» MP Institute Sets 'Preparedness Clock'

THE JOURNAL & TOPICS NEWSPAPERS | WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 10, 2007


MP Institute Sets 'Preparedness Clock'

By RICHARD MAYER

Journal Reporter

The Emergency Preparedness Institute (EPI) in Mt. Prospect, announced a national coalition of emergency managers and preparedness experts has joined with the agency to launch a new barometer of the national level of preparedness called "Preparedness Clock."

The Preparedness Clock combines available public and private data on the approximate percent of businesses and families who are ready to manage disaster-caused interruptions to their businesses and their lives into a single representative index.

The public data will be combined with data collected from a national network of over 65 professional emergency managers who will also help to set the hands on the clock. The Preparedness Clock, along with the Preparedness Bulletin, is part of a larger initiative examining the general effectiveness of emergency preparedness campaigns.

Despite a number of historic disasters that affected the country over the last decade including the storm that barreled through Mt. Prospect on Aug. 23, the data indicates that the overwhelming majority of American businesses, their employees and families have not responded to traditional preparedness campaigns nor embraced the need for preparedness.

"This data suggests that the current approach to encouraging preparedness is ineffective, and a new method of communicating and promoting the importance of developing business and personal preparedness plans is needed," said Norris Beren, organizer of the Coalition and executive director of the Emergency Preparedness Institute.

"Time is ticking away. Unfortunately, most Americans feel they can hit the snooze button when it comes to preparedness. The clock is ticking and the alarm is sounding. The Preparedness Clock makes sense," said Debra Robinson, a certified emergency manager for Advanced Mechanical Technology, Inc. (AMTI).

"The Preparedness Clock will give all stakeholders in emergency preparedness a tangible representation of exactly where we stand with our own readiness," said Jeremy Powell, Homeland Security analyst with Flatter and Associates, a supporter for the U.S. Marine Corps. headquarters in Washington D.C.

EPI was formed in 2001 in response to increasing evidence that the nature and frequency of potential disasters had changed.

According to EPI officials, EPI was founded on the belief that traditional thinking about emergency preparedness, emergency management and disaster recovery may have to adapt to the new realities.

Believing that these new facilities demand new strategies, EPIs mission is to explore, uncover and spread the most effective "emerging" strategies and practices for saving lives and property during an emergency or disaster, according to EPI officials.

Beyond simply collecting and disseminating the current "best practices" of the industry, EPI is engaged in discovering the "next" practices that will advance the discipline of emergency management in communities, businesses, and families.