ISO standard for emergency management

ISO has published a standard for emergency management and incident response. ISO 22320, Societal security - emergency management - Requirements for incident response, to minimise the impact of disasters, terrorist attacks and other major incidents, will help save lives, mitigate harm and damage and ensure continuity of basic services such as health, rescue services, water and food supplies, electricity and fuel delivery.

Any response following an incident might include the participation of public and private organisations working at international, regional or national levels.

Harmonised international guidance is needed to coordinate efforts and ensure effective action.

ISO 22320 outlines global best practices for establishing command and control organisational structures and procedures, decision support, traceability and information management. Interoperability amongst involved organisations is essential for successful incident response.

The standard also helps ensure timely, relevant and accurate operational information by specifying processes, systems of work, data capture and management.

It also gets a foundation for coordination and cooperation, ensuring that all relevant parties are on the same page during a disaster, minimising the risk of misunderstandings and ensuring effective use of combined resources.