Disaster Plan Information

All levels of government share the responsibility for working together in preparing for, preventing, responding to, and recovering from the effects of a major incident. The Utah Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) is the lead agency for Emergency Support Function 8: Health & Medical Services (ESF #8) and co-lead for Emergency Support Function 6: Mass Care (ESF #6). The intent of ESF #6 and #8 is to supplement county and local governments affected by the emergency or disaster by using resources available from the DHHS, locating resources from community, state, and federal partners.

Information about the causes of natural and man-made disasters, what to do in an emergency, and where to seek help in an emergency are key to overcoming the potential hazards associated with emergencies. The plans are dedicated to providing helpful and informative resources and information specific to DHHS in the areas of disease, natural disaster, terrorism and other emergency threats.

Utah Public Health Jurisdictional Risk Assessment – 2024 Statewide Report

The Jurisdictional Risk Assessment (JRA) is a public health focused approach to understanding all hazards Utah may face and prioritizing which would cause the biggest risk to our population and health infrastructure. Highest risk is a combination of many factors, including jurisdictional characteristics and vulnerabilities, hazard probability and impact scores, as well as mitigation efforts already in place. Public health preparedness and response teams and partners will benefit from using the outcomes of this tool on a regular basis to ensure those hazards that pose the most risk are better understood and planned for. This JRA Statewide Report is meant to be used to identify existing gaps and help determine future hazard‐specific planning, training, and exercise activities that should be conducted with public health preparedness partners.

The State of Utah, in accordance with the Emergency Management Act 53-2a, is required to prepare for, respond, and recover from emergencies or disasters. The State of Utah Emergency Operations Plan (EOP), using NIMS concepts and principles, addresses the consequences of any incidents in which there is a need for State resources in providing prevention, preparedness, response and/or recovery assistance activities. The EOP is divided into 16 Emergency Support Functions (ESF). DHHS is the primary agency for ESF #6 Mass Care and #8 Public Health and Medical.

State of Utah ESF #6 Mass Care

State of Utah ESF #8 Health & Medical Services

State of Utah ESF #8 Appendix 1 Federal Emergency Support

State of Utah ESF #8 Appendix 2 Medical Countermeasure Management

The DHHS’s Emergency Operations Plan details the functions and responsibilities of DHHS assets during the preparedness, response, and recovery phases of emergency/disaster operations. This plan establishes a department organizational structure for emergency/disaster response. It also describes the concepts and policies under which the department agencies will operate during emergencies/disasters. In addition, the plan provides for coordination with other state and local agencies. Due to the nature and size of this plan it is not available on the website.

Infectious Disease Emergency Response (IDER) Plan

The purpose of the Infectious Disease Emergency Response Plan is to provide guidance for containing an outbreak of disease caused by an infectious organism or a biological toxin, or responding to other infectious disease emergencies by DHHS. Infectious disease emergencies, such as pandemic influenza or bioterrorism event, have the potential to cause widespread illness and death. Infectious disease emergencies range from naturally occurring outbreaks of illness (e.g., measles, pertussis, hepatitis A, meningococcal disease) to emerging infectious diseases (e.g., SARS, avian influenza) or intentional acts of bioterrorism (e.g., anthrax).

CHEMPACK Protocol

The CHEMPACK program serves to augment existing local capabilities to respond to incidents involving chemical nerve agent or organophosphate release. It consists of the forward-placement of sixteen (16) containers of nerve agent antidotes at fifteen (15) different sites. CHEMPACK is designated to treat exposed and symptomatic victims, NOT prevent individuals from becoming ill.

EMS CHEMPACKs Contain 454 treatments and Hospital CHEMPACKs Contain 1000 treatments. CHEMPACKs include these medications:

Mark 1 auto-injector
Antidote Treatment Nerve Agent Auto-Injector (EMS CHEMPACK only)
Pralidoxime 300mg auto-injector
Pralidoxime 1gm inj 20ml
Atropine Sulfate 0.4mg/ml 20ml
Atropen 0.5mg
Atropen 1.0mg
Atropen 2.0mg
Diazepam 5mg/ml auto-injector
Seilzalam (Midazolam) 5mg/ml vial, 10ml
Diazepam 5mg/ml vial, 10ml