The Development of an Emergency Response Plan for Mount Washington

Mount Washington is a popular tourist attraction and site for scientific analysis that faces well-known extreme and unique geographical, topographical, and meteorological challenges. A need was therefore recognized for an all-hazards plan that establishes a single, comprehensive framework specifically for the management of potential disasters and emergencies on or around Mount Washington. The creation and evolution of this Emergency Response Plan represents a concerted effort on the part of stakeholder agencies, and builds upon the guidelines of FEMA and the National Incident Management System.

The Emergency Response Plan was developed by analyzing a wide range of factors. First, the specific needs of Mount Washington as a physical site were considered, including all aspects of day-to-day operation. Second, past emergency and disaster plans and relief efforts at similar sites across the United States were examined to establish a rough template for our results. Finally, this Emergency Response Plan was designed to work within the governmental authority structure unique to the state of New Hampshire. The goal was to facilitate the delivery of, and establish consistency with, assistance and relief efforts and manage large-scale emergencies within the framework of statewide cooperation and coordination.

Combining these analyses with the results of a previously run tabletop exercise, and the expertise of people working on or around the site, resulted in a living document that takes into account the full scope of challenges involved, from the extreme combination of location and weather for which Mount Washington is notorious, to the responsibilities and duties of agencies deployed to the site for aid.