The Term ‘Response’ As Used In The National Response Framework Includes?

The Term ‘Response’ As Used In The National Response Framework Includes?

A. Actions that relate to only to the emergency responders.

B. Actions to save lives, protect property and the environment, stabilize communities, and meet basic human needs prior to an incident.

C. Actions of private sector entities responsible for critical infrastructure but not actions of public service agencies.

D. Actions to save lives, protect property and the environment, stabilize communities, and meet basic human needs following an incident.

Answer: D. Actions to save lives, protect property and the environment, stabilize communities, and meet basic human needs following an incident.

Referring to the National Response Framework (NRF), Response is defined as the actions taken as a consequence of the event. It is worth mentioning that these are intended towards the mitigation of the needs that crop up quickly within a few hours of a disaster or an emergency. The NRF which is a framework for the management and organizing of the country’s response to different kinds of disasters and emergencies highlight the need for a collective and systematic approach to incident management. For instance, in a case where one has witnessed a devastating hurricane disaster, the response would comprise search and rescue in an endeavour to save the lives of the affected persons, measures to safeguard other properties from being destroyed, cleaning up of the affected area to counterbalance effects such as pollution, and feeding, and offering temporary shelter to the affected persons to stabilize the affected area.

Response in the context of the NRF is based on several key components that include engaged partnership, tiered response, and scalable operational capacities. This means that response efforts deal with multi-sectoral interventions which involve different levels of government, the private sector and other stakeholders and non-governmental organizations. For instance, after a major earthquake, county fire and police might be reinforced by state apparatus and if needed, federal aid. The framework also emphasizes on sensitivity where one sees that different incidents may present different challenges that may need different approaches to tackle.

Furthermore, the NRF describes the coordination function of integrated communications and unity of command. This could be well illustrated by the coordination activities during mass fires when fire brigades, emergency medical services, the police, and environmental protection organizations need to work in harmony. The framework also points to the need to include the capacity for building backup and sustainability of interventions focusing not only on the relief of sufferings but also on the creation of the structures that will be immediately useful in future crises. Thus, defining ‘Response’ in this way makes the NRF more viable and flexible enough to address the myriad of problems that are associated with disasters and emergency response.