WELCOME...

Introduction

The Emergency Management Center (EMC) has conducted applied research and assisted in the development of emergency planning capabilities for agencies that include the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), and the National Weather Service (NWS).  We work closely with other researchers from the biosciences, chemistry, transportation, and computer divisions at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) to develop science based planning strategies and collaborate with a number of other local and State organizations and academic institutions, including the Natural Hazards Research and Applications Center at the University of Colorado and the Social Science Research Center at Mississippi State University.

The EMC's wide range of applied research related to disasters and emergency preparedness has included:

  • evacuation feasibility studies;
  • public response to warnings to evacuate and to shelter-in-place;
  • evacuation of schools, hospitals and nursing homes;
  • defining emergency planning zones for hazardous materials releases;
  • post-disaster audits of responder and organizational performance;
  • effectiveness of warning systems;
  • an assessment of the National Earthquake Hazard Reduction System;
  • the impact of sea level rise on coastal hazard mitigation planning;
  • development of a real-time transportation model;
  • issues related to reentry into contaminated areas;
  • treatment of people and animals contaminated with chemical warfare agents;
  • lessons learned during protective action decision making, and
  • training videos, including one on how to plan for emergencies involving animals for planners and another for owners that is also available in Spanish.
Most of the work is in the public domain and available free as downloadable files or as streaming videos.

Emergency Planning

The EMC has developed methodologies for reviewing emergency plans in general and against specific criteria.  A plan review system has been developed as part of the Chemical Stockpile Emergency Preparedness Program (CSEPP) for FEMA as part of the Chemical Weapon Disposal Program being conducted by the U.S. Department of Army (DOA) and to review plans for the Army installations storing the obsolete chemical weapons. We were one of the first to conduct independent reviews of  commercial nuclear power plant plans including the one for the Three Mile Island Reactor. In addition, we have assisted in developing criteria to assess the vulnerability of populations in the vicinity of a variety of facilities including industrial chemical and hazardous waste facilities.

Since 1989 ORNL has provided technical support to the Army and FEMA on the Chemical Stockpile Emergency Preparedness Program (CSEPP). Some of the significant accomplishments resulting from the CSEPP efforts include a planning guidance document that defines state-of-the-art emergency preparedness practices, a evacuation time estimation model (OREMS), computer-based training modules, an emergency management information system (EMIS), and a protective action decision-making model (PADRE). The CSEPP continues to represent the state of the art in current emergency planning strategies in both protective action plans and medical preparedness for chemical warfare agent contamination.

Training

ORNL has developed a variety of training curriculums for emergency planners. Our capabilities include the production of multimedia and computer-based curriculums. Recent courses include:
            • CSEPP Chemical Awareness,
            • Response Phase Decontamination,
            • Personal Protective Equipment,
            • Medical Management Of Biological Warfare Agent Casualties,
            • Protective Action Decision Making,
            • Hospital Management of Chemical Victims,
            • Sheltering-In-Place
            • Exposure and Contamination,
            • Evacuation Planning, and
            • Planning for Animals in Emergencies.

To provide a more comprehensive overview of first responder awareness training, we integrated several of the training courses into a refresher training course to be taught by FEMA headquarter's staff at the request of States. An Advanced First Responder  Operations Level Refresher Training curriculum will be available in the summer of 2008.

Exercises

Working with the Emergency Planning group at ORNL we developed the original exercise plan for the CSEPP. In addition to providing support for planning and conducting exercises, we developed a video in conjunction with a local emergency management agency and Army installation to visually enhance and support training of the exercise evaluators. Tools to assess exercise performance are currently being explored.

Automation/Modeling

The EMC has developed several models for emergency planners and managers, including the Emergency Management Information Management System (EMIS), a state of the art client-server computer system for managing information in an emergency. The Protective Action Dose Reduction (PADRE) model was designed to assist planners in developing Protective Action Guides for chemical warfare agent accidents. The Oak Ridge Evacuation Modeling System (OREMS) can be used to analyze traffic patterns and resulting bottlenecks to better plan emergency evacuation routes and is currently being tested to examine real-time traffic patterns using ever-changing parameters to sequence the results.

Public Information and Education

We have extensive experience in developing public education materials for emergency management that includes multi-media presentations.  A source book to assist emergency managers in understanding the factors affecting risk communications in emergencies and a guide to preparing emergency warning messages are also available from the EMC web site.

ORNL recently entered an interagency agreement with FEMA to support Citizen Corp risk communications and warning activities. Among the tasks are:

  • technical reviews of FEMA public awareness materials,
  • development of new preparedness informational materials for citizens such as “Are You Ready,” and
  • conducting a state of the art review of emergency warning systems across the United States.

ORNL developed public educational and training materials to support shelter-in-place options for population protection as well as issues faced by business owners for FEMA.

Environmental Impact and Environmental Justice Assessments

We have conducted pioneering working the assessment of the social and psychological effects of hazardous technologies including nuclear power and chemical warfare weapons. We have developed an approach to examine readily available U.S. Census demographic data using GIS geo-codes to estimate populations at risk, high vulnerability groups, and assess environmental equity issues. 

Risk Communications and Public Information/Education
We have extensive experience in developing public education materials for emergency management including question and answers, brochures, and multi-media presentations. Our approach is based on social science research on learning and cognitive functioning and applied research on human response to disaster and emergency information. We have conducted considerable research on such topics. A guide to preparing emergency warning messages has been developed. A source book on risk communication for emergency managers and a guide on preparing emergency warning messages have been published. We produced an interactive CD-ROM on public education and information programs in emergency management.  Currently we are working on a video on joint information systems and joint information centers.

ORNL recently entered an interagency agreement with FEMA to support Citizen Corp risk communications and warning activities. Among the tasks are:

  • technical reviews of FEMA public awareness materials,
  • development of new preparedness informational materials for citizens such as "Are You Ready", and
  • conducting a state of the art review of emergency warning systems across the United States.

ORNL developed public educational and training materials to support shelter-in-place options for population protection as well as issues faced by business owners for FEMA.

Emergency Evacuation

The Oak Ridge National Laboratory is one of the leading institutes in the world on the topic of emergency evacuation. We have conducted considerable research on that topic and translated the work into practical use. Our research has primarily focused on the incidence of evacuation and the dynamics of human behavior in evacuations. This has included evacuations in a variety of locations and in response to both natural and technological events. Specialized studies have included the evacuation of institutionalized populations and evacuation of populations following chemical accidents. We also conduct research on deciding to evacuate or shelter in place. Much of this knowledge has been incorporated into OREMS, the Oak Ridge Evacuation Modeling Systems, a state of the art quantitative evacuation time estimation model. In 2008 we initiated a study of  warning and evacuation behavior in the San Diego wildfires.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

ORNL Disclaimers