FEDERAL AGENCY SHOWCASE: EMERGENCY
PREPAREDNESS PLANS THAT INVOLVE PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES
When it comes to developing, implementing and maintaining an
emergency preparedness plan that includes people with disabilities, there is no
standard formula. Federal agencies vary in size, location, structure design,
and budget. Moreover, within any given federal agency, whether in the District
of Columbia metropolitan area or in the regions, the number of employees with
disabilities varies substantially. So then, how can an agency develop a plan
that adequately addresses its unique circumstances? A universal first-step is
to engage in dialogue with other federal agencies to assess some of the
processes instituted, barriers encountered, and noteworthy resources available.
In this session, participants heard from three federal agencies about the
rudimentary elements of their emergency preparedness plans, which adequately
include people with disabilities: U.S. Department of Labor (DOL); U.S.
Department of Transportation (DOT); U.S. Department of Defense, Defense
Intelligence Agency (DOD/DIA).
Each of these agencies was chosen because of their specific
processes and unique circumstances. For example, DOL is a medium-sized agency
with field offices across the United States. DOT is a somewhat larger agency,
with a significantly more intricate institutional structure. DOD/DIA is a large
office within the largest andfederal agency that employs a significant number
of people with disabilities.
In many ways, each of these federal agencies’ plans was
similar. In just as many ways, their plans were different. Of greater
importance for this session was the discussion related to how they developed,
implemented, and maintain these plans in order to ensure the safety of their
employees with disabilities. The objective was to provide a comprehensive
summary of the various approaches to developing an emergency preparedness plan
that includes people with disabilities.
Department of Labor
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Al Stewart, DOL Director of Business Operations,
talked about the agency’s plan. |
Al Stewart, the Director of Business Operations, presented the
DOL’s plan to participants. Stewart explained that the creation and
designation of an emergency response team (ERT) was the first element of
establishing DOL’s current emergency preparedness plan. The ERT is
“comprised of a broad array of officials from within the Department”
to ensure that all essential issues are addressed. Additionally, the DOL Office
of the Inspector General conducted assessments of the DOL national and regional
facilities. This activity resulted in the conclusion that a
‘cookie-cutter’ approach was not appropriate. Instead, DOL officials
determined that it was a better and more efficient practice “to tailor and
address the needs, based on what the situation was for the specific population
of people,” to include people with disabilities. A key element of the
updated DOL plan is the shift in focus from the security manager force to the
building occupants. As part of this shift, DOL revised its evacuation handbook
to include blueprints of the DOL facilities and an illustration of collection
points for people evacuating the building.
The plan also includes two shelter-in-place policies. The first
shelter-in-place policy (Posture I Advisory) requires employees to go back to
their designated areas and wait for more instructions. The second policy for
shelter-in-place (Posture II Advisory), used in instances that are deemed
highly critical, requires employees remain in the building in a pre-designated
secure area. DOL also utilizes “designated Floor Wardens and Zone
Monitors” equipped with radios on every floor to ensure “that all the
offices in evacuation are cleared and that individuals who may need assistance
... have that assistance in reaching their destination.”
In developing, implementing and maintaining the emergency
preparedness plan at DOL, Stewart underscored three critical points.
- First, emergency preparedness requires continuous training
and review, because there are always upgrades that can be made.
- Second, the importance of two-way communication cannot
be over emphasized. Collecting and analyzing feedback from people within the
agency who have participated in drills makes the emergency preparedness plan
much stronger.
- Third, Stewart asserted, “Practice is key to
having a successful emergency plan for a federal agency.” Practice should
occur on a regular basis, so it becomes second nature to all employees.
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John Benison, DOT Disability Policy Advisor,
highlighted key aspects of the agency’s planning process. |
Department of Transportation
The development and implementation strategy of the DOT Emergency
Preparedness Plan was presented by John Benison, Disability Policy Advisor, DOT
Office of Civil Rights. According to Benison, the development and
implementation of an emergency preparedness plan that addresses people with
disabilities is necessary to be in compliance with Sections 501 and 504 of the
Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended. At DOT, emergency preparedness is seen
as an accommodation for employees, and therefore, “essential.”
Furthermore, the basic philosophy of the Department is that “individuals
with disabilities, DOT employees, and other employees should not feel any more
vulnerable than anyone else in an emergency situation.”
Benison outlined six specific procedures and practices that went
into the development and implementation of the DOT emergency preparedness
plan:
- Obtaining support from the highest level:
At DOT, this critical step was accomplished through a Secretarial
memorandum to top leaders. The memorandum, by its very existence, demonstrated
both the significance of this issue to all the Departmental employees and the
Secretary’s commitment to individuals with disabilities. For example, the
memorandum designated specific roles and responsibilities in developing the
emergency preparedness plan. It also required that people with disabilities be
involved in the plan development, and mandated that the DOT Secretary be
provided a summary of steps that had been or would be taken (to fulfill the
responsibilities and roles delineated). Accordingly, implementation and
maintenance of the plan met with little resistance.
- Ensuring that everyone at DOT has a responsibility
in emergency preparedness: The senior management has oversight
responsibility. Supervisors are responsible for ensuring the safety of their
employees, and employees with disabilities are responsible for their own
safety, which includes providing needed information to personnel responsible
for assisting them in the event of an emergency. Finally, the facility,
emergency, and security personnel have the responsibility of planning for
emergency situations in general, as well as considering the unique needs of
people with disabilities.
- Managing emergency information:
According to Benison, DOT’s plan provides specific details on the kind of
information that can be requested from a DOT employee with a disability and how
that information can be used. However, the plan also stresses assumptions
should not be made about whether an individual needs assistance. In addition,
the information should be given voluntarily, and any information obtained about
an individual’s disability should be kept confidential. Benison regarded
the most important aspects of this portion of the DOT emergency plan as
information collected about the kind of assistance needed, the
individual’s work schedule, and his/her contact information. The plan also
requires this information be compiled for emergency management personnel (e.g.,
supervisors and security personnel).
- Communicating with and training
employees: Benison emphasized that at DOT it is a
requirement that a specific communication plan related to emergency
preparedness be issued to all employees, in an accessible format. The plan
itself provides information on required procedures in emergency situations -
such as allowing individuals with disabilities to report to work before,
during, and after regular business hours. Benison advised Seminar participants
that DOT is developing a training program on the existing emergency
preparedness guidelines. It will be available to all DOT employees through
e-learning technology and other means. Under this program, the DOT operating
administration will be required to provide training to new DOT employees.
Additionally, anytime the plan is updated training will be mandatory for all
employees.
- Developing the emergency preparedness
guidelines: Benison identified this as an effective practice in
and of itself. The development of the DOT guidelines began with the creation of
a workgroup, consisting of representatives for the DOT operating
administrations, employee groups, and specific employees with disabilities. The
workgroup served as a vehicle for obtaining input and feedback on procedures
under development. By establishing a workgroup and utilizing the information
generated through their research and discussion, the guidelines are
comprehensive and thorough. Some of the resources that have been explored
include information from Federal Government and non-Federal Government
entities, such as the Job Accommodations Network (JAN), the Access Board, the
National Organization on Disability (NOD), and the Federal Emergency Management
Agency (FEMA).
- Making sure the emergency preparedness plan
remains as current as possible: One of the ways this is
accomplished is by reviewing the lessons learned from drills, practices, and
other issues that present themselves. Additionally, Benison noted that the DOT
emergency preparedness plan is continually updated; employees are regularly
educated on the substance of the plan; and the equipment is as current as
possible.
Department of Defense, Defense Intelligence
Agency
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Pam Butler, DIA Deaf and Disabled Persons Program
Manager, described steps taken by the agency. |
The last presentation of this plenary session came from Pamela
Butler, Deaf and Disabled Persons Program Manager in the Diversity Management
and Equal Opportunity Office at the Department of Defense, Defense Intelligence
Agency (DOD/DIA). While DIA’s plan proved to be similar in many ways to
the other plans presented, there were some nuances.
According to Butler, the development of DIA’s emergency plan
required the consideration of many factors. First, DIA is a 24-hour worldwide
operation, which requires that the emergency plan be “conducive to
daytime, nighttime, anytime, weekends, [and the] regular work week. Second, DIA
has an older workforce and a significant number of employees with temporary and
permanent disabilities. Third, DIA is undergoing construction and is surrounded
by a berm for security reasons. Each of these situations presents unique
challenges related to emergency preparedness planning for people with
disabilities.
Given these challenges, it was quickly decided that
everyone—from agency employees to experts and external
stakeholders—needed to be involved in the emergency preparedness planning
process. Some of the actions DIA took included:
- Soliciting advice and counsel from the entire Department of
Defense (DOD) network;
- Obtaining information from the local fire department; and
- Working closely with DIA senior leadership and others that
have access to the DIA facility or are otherwise involved.
As a result of this open planning process, the DIA emergency plan
requires that SES personnel and their deputies be designated as Area Assembly
Commanders and Deputy Area Assembly Commanders, respectively. They are held
responsible and accountable for their office, their directorates, and for all
employees in that area. Another component of the plan is an alert messaging
system that overrides the DIA computer networks to advise individuals of an
emergency situation. Additional components of the DIA emergency plan are the
routine, but mandatory, “quick mass training” sessions and the
one-on-one training sessions for every DIA employee, including those with
disabilities.
 Also coming out of the DIA plan is an
innovative system of evaluating the drills conducted throughout the year.
According to Butler, the purpose of the drill evaluation system is to assess
the strengths and weaknesses of DIA’s emergency preparedness plan. DIA
uses a red, yellow, and green grading system. A grade of
yellow indicates that modifications in specific areas are needed,
while a grade of red requires all personnel involved in an area to be
retrained regarding the DIA emergency preparedness plan. Additionally, DIA has
developed a communication and information dissemination plan that includes
conducting regular information sessions and publishing information in a variety
of formats. Yet another process born out of the plan is identifying training
programs geared toward DIA emergency personnel (e.g., Floor Wardens) and
requiring them in turn to train other DIA employees
Making employees feel comfortable about their responsibilities and
the established plan is an integral part of DIA emergency preparedness. For
example, DIA conducts drills where instead of employees physically evacuating
from an area or floor, firemen go to where the employees are located. The
firemen talk to employees, either as a group or individually, about perceived
next steps and give advice in accordance with the 'employees’ specific
limitations. DIA’s plan also calls for the provision of counseling by
trained personnel for individuals who may have a debilitating emotional or
psychiatric reaction to the stress of an emergency.
Through the process of developing and implementing the DIA
emergency preparedness plan, many lessons have been learned, said Butler.
Foremost of these lessons is that communication and accountability are
essential to the success of an emergency preparedness plan. It is vital that
every person be accounted for, with mandatory cooperation. Added Butler,
teamwork is fundamental to a plan’s success: everyone must work together.
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