The purpose of this course is to introduce senior officials to the important role they play in emergency management. The responsibility for preparing for, responding to, and recovering from incidents, both natural and manmade, begins at the local level – with individuals and public officials in the county, city, or town affected by the incident. This course presents:

• Simple steps official can take to become acquainted with their emergency management role, authorities, and team members.
• Video presentations sharing lessons learned from officials of the City of Baton Rouge, East Baton Rouge Parish, Louisiana.

At the completion of this course, participants should be able to:

• Identify the emergency management role assumed by senior officials, describe emergency management authorities,
• Identify emergency management team members,
• Describe the purpose of an emergency operations plan, state the importance of resource management, training, and exercises,
• Identify the role of the senior official during a crisis, and describe the importance of involving the whole community in preparedness.