Emergency Response and Disaster Management Planning
We build an ICS and NIMS aligned emergency response plan for major accident response, from QRA derived scenarios through to mutual aid integration
Emergency Response and Disaster
Management Planning
Emergency response planning has matured well beyond the compliance driven plan that sits on a shelf, and our team treats it as a living discipline that brings together the Incident Command System under ICS and NIMS, the HSE and COMAH on site and off site emergency plan obligations, ISO 22320 on emergency management and the hard lessons of recent major events including Caribbean Petroleum in 2009, West Fertilizer in 2013, the Tianjin Port disaster in 2015 that took 165 lives, the Beirut ammonium nitrate explosion in 2020 that took 218, and Atlas Tianjin in 2024. We make every plan credible by deriving its scenarios from your QRA and FERA outputs, we define a clear ICS hierarchy with an Incident Commander and dedicated Operations, Planning, Logistics and Finance and Administration sections, we set notification thresholds and external agency interfaces and we build mutual aid arrangements on realistic time to arrival. Most consequentially, we exercise the plan through tabletop, functional and full scale drills with independent observers and a disciplined after action review. The hardest move is shifting your organisation from compliance driven annual drills into a learning culture where emergency response gaps surface continuously through HAZOP recommendations, management of change reviews and near miss investigation, and that is the shift we help you make.
How the study is executed
A structured, facilitated process that runs from scope definition through close out and produces defensible, actionable outputs.
We review your QRA, HAZOP and consequence modelling to identify the credible major accident scenarios the plan must address.
We define the emergency response organisation, the command structure, the roles and responsibilities and the activation criteria.
We author response procedures for each major scenario covering fire, toxic release, explosion, spill and medical emergency.
We verify your first response equipment, communications, PPE and medical resources against what the plan requires.
We design tabletop and live drill scenarios and facilitate them with an independent observer team.
We debrief participants, document findings and update the plan with corrective actions and improvement items.
What the study covers in full
Outcomes of Emergency Response and Disaster Management Planning
- Your trained and rehearsed people respond effectively to West Fertilizer and Tianjin class events
- Documented procedures remove improvised decisions when people are under crisis stress
- A clear ICS command structure prevents confusion during a multi agency response
- Mutual aid arrangements with verified time to arrival mean outside support actually reaches your site
- Your plan stands up to OSHA 29 CFR 1910.38 and 1910.120(q) HAZWOPER review
- It withstands COMAH Reg.12 and Reg.13 competent authority examination
- It aligns with the EPA RMP Subpart F emergency response obligation
- It satisfies the NFPA 1600 emergency management programme standard
- Drills surface gaps in resources, communications and procedural detail
- We verify your Emergency Command Centre works through a realistic scenario exercise
- Mutual aid integration is tested before a real event ever arrives
- Business continuity integration shortens recovery and business interruption after an event
- A well rehearsed response limits asset damage and business interruption and saves millions
- You reduce liability exposure from inadequate emergency preparedness
- You trim insurance premium loadings by demonstrating a mature response plan
- You avoid regulator enforcement for inadequate emergency procedures
Codes & standards we work to
Triggers that signal the need
Where Emergency Response and Disaster Management Planning applies
We serve onshore and offshore terminals storing LNG, LPG, crude oil and hydrocarbons.
We support large refinery operations that carry many major accident scenarios and mutual aid obligations.
We plan response for chemical sites handling toxic, flammable and reactive materials.
We work with sites that store hazardous goods, run loading and unloading and sit near the public.
We support power stations with ammonia, hydrogen and fuel oil emergency response obligations.
We plan for LNG storage and regasification sites that carry NFPA 59A response requirements.
Tangible deliverables
- A site emergency plan aligned to ICS, NIMS and COMAH
- Hazard specific response procedures linked to your QRA and FERA scenarios
- An ICS organisation chart with section roles and a notification matrix
- An Emergency Command Centre design specification covering primary, alternate and mobile
- A mutual aid agreement framework with capability mapping
- A tabletop, functional and full scale drill scenario library
- An after action review framework with templates
- A corrective action tracking register
- A business continuity integration interface
- An annual plan revalidation schedule
Ready to start your project?
Speak with our team to scope an engagement tailored to your facility, regulatory context, and lifecycle stage.