Originally written as a study guide to assist individuals preparing for the Certified Crisis Operations Manager examination, this volume provides a reference manual for emergency managers on the organizational structures, facilities, and procedures used to manage disaster response operations. The focus is on management of operations during the period immediately prior to disaster onset, the event impact, and the immediate post impact period. Topics covered include the Incident Command System, Command Posts, Emergency Operations Center facilities and organization, emergency plans and guidance...

The study of emergency management is inevitably the study of words and of those elements of language that act like words. Emergency managers, to a degree that may exceed the practice of many other managers, depend on words to standardize performance, communicate information and decisions, describe situations, etc. However, our meanings often differ from place to place and document to document, making the management and interpretation of information difficult. In 2000 the State and Local Emergency Management Data Users Group (SALEMDUG) initiated an effort to identify standard emergency...