Final answer:
To identify hazards and threats for an emergency operations plan, a school planning team should consider a broad range of factors including existing plans, local input, and research. This method ensures a comprehensive approach to emergency preparedness, factoring in uncertainty and the dynamic nature of threats.
Step-by-step explanation:
To identify hazards and threats for the emergency operations plan, the school planning team should consider option c: existing emergency plans, input from local emergency managers, and research results. This approach is comprehensive and allows the planning team to account for a wide range of potential scenarios, not limited to those that have happened in the recent past or those with only catastrophic consequences. It also suggests the importance of being proactive, even in the face of uncertainty. This involves understanding the dynamic nature of threats, such as those posed by climate change, and adapting plans as new information emerges or as risks evolve.
Preparedness activities must account for events like natural disasters, technological failures such as nuclear accidents, and health crises like pandemics. For example, in the context of a tornado threat, a plan that includes proactive measures (Plan B) is generally more prudent than doing nothing (Plan A) because of the potential for catastrophic outcomes. Similarly, public health crises like a pandemic require early and planned responses, as underlined by the Playbook for Early Response to High-Consequence Emerging Infectious Disease Threats and Biological Incidents. Thus, effective emergency planning is not solely about financial calculations but about safeguarding lives and property against a range of possible emergencies.