What level of emergency planning is not defined by FEMA?

• A. Contingency
• B. Strategic
• C. Operational
• D. Tactical

Answer: (B)

FEMA’s approach to emergency planning is built around three defined levels that connect broad aims to concrete actions in the field. Contingency planning covers preparing for variations and uncertainties, ensuring there are viable options if circumstances change. Operational planning translates those options into actions, detailing who does what, when, and with which resources during the response. Tactical planning moves decisions into on-the-ground tasks, coordinating units and logistics to carry out specific actions.

Strategic planning, while common in long-range organizational or policy settings, isn’t part of FEMA’s defined emergency-planning levels. That higher-level, broad-scope planning tends to occur outside the incident-focused framework FEMA uses, which is why it’s the level not defined in FEMA’s emergency planning structure.