Emergency Management, 2nd Edition

8 PLANNING CONCEPTS

… I have always found that plans are useless, but planning is indispensable.

—Dwight D. Eisenhower

The previous chapters have placed considerable emphasis on strategy development as the precursor for developing emergency plans and on the development of a governance structure and program to support the planning process. The emergency management program creates the context in which effective planning can take place. However, strategy must be translated into practical applications that guide tactical and operational response. The ultimate expression of strategy is the emergency operations plan (EOP).

The EOP is not an end in itself. In fact, a plan‐centric emphasis has been the downfall of many emergency planners. Without the operational procedures and the logistical and financial structures to support them, EOPs are ineffective. Planning must be inclusive and consider all the elements needed for successful response. This means going beyond the traditional view to accept that EOPs must encompass not only life‐safety response but continuity and recovery as well. This chapter looks at some of the concepts and methodologies that help translate strategy into effective emergency response plans.

As noted in the beginning quotation from Dwight Eisenhower, a fundamental concept of emergency management is that there is a considerable difference between a plan and the act of planning. To many, a plan is a physical document developed to meet a requirement ...