PURPOSE. The purpose of this plan is to provide a statement of those actions REACT International, Inc. will take in the event of a major disaster. This plan does not direct the emergency response actions of individual REACT Teams or Councils. This plan was adopted by the REACT International Board of Directors during the July 2003 Convention. SCOPE . This plan describes planned actions of REACT corporate headquarters and officers. POLICIES. All the policies, bylaws and procedures set forth by REACT International, Inc. will remain in effect except as specifically stated in this plan or as announced by the corporate officers in accordance with their authority under the bylaws. GENERAL . REACT International, Inc. is not an emergency response organization. REACT International, Inc. does not, itself, provide emergency services directly either to the public or to other organizations. REACT Teams generally are emergency response organizations - the Teams may provide emergency services direct to the public or to other organizations. CONCEPT OF OPERATIONS. Each Team is responsible for its own local plan(s) and response(s). Team plans should include Mutual Aid agreements with surrounding Teams and with other organizations, as appropriate. Councils are encouraged to assist Teams in developing Mutual Aid plans and agreements with other REACT Teams throughout both the Council area and adjoining areas. Councils are strongly encouraged to actively participate in their state or regional chapter of Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster (VOAD) and coordinate plans and Mutual Aid agreements with other VOAD member organizations as well as Office of Emergency Services and similar. REACT response in major disasters consists primarily of providing additional emergency communications or manpower resources for other disaster response organizations. When local needs exceed the capability of the responding Team, that Team should activate its Mutual Aid plan(s) to request additional assistance.If the planned level of Mutual Aid assistance is not sufficient to meet local needs, the responsible Team will coordinate with the local Incident Commander prior to requesting unplanned additional Mutual Aid resources. After coordination with local authorities, Teams may request additional resources directly from other Teams, through their REACT Council, Director of the appropriate Region of REACT International or through REACT International, Inc. HeadquartersIncoming REACT Mutual Aid resources will be coordinated through the local Team that has requested assistance, unless otherwise provided in an established Mutual Aid agreement. In all cases, Mutual Aid resources will be coordinated prior to moving to any disaster site.SITUATION REPORTS (SITREPS). Situation Reports are extremely important to effective disaster response. Teams that activate in major events should send in a SITREP as soon as possible and update the information as significant changes occur. The SITREP should include type of event, level of Team response, expected duration, foreseen needs, etc. SITREPS may be faxed or e-mailed to REACT Headquarters, with copies to the State Council (if any) and the Director of the Region.. SITREPS may be phoned, if necessary, but confirming fax or e-mail reports will be prepared and transmitted as soon as possible thereafter to ensure accuracy. REACT Headquarters staff will notify the President and Executive Vice President when SITREPS are received. LEVELS OF RESPONSE. LEVEL 0 - Routine . Normal, no state of alert exists. Normal monitoring and operations.LEVEL 1 - Notification . REACT Headquarters staff will notify the President and Executive Vice President that a situation exists that may result in requests for additional assistance. Officers will assess the situation.LEVEL 2 - Alert . Additional staffing will be implemented, using any available personnel, at REACT Headquarters to monitor and coordinate requests for information or additional assistance/equipment.RESPONSIBILITIES .General Responsibilities of All Involved . The following are recommended procedures to be heeded by all involved.
REACT International, Inc.To the extent possible, a database of available personnel, equipment, supplies, etc.(utilizing information provided by Teams) will be developed and maintained at REACT Headquarters for use, as necessary, to supplement local resources should the need arise.Immediately upon receiving notification from a Team or Council that local REACT members have been activated to assist local authorities or agencies, and that local resources are not sufficient to accomplish the necessary tasks, the President, or by the authority of the President, the Executive Vice President of REACT International will assign the appropriate Director (or other qualified person) to act as liaison between the local REACT group(s) and other Teams/agencies as required. This liaison will:
At such time as the appropriate "Local Authority" determines that the emergency situation no longer exists, or when outside help is no longer needed by the local Team(s)/Council, the designated "Liaison" will terminate his involvement. Teams in the Disaster Area . A Team in a disaster is going to be very busy with meeting its own needs and needs of the community it serves. Actions may include the following:
The Team should follow its emergency plan. Teams Outside the Disaster Area . Teams that are outside the area of impact may be able to support REACT response. The following actions should be taken:
If another Team, Organization or Agency requests your Team to respond into a disaster area, ensure that the request has been properly coordinated with local authorities before initiating any response. Notify your State Council, Director of the Region and REACT Councils. Councils have two significant roles in REACT response to major disasters.
AFTER ACTION REPORT(S) . Upon termination of REACT participation in Disaster Operations, a report will be prepared to reflect:
Copies of these reports will be provided to appropriate State Council(s) and Director(s) of Region(s) and to
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