Emergency Management Continuity of Government (Cog) Term Paper

Emergency Management

Continuity of Government (COG) vs. Comprehensive Emergency Management vs. Integrated Management Systems (IEMS) vs. Incident Command System (ICS)

Continuity of Government or COG focuses on the actions and procedures taken in an emergency or disaster situation to ensure that governments are able to fulfill their functions during said emergencies (Farazmand, 2001). One may also consider COG the principles that underlie the procedures necessary to allow functioning during catastrophes or other natural disasters. Comprehensive emergency management is the process through which COG can be achieved; it involves strategic communications through local and federal channels to ensure the complexities of an emergency are clearly defined, and the procedures for ensuring order and functioning are outlined and followed.

IEMS and ICS both focus on more specific functions of emergency management, including the coordination of supplies and people and the allocation of scarce resources. They are not as comprehensive in nature as COG, which does not suggest they do not have utility, merely that they are not appropriate for comprehensive management of emergent situations.Download full
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TOPIC: Term Paper on Emergency Management Continuity of Government (Cog) vs. Assignment

The focus of IEMS according to Stephens & Grant (p. 286) is more general than that of ICS and COG; IEMS "addresses mobilization of resources and support" whereas ICS focuses more on responding to specific directives in a defined situation (Farazmand, 2001). ICS is more likely to handle incidents or one off events, whereas IEMS addresses the analytical process of managing emergencies. From a strategic standpoint, the COG model is significantly important to government because it alleviates many of the difficulties associated with the complexity inherent in emergent situations, complexity that often inhibits the "utility of IEMS and ICS" because these are not comprehensive in nature, and do not provide comprehensive guidelines… [END OF PREVIEW] . . . READ MORE