Which strategic planning approach builds foundational, highly adaptable capabilities useful in any crisis?

• A. All-Hazards Approach
• B. Scenario/Threat-Based
• C. Risk-Informed All-Hazards
• D. Community-based

Answer: (A)

An all-hazards approach focuses on building universal, reusable capabilities that apply no matter what crisis arises. This means developing a common, scalable foundation—such as an incident command system, interoperable communications, logistics and supply chains, surge capacity, mutual aid agreements, and standardized training and exercises—that can be activated for any hazard. Because these capabilities aren’t tied to a single threat, they allow rapid coordination, efficient resource deployment, and consistent decision-making across different emergencies, making the response more flexible and resilient.

Other approaches tend to tailor preparedness to specific threats (scenario/threat-based), add risk assessment layers (risk-informed all-hazards), or emphasize community engagement (community-based). While each has value, they don’t inherently establish the broad, adaptable backbone that can be applied to any crisis the way an all-hazards planning approach does.