So You Want A Base Camp?

If your disaster preparedness or continuity plan includes a base camp, here are some key considerations as you develop your plan. It is far better to think through these issues well in advance than to be scrambling after a disaster trying to determine what, where, how much, etc.

A base camp is also called a “responder support camp,” or RSC, by FEMA. In addition to the specifications in the following checklist, your selection of a contractor should address a number of key issues, and your decisions may have a significant effect on price and the availability of contractors who have the capabilities to meet your standards. For instance, how many hours after a purchase order is issued will be acceptable for the contractor to get the camp fully operational? Would you expect the contractor to have some earlier, temporary capabilities deployed? Once the camp has been set up, who do you expect to manage and operate the camp for the duration of the crisis? For the staffing of the camp, do you expect (or require) the contractor use local personnel, who could therefore benefit from temporary employment? Will you expect the base camp contractor to also be responsible for catering operations, or will that be a separate contract negotiated by you directly? What about medical staff or nurses? Will you work with a contractor well before a disaster to negotiate pricing, assess possible locations, and get assistance with your specifications?

Additional considerations for your base camp planning follow:

The Publisher wishes to thank Richard Cheek with Deployed Resources for helping create this checklist. He can be reached at [email protected].