City of Philadelphia

Emergency Preparedness Review

December 2005 – July 2006

With the rest of the nation, Philadelphia Mayor John Street and Managing Director Pedro Ramos watched the pain and suffering in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina with concern. Immediately thereafter, the mayor called for a comprehensive review of Philadelphia's emergency preparedness, both in government and in the private sector.

He formed an Emergency Preparedness Review Committee to lead this effort. The City hired James Lee Witt Associates to serve as the subject matter experts, conduct an extensive analysis of gaps in preparedness and provide a detailed plan of recommendations to address those gaps.

The review included critical infrastructure protection; preparation for chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear and terrorist incidents; the hospital and healthcare sector's preparation for major incidents; the police, fire and emergency management department's preparation; protection of vulnerable and special needs populations; and legal issues regarding emergency preparedness and response capabilities.

The project consisted of three overarching charges: a fact-finding process that included in-depth interviews with City officials and emergency responders and document reviews of relevant City plans and procedures; a resulting gap analysis report that outlined deficiencies in the City's capabilities and plans; and a recommendations report for future steps to improve the City's disaster management.

For the interview process, our experts identified and interviewed over 200 emergency response staff from City agencies, local industry, and non-profit organizations that were responsible for disaster planning and response throughout Philadelphia. Interviews highlighted City officials' concerns and perceived strengths and weaknesses in emergency management activities.

The knowledge gained from interviews with City officials was reinforced through document reviews of City emergency plans, vulnerability assessments, local and regional laws, public information and education programs and past performance reviews. These plans were compared with industry best practices to determine existing strengths and weaknesses.

From the interview and document review process, JLWA developed a gap analysis report that addresses areas of vulnerability and need within the City's emergency management plans. All areas of emergency management, response, and preparedness were covered including continuity of government/operations, community engagement, evacuation planning, critical infrastructure, legal authority, and issues relating to special needs populations.

JLWA and the EPRC released a 200-point recommendation report in July 2006 suggesting ways of improving the City's plans based on the gap analysis report. JLWA also prioritized implementation goals and advised the City on how best to put them in place.

Implementation Assistance

Since the release of the report, JLWA has assisted Philadelphia with implementation of the recommendations including: selecting a new Deputy Managing Director of Emergency Management; prioritizing recommendations; and developing budgets, a citizen preparedness education campaign, and National Incident Management System training and exercising for Mayor Street and his cabinet.

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