Developing emergency management bench strength

At hospitals I’ve worked with, the practice for emergency management training has been to develop a great deal of what I like to refer to as bench strength among senior leaders and the management team (don’t forget off-shift supervisors — 128 hours of the week are considered off-hours and you don’t want to be caught short during those times).

They have accomplished this by having organizational leaders (in some instances even board members) complete the “basic” package of education (generally, but not exclusively, as a function of HICS). And those organizations that have experienced the greatest success have been those that have been able to coordinate the education of as many managers as possible in the shortest amount of time (this is very much analogous to the concept of being on the same page).

So if the opportunity presents itself where you can educate the lion’s share of the managers at one time, that generally provides the best results, particularly as its foundation rests on the development of organizational response as a team pursuit.

Mandates aside, this process is all (and really only) about ensuring that the organization is appropriately prepared to respond to an emergency, regardless of its nature, duration, etc. The more resources that can be brought to bear, especially over an event of extended duration, the more effective the response and the greater the ability to ensure fresh resources are available.