Course Syllabus

 FES 4804: Disaster Recovery and Mitigation

Course Information

Section: 06CH *Online

Term: Summer 2020

Credit Hours: 3

Course Website: ufl.instructure.com

Required Text: The Disaster Recovery Handbook Wallace, M. & Webber, L.; {2011) AMACOM Publishing ISBN 9780814416136

Prerequisite Knowledge and Skills: None

Minimum Technology Requirements: Computer and stable internet connection

Instructor

James D. Weed Sr., MS. MPEMP

Office: Rinker School of Construction Management

Email: jamesdweed@ufl.edu

Phone: (443)-812-8612

Office Hours: I am in the office M on -Fri hours vary depending on travel and meetings; however, I am usually available 8 am -5 pm. You can email me any time.

Course Communication: There is a General Discussion tab that can be used, or send me an email through the course email. Urgent messages can be sent to my jamesdweed@ufl.edu email.

Teaching Philosophy: I am looking for students to demonstrate a working knowledge of the subject. You need to be creative when you complete your assignments but maintain a professional appearance of your work. Your work needs to be complete and in such a manner that someone can pick up your document and understand what you are trying to convey. And most of all your work needs to be supported with research and cited in properly in APA format.

Course Description

This course provides students an opportunity to understand real world disaster response efforts through academic study and interactive applied activities. Topics include the Incident Command System (ICS), Emergency Operations Center (EOC) management, Resource Management (RM) and Command­ Communications-Coordination (C3).

Purpose of Course: This course provides a basis for the process of disaster recovery.

How this Course Relates to the Student Learning Outcomes in the FES Program: Identify and evaluate organizational problems associated with fire and emergency services.

Instructional Methods: The course is designed for individual and group interactivity. It is important to post and respond to discussion questions in the course within the timeframe allotted. This provides a learning environment by networking with other students in the course. The assignments are individual base to give you the opportunity to do a variety of activities, in many cases, similar to what you will be doing in role as a leader in the emergency services profession.

Course Learning Objectives

By the end of this course, students will be able to:

• Identify the possible threats that could disrupt a community
• Select a recovery strategy for quickly restoring vital business
• Write a disaster recovery plan
• Discuss how to safeguard valuable assets

Course Policies

Attendance Policy: The course is designed in module format. You should check the site at least once a week. You are required to complete the assignments including discussion questions within the time period designated on the module. There will be meetings set up throughout the course. Requirements for class attendance and make-up exams, assignments, and other work in this course are consistent with university policies that can be found in the online catalog at:

https://catalog.ufl.edu/UGRD/academic-regulations/attendance-policies/

Quiz/Exam Policy: There is a final project for this course. There are no exams or quizzes.

Make-Up Policy: You must contact me if you are going to be late on any assignment to receive credit.

Assignment Policy: All assignments have a due date. Please be sure to check the date and time it is due in each module.

UF Policies

UF's Honesty Policy: UF students are bound by The Honor Pledge which states, "We, the members of the University of Florida community, pledge to hold ourselves and our peers to the highest standards of honor and integrity by abiding by the Honor Code.  On all work submitted for credit by students at the University of Florida, the following pledge is either required or implied: "On my honor, I have neither given nor received unauthorized aid in doing this assignment." The Honor Code (http://www.dso.ufl.edu/sccr/process/student-conduct-honor-code/ (Links to an external site.)) specifies a number of behaviors that are in violation of this code and the possible sanctions. Furthermore, you are obliged to report any condition that facilitates academic misconduct to appropriate personnel. If you have any question s or concerns, please consult  with the instructor of in this class.

University Policy on Accommodating Students with Disabilities: Students requesting accommodation for disabilities must first register with the Dean of Students Office. Here is the link (Links to an external site.). 

The Dean of Students Office will provide documentation to the student who must then provide this documentation to the instructor when requesting accommodation. You must submit this documentation prior to submitting assignments or taking the quizzes or exams. Accommodations are not retroactive, therefore, students should contact the office as soon as possible in the term for which they are seeking accommodations.

University Policy on Academic Conduct:  UF students are bound by The Honor Pledge which states, “We, the members of the University of Florida community, pledge to hold ourselves and our peers to the highest standards of honesty and integrity by abiding by the Honor Code. On all work submitted for credit by students at the University of Florida, the following pledge is either required or implied: "On my honor, I have neither given nor received unauthorized aid in doing this assignment." 

Netiquette: Communication Courtesy:  All members of the class are expected to follow rules of common courtesy in all email messages, threaded discussions and chats. 

Getting Help

For issues with technical difficulties for E-learning in Canvas, please contact the UF Help Desk at:

• Learning-support@ufl.edu
• (352) 392-HELP - select option 2
• https://lss.at.ufl.edu/help.shtml

Any requests for make-ups due to technical issues MUST be accompanied by the ticket number received from LSS when the problem was reported to them. The ticket number will document the time and date of the problem. You MUST e-mail your instructor within 24 hours of the technical difficulty if you wish to request a make-up.

Other resources are available at http://www.distance.ufl.edu/getting-help for:

• Counseling and Wellness resources
• Disability resources
• Resources for handling student concerns and complaints
• Library Help Desk support

Should you have any complaints with your experience in this course please visit http://www.distance.ufl.edu/student-complaints  (Links to an external site.)to submit a complaint.

UF Writing Studio

A campus resource available for students wanting to become better writers.  Students have the opportunity to work one-on-one with a consultant on issues specific to their own particular development.  To get more information or schedule and appointment visit:  http://writing.ufl.edu/writing-studio/

Course Schedule

Module 1: Mitigation

Week 1: Hazards, Disasters, Preparedness, Hazard Mitigation, & Climate Change, Adaptation: An Overview

Week 2: Meteorological and Hydrological Hazards: Hurricanes, Sea Level Rise, Floods, Drought, Wildfires, Tornadoes, Severe Weather, and Extreme Heat

Week 3: Geological Hazards

Week 4: The Role of the Federal Government in Disaster

Week 5: Local Government Powers

Week 6: Risk Assessment: Identifying Hazards & Assessing Vulnerability, Preparedness Activities and Hazard Mitigation Activities

Week 7: Disaster Resilience

Module 2: Recovery

Week 8: Disaster Recovery

Week 9: Disaster Recovery Planning

Week 10: Debris Management, Environmental Recovery, Historic & Cultural Resources

Week 11: Housing

Week 12: Business Recovery and Infrastructure and Lifelines

Week 13: Public Sector Recovery and Community Resources

Week 14: Voluntary Organizations, Financing Recovery

Week 15: Final Project

Grades

The grade is based on a point system. You divide the total number of earned points into the total amount of points available to determine your grade.

Grading Scale

See https://catalog.ufl.edu/ugrad/current/regulations/info/grades.aspx (Links to an external site.) regarding current UF grading policies.

Evaluation Process

Students are expected to provide feedback on the quality of instruction in this course based on 10 criteria. These evaluations are conducted online at https://evaluations.ufl.edu. Evaluations are typically open during the last two or three Weeks of the semester, but students will be given specific times when they are open. Summary results of these assessments are available to students at https://evaluations.ufl.edu.

Privacy Policies

For information about the privacy policies of the tools used in this course, see the links below:

• Instructure Privacy Policy (Canvas)Links to an external site.
• Sonic Foundry Privacy Policy (Mediasite Streaming Video Player)