1.1 This guide covers concepts, principles, and practices of an all-hazards comprehensive emergency management program for the planning, mitigation, response, recovery, and coordination of hospitals in response to a major incident.

1.2 This guide addresses the essential elements of the scope, planning, structure, application, and coordination of federal, state, local, voluntary, and nongovernmental resources necessary to the emergency operations plan for a hospital.

1.3 This guide establishes a common terminology for hospital emergency management and business continuity programs necessary to fulfill the basic service requirements of a hospital.

1.4 This guide provides hospital leaders with concepts of an emergency management plan, but an individual plan must be developed in synchrony with the community emergency operations plan and the National Incident Management System.

1.5 This guide does not address all of the necessary planning and response of hospitals to an incident that involves the near-total destruction of community services and systems.

1.6 For the purposes of this guide, the definition of hospital will be the current definition provided by the American Hospital Association for an acute care facility.

1.7 This standard does not purport to address all of the safety concerns, if any, associated with its use. It is the responsibility of the user of this standard to establish appropriate safety and health practices and determine the applicability of regulatory requirements prior to use.