The fundamental principles of Emergency Management are based on four phases – mitigation, preparedness, response and recovery.
During the Mitigation phase, Emergency Management conducts hazard mitigation risk assessments that identify those hazards they judge to be most critical and need Lab efforts to focus on in the near term. By concentrating efforts in these areas, Berkeley Lab reduces the risk to its staff.
Building and maintaining incident command and crisis action teams is the focus of the Lab’s Preparedness activities. Training these staff members in emergency management procedures, developing emergency response and Continuity of Operations plans, conducting table-top and full-scale exercises, maintaining its LabAlert emergency notification system are a few of the things Emergency Management does to better prepare for a response to an emergency when it occurs.
The Lab’s initial Response is comprised of the women and men and women of Emergency Management. Berkeley Lab has a great working relationship with public emergency response organizations in Berkeley and its surrounding area if and when they’re needed.
The objective of the Recovery phase is to get the campus back to normal (the way things were before the emergency) as soon as possible. Time and time again, whether it’s earthquakes, floods, landslides, or fires, the incident command and response teams have met this objective.
Lab Preparations
Food, water, and first aid are the basic life safety supplies that will be needed after an emergency, such as an earthquake. The Lab’s Emergency Management group has strategically placed six white disaster containers, one per each zone, that contain these supplies, along with other items such as tarps, tents, potties, and blankets.
Canned water with a 50-year shelf life and Meals Ready to Eat or MREs are staged in the containers. These offer protein and high-calories to provide energy to sustain body functions. Other supplies include emergency medical supplies, along with tarps, tents, potties, and blankets.