August 27, 2007—The National Response Plan from the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS), last updated May 25, 2006, and currently under review, establishes a comprehensive all-hazards approach to enhance the ability of the United States to manage domestic incidents, says DHS.
The plan incorporates best practices and procedures from incident management disciplines homeland security, emergency management, law enforcement, firefighting, public works, public health, responder and recovery worker health and safety, emergency medical services, and the private sector—and integrates them into a unified structure. It forms the basis of how the federal government coordinates with state, local, and tribal governments and the private sector during incidents. It establishes protocols to help:
- Save lives and protect the health and safety of the public, responders, and recovery workers;
- Ensure security of the homeland;
- Prevent an imminent incident, including acts of terrorism, from occurring;
- Protect and restore critical infrastructure and key resources;
- Conduct law enforcement investigations to resolve the incident, apprehend the perpetrators, and collect and preserve evidence for prosecution and/or attribution;
- Protect property and mitigate damages and impacts to individuals, communities, and the environment; and
- Facilitate recovery of individuals, families, businesses, governments, and the environment.
The full 426-page version of the plan is available, in PDF format, online. A quick reference guide is also available.
For additional information on the plan or on how to obtain copies of the National Response Plan, please call 800-368-6498.
