Response

Definitions

European Definitions

2007/779/EC

‘Response’ means any action taken under the Mechanism during or after a major emergency to address its immediate consequences

Note: Mechanism refers to a Community Mechanism to facilitate reinforced cooperation between the Community and the Member States in Civil Protection assistance intervention in the event of major emergencies, or the imminent threat thereof, is hereby established.

Other International Definitions

UNISDR

The provision of emergency services and public assistance during or immediately after a disaster in order to save lives, reduce health impacts, ensure public safety and meet the basic subsistence needs of the people affected.

Disaster response is predominantly focused on immediate and short-term needs and is sometimes called “disaster relief”. The division between this response stage and the subsequent recovery stage is not clear-cut. Some response actions, such as the supply of temporary housing and water supplies, may extend well into the recovery stage.

National Definitions

Australia

Response are actions taken in anticipation of, during, and immediately after an emergency to ensure that its effects are minimised, and that people affected are given immediate relief and support.

Response are measures taken in anticipation of, during and immediately after an emergency to ensure its effects are minimised.

Canada

Actions taken during or immediately before or after a disaster to manage its consequences and minimize suffering and loss.

Activités entreprises pendant ou immédiatement avant ou après une catastrophe pour en gérer les conséquences et minimiser la souffrance et les pertes.

Ireland

Response is defined as the actions taken immediately before, during and/or directly after an emergency.

New Zealand

Response is one of the ‘4 Rs’ of Emergency Management: Response means actions taken immediately before, during, or directly after an emergency to save or protect lives and property, and to bring the consequences of the emergency to a point of stability that allows Recovery to take over.

United Kingdom (UK)

Response is decisions and actions taken in accordance with the strategic, tactical and operational objectives defined by emergency responders.

At a high level these will be to protect life, contain and mitigate the impacts of the emergency and create the conditions for a return to normality.

United States

Presidential Policy Directive PPD-8

Capabilities necessary to save lives, protect property and the environment, and meet basic human needs after an incident has occurred.

NIMS

Activities that address the short-term, direct effects of an incident.

Response includes immediate actions to save lives, protect property, and meet basic human needs. Response also includes the execution of emergency operations plans and of mitigation activities designed to limit the loss of life, personal injury, property damage, and other unfavorable outcomes. As indicated by the situation, response activities include applying intelligence and other information to lessen the effects or consequences of an incident; increased security operations; continuing investigations into nature and source of the threat; ongoing public health and agricultural surveillance and testing processes; immunizations, isolation, or quarantine; and specific law enforcement operations aimed at preempting, interdicting, or disrupting illegal activity, and apprehending actual perpetrators and bringing them to justice.

NIST

Respond (function) is to develop and implement the appropriate activities to take action regarding a detected Cyber Security event.

NFPA-1600

Immediate and ongoing activities, tasks, programs, and systems to manage the effects of an incident that threatens life, property, operations, or the environment.

Other Definitions

Ontario (Canada)

Response is the provision of emergency services and public assistance or intervention during or immediately after an incident in order to protect people, property, the environment, the economy and/or services.

This may include the provision of resources such as personnel, services and/or equipment.

Intervention: prestation de services d’urgence, d’assistance au public ou d’intervention pendant un incident ou immédiatement après afin de protéger les personnes, les biens, l’environnement, l’économie ou les services.

Il peut s’agir notamment de la prestation de ressources en personnel ou de services ou de la fourniture de matériel.

See also

• Crisis
• Emergency
• Preparedness
• Recovery
• Resilience