INTERACTIVE PLANNING TOOL

What would it actually take to help this many people?

Drag the slider to a hypothetical number of people affected by an emergency and see roughly what medical, power, shelter, hazmat, and search-and-rescue response that scale would call for — built from real emergency-management ratios where they exist, and clearly-labeled planning assumptions where they don't.

People affected
400
105,000

Hypothetical scenario input — not a live event, request, or ERNA capacity claim.

Estimated response

Sized to your scenario, category by category.

Each card starts from a real, cited ratio where one exists, then applies an adjustable planning assumption to bridge from "people affected" to "resources needed" — drag any slider to see how the estimate shifts.

Medical / ALS-BLS

Real standard
60
Patients likely needing transport
15
Ambulances needed
30
EMS crew (2 per unit)

Standard ambulance crewing is 2 EMS personnel per unit — that part of this card isn't adjustable.

% of affected needing ambulance transport15%
Planning assumption — varies enormously by hazard type
Patients handled per ambulance, per operational period4
Planning assumption — depends on transport distance and hospital load

Mass Care / Shelter

Real standard
2,000
Sq ft of shelter space
8
Shelter staff

Shelter space is fixed at FEMA P-361's real minimum of 5 sq ft per person — not adjustable, and before mobility equipment, caregivers, or other access needs.

Shelter staff per 100 occupants2
Planning assumption — a commonly used shelter-staffing benchmark, not a fixed rule

Engineering / Power

Assumption-based
8
Field generators needed

There's no single government-set ratio for people-per-generator — it depends entirely on the load (shelter lighting vs. medical equipment vs. water pumping), so this whole card is an adjustable assumption.

People supported per field generator50
Planning assumption — adjust for the actual load type

Hazmat / Radiological

Real standard
16
Simultaneous entry teams
64
Hazmat personnel

Minimum entry team size is fixed at 4 (OSHA 1910.120 / NFPA 472's "two in, two out" rule: 2 entry, 2 standby) — not adjustable.

People requiring support per simultaneous entry team25
Planning assumption — depends heavily on contamination footprint

Search & Rescue

Real standard
20
People likely needing SAR support
1
Type 1 task forces
70
Total SAR personnel

FEMA Type 1 US&R Task Forces run 70 personnel; each can split into two Type 3 Task Forces of 35 for round-the-clock shifts — the personnel-per-task-force figures aren't adjustable.

% of affected likely needing SAR support5%
Planning assumption — near zero for floods, higher for structural collapse
People a task force can support at once50
Planning assumption — mission-dependent, no fixed federal ratio

This calculator is a planning illustration, not a claim about ERNA's actual network capacity or a substitute for an Incident Action Plan. Real dispatch decisions are made by the requesting agency and its Incident Commander, using real-time information the day of the event.

Estimated cost to staff this response

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Illustrative estimate based on the response sizing above — not a quote. Actual cost or compensation depends on scope, duration, and the provider agreements finalized after sign-up.

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