Emergency Medical Services (EMS) providers must often provide medical assistance without adequate time and resources. To encourage EMS providers not to be fearful of negligence lawsuits when they provide treatment, many states have enacted laws that protect them from civil liability. However, these laws provide immunity only under certain conditions.

When preparing for emergencies, planners should be cognizant of individuals with "special needs." Analyzing various governmental agencies’ definitions demonstrates a lack of general consensus on who should be considered “special needs,” thus making it difficult to accommodate these individuals in current emergency plans.

When children are accidentally vaccinated at school without parental consent, compensation may be hard to find.

This article focuses on the role that devolution planning should occupy in an agency's continuity planning effort. A devolution plan is an integral part of a Continuity of Operations (COOP) plan; however, many agencies do not expend the necessary time and effort to develop these essential plans.