AR 529B – SPECIALIZATION 3

“SLU DRRMC & FIRE SAFETY SEMINAR”

MARCH 27, 2021

GASPAR, RACHEL AR. ERWIN P. GERARDO

BS ARCHITECTURE 05 INSTRUCTOR
 REACTION PAPER OF DRRMC

The policy objective of anticipating and reducing risk is called disaster risk
reduction (DRR). Although often used interchangeably with DRR, disaster risk
management (DRM) can be thought of as the implementation of DRR, since it
describes the actions that aim to achieve the objective of reducing risk.

Disaster risk is an indicator of poor development, so reducing disaster risk requires

integrating DRR policy and DRM practice into sustainable development goals.

Need to manage risks, not just disasters

RR is a part of sustainable development, so it must involve every part of society,

government, non-governmental organizations and the professional and private
sector. It therefore requires a people-centered and multi-sector approach,
building resilience to multiple, cascading and interacting hazards and creating a
culture of prevention and resilience. Consequently, DRM includes strategies
designed to:

• avoid the construction of new risks

• address pre-existing risks
• share and spread risk to prevent disaster losses being absorbed by other
development outcomes and creating additional poverty

Disaster risk management involves activities related to:

Prevention

Activities and measures to avoid existing and new disaster risks (often less costly
than disaster relief and response). For instance, relocating exposed people and
assets away from a hazard area.
Mitigation

The lessening or limitation of the adverse impacts of hazards and related disasters.
For instance, constructing flood defences, planting trees to stabilize slopes and
implementing strict land use and building construction codes.

Transfer

The process of formally or informally shifting the financial consequences of

particular risks from one party to another whereby a household, community,
enterprise or state authority will obtain resources from the other party after a
disaster occurs, in exchange for ongoing or compensatory social or financial
benefits provided to that other party. For instance, insurance.

Preparedness

The knowledge and capacities of governments, professional response and

recovery organisations, communities and individuals to effectively anticipate,
respond to, and recover from the impacts of likely, imminent or current hazard
events or conditions. For instance, installing early warning systems, identifying
evacuation routes and preparing emergency supplies.

Disaster preparedness refers to measures taken to prepare for and reduce the
effects of disasters. That is, to predict and, where possible, prevent disasters,
mitigate their impact on vulnerable populations, and respond to and effectively
cope with their consequences.

Disaster preparedness provides a platform to design effective, realistic

and coordinated planning, reduces duplication of efforts and increase the
overall effectiveness of National Societies, household and community members
disaster preparedness and response efforts. Disaster preparedness activities
embedded with risk reduction measures can prevent disaster situations and also
result in saving maximum lives and livelihoods during any disaster situation,
enabling the affected population to get back to normalcy within a short time
period.

Disaster preparedness is a continuous and integrated process resulting from a

wide range of risk reduction activities and resources rather than from a distinct
sectoral activity by itself. It requires the contributions of many different areas—
ranging from training and logistics, to health care, recovery, livelihood to
institutional development.

The real benefits to being prepared can reduce fear, anxiety, and losses that
accompany disasters. Communities, families, and individuals should know what
to do in the event of a fire and where to seek shelter during a powerful storm. They
should be ready to evacuate their homes and take refuge in public shelters and
know how to care for their basic medical needs. People also can reduce the
impact of disasters (flood proofing, elevating a home or moving a home out of
harm’s way, and securing items that could shake loose in an earthquake) and
sometimes avoid the danger completely.

The need to prepare is disasters disrupt hundreds of thousands of lives every year.
Each disaster has lasting effects, both to people and property. If a disaster occurs
in your community, local government and disaster-relief organizations will try to
help you, but you need to be ready as well. Local responders may not be able to
reach you immediately, or they may need to focus their efforts elsewhere. You
should know how to respond to severe weather or any disaster that could occur
in your area - hurricanes, earthquakes, extreme cold, flooding, or terrorism. You
should also be ready to be self-sufficient for at least three days. This may mean
providing for your own shelter, first aid, food, water, and sanitation.
5 key components to effective emergency management

1. Clear communication

In the past, it’s often been a natural reaction for organizations to try to withhold
information from the public. This is the wrong approach. Healthcare facilities can
prove their worth to their communities by being open and honest. In today’s world,
information will leak out one way or another, so it’s essential the public gets the
correct information from the healthcare experts instead of the wrong information
from someone else.

During a disaster, everyone inside the organization needs to be informed. To

effectively manage an emergency, all personnel must be on the same page –
medical, legal, government affairs, and facilities management, among others,
have to understand what’s going on.

2. Comprehensive training

Your facility may not face an emergency situation for many years. While there is
no substitute for the real thing, training is vital to ensuring your staff is as prepared
as possible.

Another important factor to consider when implementing a training plan is

community involvement. Healthcare facilities may assume they will have the full
cooperation of local ambulance services, police and fire departments, but those
agencies often have other responsibilities in the event of a natural disaster.
Establishing their role during training is essential to emergency management
preparations.
3. Knowledge of assets

Naturally, many people panic in the face of disaster. This places a heavy burden
on government agencies and other local resources to provide relief for people
dealing with a large-scale emergency. Hospitals cannot depend on outside help.
It is imperative that healthcare facilities take stock of their assets in order to
understand capabilities and limitations ahead of any natural disaster

4. Technology fail-safes and protocol

Every hospital has a medical records department. Those departments need a

certain amount of physical space, access to files and software systems to get
through every day. What happens when a disaster occurs and knocks the
software systems offline, or blocks access to records? How will the hospital
operate? Unfortunately, healthcare facilities often wait until a disaster has
created a problem before trying to find a solution, losing precious time in the
process. A business continuity plan helps to identify the hardware, software,
space and other resources that each area of your facility requires to remain
operational. It is crucial to recognize these needs in order to develop alternative
solutions before any of the requirements are disrupted by disaster.

5. Healthcare leadership involvement

Every hospital is focused on patient healing and safety. Occasionally, disaster

preparedness is seen as a secondary pursuit, less impactful than the demands of
day-to-day healthcare. However, the ability to keep your facility open and
treating patients during a disaster is an enormous asset to the community, as well
as a significant revenue generator.

Healthcare facility leadership must understand the importance of a strong

emergency management program and devote the proper resources towards
disaster preparations. Employees with disaster response experience are vital
pieces of the emergency management process – they keep facilities from
spiraling out of control. More importantly, they enable your hospital to continue
functioning and generating revenue. An effective emergency management
department is a valuable insurance policy.

A natural disaster can wreak havoc on an entire community in an instant. If your

healthcare facility is not equipped to respond, you lose the community’s trust as
well as a significant revenue stream. Expert emergency management is essential
to the safety of staff, patients, and the hospital’s financial security.

All businesses understand that safety signs represent an essential element of their
health and safety policies, but it is arguable that not every organization
proactively considers the reasons why they have come to be regarded as so vital.

Not considering the role of safety signs in the workplace could be an important
oversight for companies in many industries. The success of a workplace safety
intervention often depends on the degree to which managers are able to
communicate the value of a measure to their staff - after all, if workers have not
bought into your organization’s health and safety policies, they are less likely to
follow the rules as closely as they should.

As such, it’s vital that those in charge of workplace safety spend some time
thinking about why safety signs are so valuable, in order to make sure they are
always being used properly.

Building to Withstand High Winds

High winds are the leading cause of damage in tornadoes and hurricanes. When
wind speeds exceed 100 miles per hour, the consequences can be devastating.
Many traditionally built homes and buildings simply are not equipped to withstand
the force and end up facing extreme damage. Ripped-off roofs, homes being
lifted off their foundations, and flying debris penetrating structures are all common
causes of damage during these types of storms.

Building for Earthquakes

Earthquakes present their own unique challenges. Like strong winds and
tornadoes, these events can destroy buildings in a matter of seconds.
Withstanding seismic activity, however, requires different techniques and
materials than withstanding high winds.

Flood Resistance

The oceans are rising, and flooding is happening more often than ever before. In
the United States alone, more than 36 million people reside in places where there
is a high risk of flooding, so builders have developed ways for homes and
commercial buildings to better withstand this type of damage.

Tornadoes, wildfires, earthquakes, hurricanes, floods, and other natural disasters

are all becoming increasingly common. There is no denying that our world is
changing, and builders and architects are responsible for creating homes and
commercial buildings that are capable of withstanding the forces of mother
nature. New technologies and building materials are being tested and
developed on an ongoing basis, and the way buildings are constructed is
evolving at a rapid pace.

Disaster resilience has become a vital component, especially in areas that are
prone to certain types of disasters. While implementing features and materials
that make buildings more resilient increases construction costs, doing so lowers
the cost of recovery significantly. Homes that are built to withstand major storms
and natural disasters may also lower your insurance premiums.