The Department of Homeland Security‘s first responders group has developed a prototype application designed to support mutual aid resource planning between emergency responders.DHS said Wednesday the Mutual Aid Resource Planner is based on the ArcGIS Online cloud-based platform and is designed to be managed by a community or emergency management agency.
MARP works to help planners add existing geospatial hazards and risk assessments to boost the accuracy of resource plans as well as pre-identify partners who can provide mutual aid to address resource gaps, DHS added.
The app has been tested through a virtual pilot series and various experiments, including the CAUSE IV demonstration wherein communities from Michigan and Ontario used MARP to create cross-border mutual aid plans.
MARP builds on the resource planning concept outlined in the Federal Emergency Management Agency‘s Threat and Hazard Identification and Risk Assessment process intended to help communities evaluate their risks and capability requirements.
The DHS tool is also designed to align with local, state and federal goals related to THIRA and resource planning;
support the exchange of plans and resource needs between partner jurisdictions; help unite efforts of analysts and modelers with planning and operations staff; and provide a planning template for organizations’ information sharing platforms.
