Prior to
1995, TEMA, like every other state-level emergency management organization, had
developed emergency management plans based on a nuclear attack scenario as
required by FEMA guidance. In 1995, however, the agency completely threw
out the old planning methods and rewrote the Tennessee Emergency Management
Plan (TEMP) from the ground up using the Emergency Support Function (ESF)
concept.
Since
state law requires all local emergency management plans to emulate the TEMP, it
became necessary to provide some form of technical assistance and training to
local planners and emergency managers in how to rewrite their plans to conform
to the new format of the TEMP. One result was the Emergency Management
Planning Guide for Local Governments. This document was provided to all
local emergency management offices, and explained the new concepts espoused
within the new state plan. It is provided here in an HTML format for
reference to local governments and any other user who wishes to gain a better
understanding of the principles that should go into the development of a local
emergency management plan.