

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Risk and Vulnerability Assessments (RVA) Participant Guide

for Rural Communities

Introduction

The nation’s rural emergency responders face unique challenges when compared to

their urban counterparts.

Rural communities that are not adequately prepared for disasters risk incurring

additional expenses in the long term. Disruption of the flow of goods and services

into and out of the community, job loss, loss of tax revenue, lack of housing, building

costs (owing to a scarcity of materials), and a corresponding increase in demand all

place a strain on the economy.

Risk management is a systematic and analytical process used to evaluate the

likelihood that a hazard will negatively affect a community. Risk management

identifies actions that reduce the risk and mitigate the consequences of a hazard

incident. An effective risk management approach includes an all-hazards

assessment, a vulnerability assessment, and a criticality assessment.

An all-hazards assessment identifies and evaluates multiple hazards - both naturally

occurring and man-made (intentional or accidental). Also, an all-hazards

assessment gauges potential impact based on various factors, including capability

and intentions as well as the potential impact on a community. Two other necessary

components of a comprehensive assessment are vulnerability and criticality

assessments.

A vulnerability assessment is a process that identifies weaknesses that may result in

greater negative impact involving a specific asset. Also, it results in recommended

actions to eliminate or mitigate those weaknesses. A criticality assessment is a

process to systematically identify and evaluate an asset’s importance. They are

important because they provide a basis for prioritizing which assets require higher

levels of protection. A risk management approach can be applied at all levels of

activity in our country—from federal agencies to state and local governments and

across the public and private sector. This general approach is used or endorsed by

federal agencies, government commissions, and multinational corporations (A Risk

Management Approach Can Guide Preparedness Efforts. Statement of Raymond J.

Decker, Director, Defense Capabilities and Management. Testimony Before the

Senate Committee on Governmental Affairs. October 2001).

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Course Scope

Hazard mitigation planning is a collaborative process whereby potential hazards

are identified and assessed in relation to seriousness. Consensus is reached on

how to minimize or eliminate the effects of those hazards on local communities. A

comprehensive risk assessment will:

1. Increase public awareness of hazards in the community. 2. Enhance the community’s ability to respond effectively and efficiently to

emergencies. 3. Strengthen the community’s ability to withstand emergencies and recover

rapidly. 4. Reduce human, social, economic, and environmental losses due to small and

large-scale emergencies.

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Course Agenda

Day Module Title Duration (Hours/Minutes)

Day 1 Module Overview: Establishing a Purpose and Process

55 minutes

Module One: Identifying Assets

1 hour

Module Two: Identifying Hazards

1 hour

Module Three: Determining the Vulnerability Levels of Key Assets

1 hour, 25 minutes

Module Four: Exploring Risk, Impact, and Loss

55 minutes

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Overview: Establishing a Purpose and Process – Administration Page

Duration The duration of this module is 55 minutes.

Scope Statement This overview will provide you with a general understanding of the purpose of conducting Risk and Vulnerability Assessments (RVAs), in addition to the cost of not conducting them. Further, you will discuss who should be involved in conducting Risk and Vulnerability Assessments.

Terminal Learning Objectives (TLOs) Upon completion of this overview, you will understand the importance of Risk and Vulnerability Assessments.

Enabling Learning Objectives (ELOs) Upon completion of this overview you will be able to:

0-1 State the purpose of RVAs. 0-2 List the costs of not conducting them. 0-3 Form an RVA team. 0-4 List the steps essential to conducting an RVA.

Resources Laptop

Projector

Projector Screen

PPT Presentation

A room that seats 20

Instructor-to-Participant Ratio 1:20

Reference List Schwab, A. K., Eschelbach, K., & Brower, D. J. (2007) Hazard Mitigation and Preparedness. John Wiley and Sons.

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Overview: Establishing a Purpose and Process – Administration Page

Practical Exercise Statement Participants will be administered a course pre-test to gauge the level of knowledge prior to the start of the course.

Assessment Strategy Participants will be assessed using these strategies:

Course Pre-Test

Instructor Review of Module Material

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Module One: Identifying Assets - Administration Page


Scope Statement

This module will give participants a thorough understanding of the resources and methods needed for identifying and listing the assets in your community.

Terminal Learning Objectives (TLOs) Upon completion of this module you will know how to identify potential assets.

Enabling Learning Objectives Upon completion of this course you will be able to:

1-1 Identify key assets. 1-2 Utilize an asset checklist. 1-3 Identify asset criteria. 1-4 Assess criticality.

Resources Easel Pads Laptop Large MoTown laminated map Projector Projector screen PowerPoint presentation A room that seats 20


Reference List FEMA. 386-2. Understanding Your Risks. http://www.fema.gov/library/viewRecord.do?id=1880.

McBean, G. (2004). Climate change and extreme weather: A basis for action. Natural Hazards, 31, 1, 177-190. NFPA. 1600 (2007). Standard on Disaster/Emergency and Business Continuity Program. Quincy, MA. http://www.nfpa.org/assets/files/pdf/nfpa1600.pdf.

Practical Exercise Statement Participants will be administered a course pre-test to gauge the level of knowledge prior to start of course.

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Module One: Identifying Assets - Administration Page

Assessment Strategy Participants will be assessed using a course pre-test, instructor-led review of module material, and a post-test.

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Module Two: Identifying Hazards – Administration Page

Duration The duration of this module is 1 hour.

Scope Statement This module will give you a thorough understanding of the resources and methods needed for identifying and listing the hazards in your community. Also, you will learn how to identify and access those hazards which pose the most threat to your community and learn about different hazard assessment tools.

Terminal Learning Objectives (TLOs) Upon completion of this module you will have a general understanding of how to identify potential hazards and assess potential risks in your community.

Enabling Learning Objectives (ELOs) Upon completion of this module you will be able to:

2-1 List resources or methods for identifying hazards in your community. 2-2 Identify the hazards to which your community is most vulnerable. 2-3 Assess the seriousness of the risk of each hazard occurring in and around your

community. 2-4 Identify record sites in your community that store CBRNE (Chemical, Biological,

Radiological, Nuclear, Explosive) materials. 2-5 List and describe hazard assessment tools.

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Module Three: Determining the Vulnerability Levels of Key Assets – Administration Page

Duration The duration of this module is 1 hour and 25 minutes

Scope Statement In this module, you will learn how to conduct a vulnerability assessment.

Terminal Learning Objectives (TLOs) Upon completion of this module you will be able to identify critical assets and assess vulnerabilities in your community.


3-1 Describe the process used to identify critical assets in your community. 3-2 Perform a vulnerability assessment.

Resources Laptop Projector Projector Screen PowerPoint Presentation A room that seats 20


Reference List Department of Justice: State Domestic Preparedness Equipment Program Assessment and

Strategy Development Tool Kit. ( NCJ181200).

http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/odp/docs/assessment.pdf.

FEMA. 386-1: State and Local Mitigation Planning, How-to-Guide: Getting Started. http://www.fema.gov/library/viewRecord.do?id=1867.

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Module Three: Determining the Vulnerability Levels of Key Assets – Administration Page

Practical Exercise Statement Participants will be administered a course pre-test to gauge the level of knowledge prior to the start of the course.

Assessment Strategy Participants will be assessed using a course pretest, an Instructor review of the material, and a post test.

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Module Four: Exploring Risk, Impact, and Loss – Administration Page


Scope Statement In this module you will gain an understanding of how to assess risk, impact, and loss.

Terminal Learning Objectives (TLOs) Upon completion of this module you will have a general understanding of how to estimate risk, impact, and loss for your community.


4-1 Assess risk. 4-2 Examine impact. 4-3 Examine function loss. 4-4 List strategies used to reduce risk.

Resources Laptop Projector PowerPoint presentation A room that seats 20


Reference List

FEMA. 386-1: State and Local Mitigation Planning, How-to-Guide: Getting Started. http://www.fema.gov/library/viewRecord.do?id=1867.

Schwab, A. K., Eschelbach, K., & Brower, D.J. (2007) Hazard and Mitigation Preparedness. John Wiley and Sons.

Schwab, Jim et al. (1998) Planning for Post-Disaster Recovery and Reconstruction. Chicago: American Planning Association Planning Advisory Service. Report No. 483/484.

Waugh, W. L. Jr. (2000) Living with Hazards, Dealing with Disasters: An Introduction to Emergency Management. M.E. Sharpe: Armonk, New York.

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Module Four: Exploring Risk, Impact and Loss – Administration Page

Practical Exercise Statement Participants will be administered a course pre-test to gauge the level of knowledge prior to start of course.

Assessment Strategy Participants will be assessed using a course pre-test, an instructor review of the module material, and a post-test.

mgt 338: risk and vulnerability assessments for rural ......assessment, a vulnerability assessment,...

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