CONCEPT: Property Protection

Property Protection: All management activity related to policy, planning, prevention, mitigation, response and/or recovery from emergencies and disasters revolves in very specific and detailed ways around securing human well-being, and the protection of both property and the environment. Property, both private and public, exists in a multiplicity of forms. Furthermore, it ranges very widely in terms of the subjective and/or market valuations of its specific representations. All of these are a legitimate and necessary concern for those formally assigned property protection duties -- and for those who have property to protect.

A cardinal rule for emergency managers and more direct responders is to recognize that whatever the quantity, quality and range of property items that individuals, families and communities have is of some value to them. The same obviously goes for corporate identities. Consequently, the owners must be helped or facilitated, as far as possible, to protect their property against damage or loss before (if possible), during and after an emergency or, even more so, a disaster. Certain broad modalities have been identified for doing this, as the following examples broadly demonstrate:

Mitigation Strategies: These include: (a) insurance, (b) building standards and codes, (c) professional codes of ethics, (d) early-warning systems, (e) manufacturing, packaging and disposal standards, (f) quarantine/isolation capabilities, and, (g) preventive maintenance. 

Protection Systems and Hazard-Response Capacities: These include (a) Inspection, surveillance/intelligence and counter-intelligence, (b) armed security, and (c) alarm systems and their various uses.

Facilities at Risk and Related Shutdown, Evacuation/ Relocation and Security Procedures: These facilities include (a) bridges, (b) harbours, (c) power-generation plants and power grids; (d) telecommunication hubs and grids, (e) a variety of 'holding' or 'storage' facilities such as dams, reservoirs, warehouses and silos, (f) hospitals, (g) factories, (h) banks, (i) sports arenas and recreational facilities (j) public buildings and private homes. 

Preservation of Records and the Cultural Heritage: Covered here are, inter alia, (a) heritage sites and related historical buildings, (b) cultural centres and museums, (c) data banks or depositories, private/public records and document storage, and related transmission lines.