After watching the impact of Hurricane Katrina on New Orleans, the City of Philadelphia determined that there was a need for a comprehensive review of Philadelphia’s emergency preparedness, both in government and in the private sector. The City hired Witt Associates to conduct an extensive analysis of gaps in preparedness and provide a detailed plan of recommendations to address the gaps. Subsequently, Witt Associates provided subject matter expertise to assist with the implementation of the recommendations.

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
• A recommendations report for future steps to improve the City’s disaster management.

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

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.

Since the release of the report, Witt Associates has assisted Philadelphia with implementation of the following recommendations:

• Selecting a new Deputy Managing Director of Emergency Management
• Prioritizing recommendations
• Developing budgets
• Developing a citizen preparedness education campaign using National Incident Management System training and exercising for the Mayor and his cabinet