This article describes an online collaboration emergency planning tool that assists emergency managers in creating shareable plans for hazard-based scenarios such as hurricanes, earthquakes and wildfires.
Called the Mutual Aid Resource Planner (MARP), this tool, which is available from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, enables agencies to identify a potential disaster or scenario for which to plan, specifies the requirements and resources for responding to each type of disaster, and instructs agencies in how to expand the resources available by working with neighboring jurisdictions. The National Information Sharing Consortium https://www.nisconsortium.org) hosts the free MARP tool, which is an ArcGIS Online configurable template. MARP is good for spurring additional discussion and collaboration. During the pilot phase of the project, emergency planners in Michigan and Ontario, Canada, used MARP to develop mutual aid resource-sharing plans in a cross-border environment. In New Orleans, the program was tested as part of the Department of Homeland Security's Flood Apex program.