The Structure of the National Emergency Management System

The National Emergency Management System is the overarching mechanism which facilitates emergency management. It not only consists of the Department Of Emergency Management which is responsible for the coordination of stakeholders and activities but the following groupings:

Emergency Management Advisory Council
Emergency Operations Centre /Emergency Management Teams
Fifteen (15) Emergency Management Standing Committees
Thirty (30) District Emergency Organisations (DEOs)

Emergency Management Advisory Committee

The National Emergency Management System is comprised of representatives of the National Disaster Committee which is called the Emergency Management Advisory Council (EMAC) whose membership comprises of representatives of the Emergency Services, key government ministries and departments, the Private Sector, Non Governmental Organisations NGOs, Community Based Organisations CBOs and international and regional emergency management organizations.

Under the EMAC there are fifteen (15) sub committees called standing committees which are organised along Emergency Response Functions such as Shelter, Evacuation, Mass Feeding, Emergency Telecommunications, and Public Utilities amongst others.

Emergency Management Standing Committees

The Standing Committees are chaired by selected members of the Emergency Management Advisory Committee. These Chairpersons are all Technical Heads of Government agencies which have responsibility for the execution of national disaster management policy and programmes in their respective areas of expertise. The Committees include:

Public Information (PIEC)
Damage Assessment and Statistics (DASC)
Health and First Aid Services (HFASC)
Food and General Supplies (FGSC)
Public Utilities (PUC)
Emergency Transport (ETC)
Road Clearance and Tree Trimming (RCTTC)
Welfare Services (WSC)
Shelter Management (SMC)
Telecommunications (TEC)
Emergency Housing and Rehabilitation (EHRC)
National Mitigation (NMC)
Tourism Emergency Management (TEMC)
Technical Standing Committee on Coastal Hazards (TSCCH)

District Emergency Organisations (DEOs)

The District Emergency Organisation operates as the volunteer arm of the Department of Emergency Management, the agency responsible for the National Emergency Management System. The role of the DEO’s is to organize and coordinate the resources of the community so as to allow for an effective response in time of crisis. The DEOs are operated by volunteers and the membership is drawn from the communities which they are intended to serve. Currently there are thirty (30) DEOs strategically placed across the island.