Competencies | Personnel & Faculty | Partners

Competencies

Emergency response works best within a consistent system. The competencies outlined below emphasize a systems approach, describing how agencies and public health workers can fulfill their roles and carry out their responsibilities in public health emergencies and other public health scenarios. These competencies further provide a foundation from which to build locally relevant training, exercises and drills.

Get Adobe Reader

In order for the public health system to meet performance standards in emergency preparedness all public health workers must be competent to:

  1. Describe the public heath role in emergency response in a range of emergencies that might arise. (e.g. “This department provides surveillance, investigation and public information in disease outbreaks and collaborates with other agencies in biological, environmental, and weather emergencies.”)
  2. Describe the chain of command in emergency response
  3. Identify and locate the agency emergency response plan (or the pertinent portion of the plan)
  4. Describe his/her functional role(s) in emergency response and demonstrate his/her role(s) in regular drills
  5. Demonstrate correct use of all communication equipment used for emergency communication (phone, fax, radio, etc.)
  6. Describe communication role(s) in emergency response:
    • Within agency
    • Media
    • General public
    • Personal (family, neighbors)
  7. Identify limits to own knowledge/skill/authority and identify key system resources for referring matters that exceed these limits
  8. Apply creative problem solving and flexible thinking to unusual challenges within his/her functional responsibilities and evaluate effectiveness of all actions taken
  9. Recognize deviations from the norm that might indicate an emergency and describe appropriate action (e.g. communicate clearly within the chain of command)