How the Organization’s Mission and Vision Enable it to Contribute to Public Health and Safety Improvements
FEMA’s mission and vision have been replicated in their functionalities across states. FEMA’s mission is to help people and communities before, during, and after public health catastrophes. This organization has been at the forefront of making its members understand their role in disaster management and preparedness. It also provides the necessary directions on how its members and other stakeholders involved in disaster management conduct themselves and make decisions targeted at promoting the safety of communities. To achieve all these, FEMA promotes the unity of purpose for all disaster responders, accords its members with the required flexibility in executing their mandate and fulfilling their responsibilities, and promotes innovations that help it achieve its goals.
FEMA’s vision is to ensure preparedness for any catastrophe. It is a representation of its overall responsibilities and mandates towards readying Americans to combat any apparent public health threat. To meet this vision, FEMA outlines three goals. By instilling equity as the cornerstone for emergency management, leading communities towards climate resilience, and promoting and sustaining a FEMA-readied nation, this organization believes that it can effectively protect and promote the safety of the American people. Sledge & Thomas (2019), reports that FEMA’s efforts to create safe and disaster-ready communities have been evident in their activities and strategic plan for disaster management and preparedness. This shows their commitment to their goals and vision for American communities.
FEMA’s mission and vision are an embodiment of the U.S. strategic plan to preserve community lives in the wake of public health threats. FEMA’s mission is an extension of the HHS strategic plan and public health promotion initiative of preparing for future public health hazards. Its mission and vision are embedded in the HHS objectives of protecting communities and individuals from imminent public health threats. It is also a representation of how various federal organs work concertedly to protect American lives. Xiang (2021) demonstrates how various agencies collaborate in disaster preparedness and management as part of their collective mandate to protect American lives. This concerted approach is a manifestation of how FEMA’s mission and vision support and contribute to these agencies’ initiatives in protecting the safety of communities in the wake of various catastrophes.
Organization’s Ability to Promote Equal Opportunity and Improve the Quality of Life in the Community
FEMA is focused on lessening societal barriers to accessing services and increasing opportunities for all community members to get help whenever they need it. This is entrenched in their strategic goal of instilling equity as groundwork for their emergency management efforts. This organization remains committed to delivering quality services to vulnerable Americans and those from marginalized communities. This has been evident in its initiatives to address equity in its programs. This includes but is not limited to the expansion of the eligibility criteria for clinical needs assistance, expansion of access to disaster recovery responses through the integration of a documentation drop-off center model, and the expansion of home repair assistance for persons impacted by disasters, especially those with disaster-attributable disabilities.
Through these initiatives, FEMA has been able to promote equal opportunities to all members of society. Through the creation of an equity enterprise steering group, FEMA has been able to establish a framework for implementing equity in its programs. It has also established equity policies targeted at fostering the inclusion of diverse cultural groups in its workforce (Bukvic & Borate, 2020). The FEMA’s equity action plan is also aimed at promoting racial equity and supporting marginalized communities and individuals from traditionally disadvantaged communities. These efforts are a replication of the overall organization’s commitment towards equity and lessening physical barriers to accessing essential services during public health catastrophes.