CEM Planning & Preparedness Strategies 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which planning assumption is essential when developing a Continuity of Operations Plan (COOP)?
- All staff will be available during an emergency
- Critical functions can be suspended for up to 30 days
- Essential functions must be resumable within 12 hours (Correct answer)
- Primary facilities will always remain accessible
Correct answer: Essential functions must be resumable within 12 hours
COOP plans require that essential functions be resumable within 12 hours and sustainable for up to 30 days.
Question 2: What is the primary purpose of a Hazard Vulnerability Analysis (HVA)?
- To identify and rank potential hazards based on probability and impact (Correct answer)
- To document the history of past disasters in a jurisdiction
- To assign financial resources to emergency response teams
- To create public awareness campaigns about local hazards
Correct answer: To identify and rank potential hazards based on probability and impact
An HVA prioritizes hazards by assessing their likelihood of occurrence and potential consequences to guide planning decisions.
Question 3: Under the National Preparedness System, 'Building and Sustaining Capabilities' refers to which activity?
- Conducting after-action reviews following exercises
- Identifying capability gaps and investing to close them (Correct answer)
- Publishing the Threat and Hazard Identification and Risk Assessment
- Activating the Emergency Operations Center during incidents
Correct answer: Identifying capability gaps and investing to close them
Building and sustaining capabilities involves identifying gaps through assessments and directing investments to address those deficiencies.
Question 4: Which document establishes the legal basis and organizational framework for a jurisdiction's emergency management program?
- Emergency Operations Plan (EOP)
- Comprehensive Preparedness Guide 101
- Emergency Management Program document or ordinance (Correct answer)
- National Incident Management System (NIMS) guidelines
Correct answer: Emergency Management Program document or ordinance
An Emergency Management Program ordinance or statute establishes the legal authority, roles, and structure underpinning a jurisdiction's overall program.
Question 5: The 'Planning P' model used in ICS planning begins with which step?
- Incident Briefing
- Tactics Meeting
- Understand the Situation (Correct answer)
- Prepare and Disseminate IAP
Correct answer: Understand the Situation
The Planning P starts with understanding the situation, which informs all subsequent planning steps in the ICS operational planning process.
Question 6: What distinguishes a Concept of Operations (CONOPS) from a full Emergency Operations Plan?
- A CONOPS is legally binding while an EOP is advisory
- A CONOPS provides a high-level overview of how the plan will function without full procedural detail (Correct answer)
- A CONOPS replaces the need for annexes and appendices
- A CONOPS is only used for cybersecurity incidents
Correct answer: A CONOPS provides a high-level overview of how the plan will function without full procedural detail
A CONOPS summarizes the overall approach and organizational roles without the detailed procedures found in a complete EOP.
Question 7: Which preparedness activity directly tests whether personnel understand their roles before an actual incident?
- Updating the resource inventory
- Conducting a tabletop exercise (Correct answer)
- Revising mutual aid agreements
- Publishing the Local Mitigation Strategy
Correct answer: Conducting a tabletop exercise
Tabletop exercises allow personnel to walk through scenarios in a discussion-based format to clarify roles, responsibilities, and decision processes.
CEM Planning & Preparedness Strategies 2
Which planning assumption is essential when developing a Continuity of Operations Plan (COOP)?