Response Team Readiness

Team Preparation

Hold Pre-Deployment Meetings

  • Determine whether resources being considered/gathered are truly pertinent

  • Review plan for how teams are alerted and assemble their materials for deployment

  • Ensure proper emergency contact forms and information are complete for all response team members

Planning for Deployment Costs

Budgeting

  • Resources, man-hours, and overall costs can vary based on:

    • Duration of response

    • Number of personnel

    • Distance of response

    • Equipment/resources used/donated

Reimbursement

  • Responding facilities should not expect reimbursement for any aspect of response

Staff compensation

  • Facilities should pre-determine how their responders will be compensated based on your organization’s policies

Packing

The efficiency and effectiveness of a  response can be enhanced by properly packing supplies.

  • Group items together that are needed for the same task

  • Pack so that items that are most often required are easiest to access

  • Coordinate among team members to ensure everyone has what they need, without unnecessary duplication

Material Movement

  • Field Cart

  • Wagons

Storage Options

  • Bags/Packs

  • Bins/Totes

Prepacking for Rapid Response

When  a vehicle is  prepacked for a rapid response team it must be organized and inventoried (ideally, with a schematic) for ready use by any responder.

Packing at Activation

When a team is assembled at activation:

  • Inventory resources while packing to simplify returning and replenishing resources.

  • Each team member can maintain a cache of their work-related items required for response.

Packing Lists

Supplies may be difficult to obtain in a disaster area, so the packing lists include a wide range of items to consider including. The specific items you will need depends on many factors, including the type of incident you’re responding to and the conditions on the ground.

Deployment Team

  • Depending on the team’s task, these items would be on a truck or available from base/staging  

  • Equipment should be packed and utilized based on training and certification level 

  • Equipment needs will vary depending on mission assignment

  • Some items may appear in multiple lists