COVID-19 Case Study : Public-Private Partnerships in Maryland
critical infrastructure providers position communities to be more resistant to the next disaster , thereby increasing the consequence management capacity of state emergency response agencies .
MEMA ’ s experience of enlisting a high degree of community involvement in the COVID-19 response and related consequence management objectives confirms the desirability of this approach as a high impact state-level force extender . We recommend that emergency management agencies at the state and other levels review opportunities to expand and systematize their own community engagement efforts . While the MBEOC requires consistent engagement with multiple partners over time , there are clear dividends during a major disaster such as the pandemic .
It is essential that state emergency management agencies share best practices within their borders as well as with their agency counterparts nationally . For example , states with larger land areas than Maryland may face greater opportunities as well as more challenges in their P3 mobilization efforts . The benefits and costs of business emergency operations centers should be carefully considered as they reach maturity as well as in the context of specific events . At best , they provide a basis to expand the capacity of state emergency management agencies to address high consequence challenges while building community resilience .
Acronyms and Abbreviations
ALAN - American Logistics Aid Network BRIC - Building Resilient Infrastructure Communities BGE - Baltimore Gas & Electric CISA - Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency COVID-19 - 2020 Pandemic name EOC - Emergency Operations Center DGS - Maryland Department of General Services FEMA - Federal Emergency Management Agency MBEOC - Maryland Business Emergency Operations Center MEMA - Maryland Emergency Management Agency NBEOC - National Business Emergency Operations Center PPE - Personal Protective Equipment PSIP - Private Sector Integration Program P3 - Private Public Partnerships SCF - State Coordinating Function
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