Emergency Management Terms Glossary

Emergency management includes many programs, processes, organizations, and responsibilities that work together before, during, and after an emergency. This glossary provides plain-language definitions for common emergency management terms used by the Tennessee Emergency Management Authority and its partners.

Core Emergency Management Terms

Emergency management (EM): The preparation for, mitigation of, response to, and recovery from emergencies and disasters.
Emergency Operations Center (EOC): A centralized location where representatives from government agencies and partner organizations coordinate information, resources, and response activities during an emergency.
Emergency Services Coordinators (ESCs): Individuals designated by their organizations to coordinate emergency preparedness, response, and recovery activities.
Incident Command System (ICS): A standardized approach to the command, control, and coordination of on-scene incident management. ICS is a core component of the National Incident Management System.
National Incident Management System (NIMS): A standardized federal framework that helps government agencies, the private sector, and nongovernmental organizations work together effectively to manage incidents of any size or complexity.
Emergency Support Functions (ESFs): A coordination and support structure that groups agencies and organizations performing similar emergency functions into cohesive units. This structure supports the effective management of essential functions during an emergency.
Public Information Officer (PIO): An individual designated to coordinate an organization’s information and messaging for the public, including communication through the media.
Spokesperson: An individual designated to speak publicly on behalf of an organization.
Tennessee Emergency Management Plan (TEMP): Tennessee’s comprehensive statewide plan for coordinating emergency management activities.

Planning and Preparedness

After-Action Report (AAR): A document produced following an incident or exercise that identifies what went well, what challenges occurred, and what improvements may be needed.
Continuity of Operations Plan (COOP): A plan that outlines how an organization’s essential operations will continue during and after an emergency that affects normal operations.
Emergency Operations Plan (EOP): A plan that outlines how a jurisdiction or organization will prepare for and respond to potential hazards. In Tennessee, county emergency operations plans are often called Basic Emergency Operations Plans, or BEOPs.
Mass care: The provision of shelter, food, water, emergency medical care, and other essential services to disaster survivors and emergency workers.
Mitigation: Actions taken to reduce the loss of life, property, infrastructure, and resources caused by natural or human-caused disasters.
Resilience: The ability to withstand, adapt to, and recover from the impacts of a disaster.

Response and Operations

Emergency Management Assistance Compact (EMAC): An interstate compact that provides the structure for mutual aid between the 50 states, the District of Columbia, and U.S. territories.
Incident command (IC): The ICS function responsible for overall incident management. It typically includes the incident commander or unified command and other designated personnel.
Incident Command Post (ICP): The location in the field where the primary incident command functions are performed.
Joint Information Center (JIC): A facility that may be established during an incident to coordinate public information activities and media inquiries among the agencies and organizations involved in a response.
Mutual aid: The sharing of personnel, equipment, supplies, or other resources across organizational or political boundaries.
State of emergency: An official declaration by the chief executive of a political jurisdiction stating that an emergency has occurred or is likely to occur. A declaration may activate additional emergency authorities and resources.

Recovery

Governor’s Response and Recovery Fund (GRRF): Tennessee’s primary mechanism for providing assistance to communities affected by disasters that do not meet the criteria for federal assistance, subject to the availability of funds.
Disaster Survivor Assistance (DSA): A component of the GRRF that may provide assistance to individuals affected by a disaster, subject to program requirements and the availability of funds.
Local Disaster Recovery Assistance (LDRA): A component of the GRRF that may provide assistance to local governments and school districts affected by a disaster, subject to program requirements and the availability of funds.
Long-term recovery: Actions that help disaster survivors rebuild their homes, replace lost or damaged property, resume work, and restore or rebuild public infrastructure.
Long-Term Recovery Group (LTRG): A group of local organizations that typically forms or becomes active after a disaster to address survivors’ unmet needs, coordinate assistance applications, and provide other recovery support.
Stafford Act: The primary federal law governing federal disaster assistance and the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s disaster programs.
Major Disaster Declaration: A declaration issued by the President, under the Stafford Act, stating that a disaster has occurred and making certain federal assistance programs available.
Individual Assistance (IA): A FEMA program that may provide financial assistance and direct services to eligible individuals and families with uninsured or underinsured disaster-related expenses and serious needs.
Public Assistance (PA): A FEMA program that may reimburse eligible state, local, tribal, territorial, and certain private nonprofit organizations for eligible emergency work and the repair or replacement of disaster-damaged facilities.
Public Assistance work is organized into the following categories:
Category A—Debris removal
Category B—Emergency protective measures: Actions taken immediately to save lives, protect public health and safety, and prevent damage to improved property.
Category C—Roads and bridges
Category D—Water control facilities
Category E—Buildings, contents, and equipment
Category F—Utilities
Category G—Parks, recreational, and other facilities
Category Z—Management costs
Small Business Administration (SBA) disaster loans: Federal low-interest loans administered by the U.S. Small Business Administration that may be available to eligible businesses, nonprofit organizations, homeowners, and renters affected by a disaster.
Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster (VOAD): An association of nonprofit and community organizations that provide assistance, services, or other support during emergency preparedness, response, or recovery activities in a specific area.

This glossary is intended as a general reference. Definitions may vary depending on the program, incident, or applicable federal and state requirements.