Patent ID: 7596608

Claim:
A computer-implemented method of providing emergency plans for a plurality of different facilities, wherein each of the facilities are entities that implement their respective emergency plans, when necessary, the method comprising: (a) providing in electronic form an emergency plan for each facility, each emergency plan having a standardized format with a plurality of component parts, each emergency plan having at least some component parts that are accessible by other facilities, wherein the plurality of component parts includes at least one of a Hazard Vulnerability Analysis, emergency policies, procedures that must be followed, available emergency resources, and an Incident Command System command structure; (b) providing an electronic network which allows the plurality of different facilities to communicate with each other; (c) at least some of the facilities using the electronic network to electronically share one or more accessible component parts of the emergency plans of at least some of the other facilities with each other, wherein the electronic sharing is a sharing of at least one of the Hazard Vulnerability Analysis, emergency policies, procedures that must be followed, available emergency resources, and an Incident Command System command structure; (d) electronically importing selected content of the electronically shared one or more accessible component parts of the emergency plan of another facility into one or more component parts of the emergency plans of facilities that received the electronically shared component parts, wherein the electronic importing is facilitated via the use of the standardized format for the emergency plans, and wherein the electronically imported content becomes part of the emergency plans of the facilities that received the electronically shared component parts; (e) one or more third-party entities electronically publishing information for incorporation into emergency plans of selected facilities; and (f) at least some of the facilities being programmed to receive the published information and to electronically import and incorporate the published information into their respective emergency plans via the electronic network.