What Is Contingency Management?

With the promulgation of the "General Emergency Plan for Public Emergencies" issued by the State Council on January 8, 2006, China's emergency response framework system has taken shape. Whether it has the ability to formulate emergency response and emergency plans for disaster prevention and mitigation indicates the degree of the basic quality of the safety culture of society, enterprises, communities, and families. As members of the public, each of us should have a certain level of cultural literacy in safety and disaster mitigation, as well as good psychological qualities and knowledge of emergency management.

Emergency management

The emergency management should be put forward to the danger of the severe accident disaster. Emergency management refers to the process by which the government and other public agencies prevent, respond to, deal with, and recover from emergencies by establishing the necessary response mechanisms and adopting a series of necessary measures to apply science, technology, planning, and Management and other means to ensure public life, health and property safety; related activities to promote the harmonious and healthy development of society. Danger includes three categories: human danger, material danger and responsibility danger. First of all, human danger can be divided into life danger and health danger; material danger refers to accidents and disasters such as fire, thunder, typhoon, and flood that threaten the safety of property; liability danger is the liability for damages arising from the law, which is also commonly known as

"Facilitating security, focusing on prevention" is the guideline for emergency management.

Prevention plays an important role in emergency management. The ancient sages put forward many brilliant ideas on the basis of summing up historical experience. The "Book of Songs" has the warning "preparing for the rain"; the "Book of Changes" contains the thoughts of "safe without forgetting, saving without dying, and governing without forgetting"; "Zuo Zhuan" has "quiet peace, thinking, but thinking" Be prepared ". "Sun Tzu's Art of War" makes it clearer: "Hundreds of battles, good for non-good, and soldiers who do not fight, and good for good." So Sun Tzu puts forward: "The soldiers go for a plot, the next troop, the second troop, the The siege is a last resort. The same principle applies to emergency management. The ideal state is to prevent incidents from happening rarely. If a last resort occurs, it must be dealt with in an orderly and effective manner. It is very important to adhere to the principle of prevention and loss in case of accidents. ^[2]

The overall national emergency public emergency plan proposes six working principles, namely: people-oriented, reduce harm; live in peace and prevent, focus on prevention; unified leadership, hierarchical responsibility; standardize and strengthen management; quick response, coordinated response; rely on science and technology to improve Quality.

The content of emergency management is summed up as "one case, three systems".

"One case" refers to an emergency plan, that is, a plan and a plan for responding to research and development based on occurrences and possible emergencies. Emergency plans include general plans, special plans, and department plans at all levels of government, as well as basic plans and individual plans for large-scale activities.

"Three systems" refers to the management system, operating mechanism and legal system of emergency work.

First, we must establish and improve the emergency plan system. Is to establish a "vertical to the end, horizontal to the edge" plan system. The so-called "vertical" means that according to the requirements of vertical management, all levels of government and grass-roots units from the state to the province to the city, county, township and township must formulate emergency plans, unbreakable; the so-called "horizontal" means all types of public emergency It must be managed by the department, and special plans and department plans must be formulated, which are indispensable. Relevant plans should be connected with each other and refined step by step. The lower the level of the plan, the clearer and more specific the various regulations must be, to avoid the phenomenon of "upper and lower", and to prevent copying.

Second, we must establish and improve emergency management systems. The main purpose is to establish and strengthen a centralized, unified, and strong organization and command mechanism to give play to our country's political and organizational advantages to form a strong social mobilization system. Establish and improve a leadership responsibility system that focuses on party committees and governments at the scene of the incident, and coordination and cooperation between relevant departments and relevant regions, and establish and improve professional teams and experts in emergency response. The important roles of the People's Liberation Army, the Armed Police and reserve militia must be brought into full play.

Third, we must establish and improve emergency operation mechanisms. The main purpose is to establish and improve monitoring and early warning mechanisms, information reporting mechanisms, emergency decision-making and coordination mechanisms, hierarchical responsibility and response mechanisms, public communication and mobilization mechanisms, resource allocation and requisition mechanisms, reward and punishment mechanisms, and urban and rural community management mechanisms.

Fourth, establish and improve the emergency legal system. It is mainly to strengthen the legalization of emergency management, to bring the entire emergency management work into the legal system and system track, to establish and improve preplans in accordance with relevant laws and regulations, to administer according to law, and to implement emergency disposal according to law. The spirit of rule of law must be embedded in emergency management. The whole process of work.

(1) Achievements of the Government's Emergency Response System in China

The national emergency management system has been initially completed

Under the unified leadership of the state, adhere to the principles of comprehensive coordination, classified management, hierarchical responsibility, and territorial management to respond to public emergencies. In the emergency system, the State Council is the supreme administrative leading agency, and emergency management agencies or temporary command agencies are responsible for emergency management. ^[3]

The construction of China's emergency management system started relatively late, especially for emergency management systems for comprehensive disasters. This requires reference to a more mature and complete emergency management system overseas. In the United States, Japan, Australia, and Canada, a set of targeted emergency management systems and specific practices have been established, forming distinctive emergency response systems and mechanism. Among them, Japan, as a country with frequent earthquake disasters, is naturally more mature in earthquake emergency response, and its theory and specific methods are worthy of our reference ^[4] .

Emergency Management System

The United States is one of the countries with a relatively complete emergency management system in the world today. The continuous improvement of its systems, mechanisms, and legal system has made it more and more capable of responding to emergencies.

Specific practices of the United States in emergency management include the following.

1. Continuously improve organizational structure in disasters

Prior to 1979, emergency management in the United States, like other countries, was in a state of war with each part and region. Until 1979, President Carter issued Executive Order 12127 to centralize the original decentralized emergency management agency. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) was set up to coordinate agency work in the emergency management process. Its director is directly responsible to the president. We believe that the establishment of the Federal Emergency Management Agency marks the formal establishment of the modern emergency management mechanism in the United States, and is also a symbol of modern emergency management in the world.

The September 11 incident in New York in 2001 caused a deep reflection on the national public security system in the United States. It caused multiple problems at the same time, and the government was blamed by all parties for the poor management and misintelligence caused by the multiple management. Anti-terrorism technology and methods are backward ... In order to effectively solve these problems, the Bush Administration formed the Department of Homeland Security on March 1, 2003, incorporating 22 federal departments, and FEMA became the third-level agency under the Emergency Preparedness and Response Division. . Two years later, the US Gulf Coast was hit by Hurricane Katrina. Due to poor organization and coordination, New Orleans, the worst-hit area, was reduced to "human hell," killing thousands of people and living in New Orleans to this day. The population has not yet reached half of the pre-disaster level. After this incident, the Department of Homeland Security learned a lesson and redesigned the emergency function. The agency was reborn in a forest fire in California in October 2007, effectively solving the evacuation problem of more than 500,000 people in California.

Other professional emergency organizations in the United States also have the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which also plays an important role in emergency management. They already have a strong mobile team and efficient procedures, and have the right to take timely and effective measures in public emergencies.

From the evolution process of the above emergency agencies, we can see that the emergency management organization system in the United States has gradually matured from experience and lessons, and gradually improved.

2. Improve emergency legal system

The U.S. Emergency Management Act, which came into effect in 1976, details the process, duration, and powers of the president during emergencies across the country, and applies to governments and other public sectors (such as police, fire, weather, medical, and military) The responsibilities have been specifically regulated. Since then, special implementation rules have been introduced for different industries and fields to deal with emergencies, including earthquakes, floods, and building safety. The Disaster Relief Act of 1959 has been amended several times to establish the scope of the federal government's rescue and related issues related to disaster reduction, prevention, emergency management, and reconstruction. After the September 11 incident, the United States has made more detailed and thorough amendments to the relevant regulations on emergency response. The system is already a relatively comprehensive emergency legal system.

At present, the United States has formed an emergency and response organization centered on the Department of Homeland Security and divided into five levels: federal, state, county, city, and community. Through the implementation of unified management, the territoriality is dominant, the response is hierarchical, and the standard operation mechanism is effective. To respond to various unexpected disaster events.

Emergency management Japanese disaster prevention and mitigation mechanism

Japan is located at the junction of the Eurasian plate, the Philippine plate, and the Pacific plate, and is located in the Pacific volcanic belt. Typhoons, earthquakes, tsunamis, and torrential rains are very common. It is one of the countries vulnerable to natural disasters in the world. In the long-term confrontation with disasters, Japan has formed a comprehensive set of comprehensive disaster prevention and mitigation measures.

1. Perfect emergency management legal system

As a country that developed the basic law on disaster management earlier in the world, Japan's disaster prevention and mitigation legal system is quite large. The Basic Law on Disaster Responses clearly stipulates the disaster prevention responsibilities of different groups such as the state, the central government, social groups, and all citizens. In addition to this basic law, there are more than 50 various types of disaster prevention and mitigation laws. The cyclical legal system, namely the Basic Law, the Law on Disaster Prevention and Disaster Prevention Planning, the Disaster Emergency Response Law, the Post-Disaster Reconstruction and Recovery Law, and the Disaster Management Organization Law, make Japan lawful in responding to natural disasters. Yes.

2. Good emergency education and disaster prevention drills

The Japanese government and citizens attach great importance to emergency education, starting from elementary and middle school education, and fostering citizens' awareness of disaster prevention; September 1st is designated as "Disaster Management Day" and August 30th to September 5th as " Disaster Management Week ", conducting disaster prevention propaganda activities in various ways; the government and relevant disaster management organizations coordinated large-scale disaster drills nationwide to test the emergency response capabilities of decision makers and organizations so that the public can be trained to respond to various Like an emergency.

3 Catastrophe risk management system

Japan's economy is developed, and frequent earthquakes can easily cause large-scale economic losses. In order to effectively respond to disasters and transfer risks, Japan has established a government-led and financially supported catastrophe risk management system, and the government provides reserve funds and government reinsurance for earthquake insurance. The catastrophe insurance system played an important role in emergency management and provided guarantee for the normal production and life of the victims and post-disaster recovery and reconstruction.

4 Strict disaster relief system

Japan has established a relatively complete disaster relief system consisting of firefighting, police, self-defense forces, and medical institutions. The fire protection agency is the main agency for disaster rescue, and is also responsible for collecting, sorting, and publishing disaster information. The police response system consists of an intelligence response system and field activities in the disaster area. It mainly includes information collection and transmission in the disaster area, various disaster relief and rescue, and public security in the disaster area. Maintenance, etc .; Japan s Self-Defense Force is a state administrative agency. According to the Basic Law on Disaster Response and the Self-Defense Force Law, the chief of the Self-Defense Force can dispatch disaster relief troops to the disaster area to participate in disaster relief according to the actual situation.

Other types of man-made accidents in Japan are also increasing. For example, the Tokyo Metro Sarin poison gas incident killed 10 people, severely injured 75 people, and affected 4,700 people to varying degrees. How to improve the emergency management mechanism, improve emergency management capabilities, and meet new crises and challenges in the new situation has also become a new task for Japan's future emergency management work.

Emergency Management Australia Emergency Management

Australia is located in Oceania in the southern hemisphere. It is a sparsely populated country and its population is mainly concentrated in central cities and coastal areas such as Sydney. Over the past few decades, Australia has been strategically a low-threat country due to the boundless sea surrounding it. Its emergency events are mainly natural disasters such as floods, heavy rain, tropical storms, Forest fires, etc., the corresponding emergency management also has its own distinctive features.

1. Hierarchical emergency management system

Australia has set up a three-level government emergency management system with different responsibilities. At the federal government level, the Emergency Management Agency (EMA) affiliated with the Australian Department of Defence is the main emergency management department of the federal government, responsible for managing and coordinating national emergency management. At the state and regional government level, there are already six states and two Legislation has been adopted in each region to establish committee institutions and enhance the capabilities of police, fire, ambulance, emergency services, health and welfare agencies to protect life, property and environmental safety. At the community level, there are about 700 communities across Australia. Although they do not directly control disaster response agencies, they assume responsibility for disaster prevention, mitigation, and coordination for disaster relief.

2. Forest fire prevention

Australia is located in tropical and subtropical areas. During the dry season, the temperature is high, the humidity is low, and the wind is strong. The forest vegetation is mainly eucalyptus. Eucalyptus contains much oil and is particularly flammable. Once a fire occurs, it is easy to form a wildfire and cause it. Flying fires are difficult to extinguish and forest damage is severe. In response to these situations, Australia has developed a fire-fighting method after years of tests, adopted planned fire prevention measures to prevent forest fires, and adopted technologies such as meteorological remote sensing, image information transmission, and computer processing to achieve real-time, fast, and accurate forest forecasting. Fire. In addition, the public has also established non-governmental organizations such as forest fire stations and the Fire Management Committee (AFAC) to respond to fires.

3 Broad social participation featuring volunteers

In Australia, emergency response volunteers are a force for disaster relief. They come from the community, serve the community, and actively participate in community disaster reduction and preparedness activities. State emergency service centers are a relatively common form of volunteer disaster relief organizations, helping communities deal with disasters such as floods and rainstorms, and volunteers are not amateurs. They all participate in training and meet professional standards, and are proficient in operating various complexities. Disaster relief equipment.

Emergency Management Canadian Emergency Management

Most parts of Canada belong to the cold zone, and the winter time is long. 40% of the land area is frozen and frozen soil. The temperature in Montreal can reach minus 30 degrees in winter. The main natural disaster is winter snowstorm. Therefore, emergency management in Canada is "take the snow as a command".

1. An emergency management system that values the role of local departments

Canada established the Federal Civil Defense Organization in 1948, and by 1966, its scope of work had been extended to emergency response. In 1974, Canada reversed the priorities for civil defense and emergency operations. In 1988, Canada established the Emergency Preparedness Agency, making it an independent public services department that enforces and enforces emergency management laws. Canada's emergency management system is divided into three levels: federal, provincial and municipal. The government requires that any emergency should first be handled by the local official. If assistance is needed, it can be requested from the provincial or territorial emergency management organization. If the incident continues to escalate beyond the provincial or territorial resource capacity, the Canadian government can be sought again. help.

2. National Collaborative Mechanism for Snow Disasters

Governments at all levels in Canada have developed an efficient and systematic response to snowstorms. The snow clearing department is a permanent organization that clears snow in time to ensure smooth roads. The responsibility lies mainly with the provincial and municipal governments. Among them, the provincial government is responsible for highways in the area under its jurisdiction, and the municipal government is responsible for urban roads. According to statistics, the annual cost of snow removal in Canada is up to 1 billion Canadian dollars, and governments at all levels have special annual snow clearance budgets. Snow clearing in Canada is basically mechanized, and each city is equipped with systematic snow clearing equipment. In order to minimize the impact of snowstorms, Canadian provinces and cities pay special attention to mobilizing the cooperation and participation of the whole society. The Canadian Ministry of Environment website not only publishes detailed weather forecasts for cities and districts every day, but also provides daily weather forecasts for the coming week, and timely releases of extreme weather warnings such as snowstorms; provinces and cities have free real-time road condition information hotlines; radio and television stations generally It reports the local weather and road conditions every half an hour; all provinces and cities have also published Qingxue's budget, operating procedures and standards, and telephone numbers for complaints on their official websites for public supervision. Canadian provinces and cities also often introduce the knowledge and skills of preventing snow and ice to the public through various methods to improve the public's ability to respond to snowstorms.