- Experienced and knowledgeable in emergency response.
- Not directly involved in the actual incident.
The following subjects and discussion points should be used as guidelines for conducting a post incident critique with employees and responders:
1. Detection
- Was the emergency detected promptly?
- How was it detected?
- By whom?
- Could it have been detected earlier? How?
- Are any instruments or procedures available to consider, which might aid in earlier detection of the incident?
2. Notification
- Were proper procedures followed in notifying government agencies?
- Were notifications prompt?
- Was management notified promptly?
- Were personnel notified promptly? If so, why, how and who? If not, why not?
- Were contact numbers up to date?
3, Assessment/Evaluation
- Was the magnitude of the problem assessed correctly at the start?
- What means were used for this assessment?
- Are any guides or aids needed to assist emergency evaluation?
- What sources of information were available on winds, on water currents and other variables?
- Is our information adequate?
- What steps were taken to mobilize countermeasures to the emergency?
- What resources were used?
- Was mobilization prompt? Could the response time improve? How?
- What about mobilization of labor resources?
- Was it appropriate to mobilize Company resources and was this promptly initiated?
- What other Company resources are available and have they been identified and used adequately?
- Was there an ERP available for reference?
- Was it flexible enough to cope with unexpected events?
- Does the plan include clear understanding of local environmental, political or human sensitivities?
- What was the initial strategy for response to this emergency?
- Is this strategy defined in the ERP?
- How did the strategy evolve and change during the emergency and how were these changes implemented
6. Response Resources Used
- What resources were mobilized?
- How were they mobilized?
- How did resource utilization change with time? Why?
- Were resources used effectively?
- What changes would have been useful?
- Do we have adequate knowledge of resource availability?
- Was the response effective? Prompt?
- Who was initially in charge of responding to the emergency?
- What sort of organization was initially set up?
- How did this change with time? Why?
- What changes would have been useful?
- Was there adequate monitoring of the incident?
- Were communications adequate?
- Was support from financial services adequate? Prompt?
- Should financial procedures be developed to handle such incidents?
- What are the roles and effects of the various government agencies, which were involved?
- Was there a single focal point among the government agencies for contact?
- Should there have been better focus of communications to the agencies?
- Were government agencies adequately informed at all stages?
- Are any changes needed in the procedure to manage government relations?
- Should there be advance planning of response criteria, aimed at specific local environmentally or politically sensitive areas?
- How were relations with the media handled? With the public?
- What problems were encountered?
- How could public outcry have been reduced? Was it serious?
- Would it be useful to undertake a public information effort to “educate” reporters about emergencies and their effects?
