City of Roswell + Chaves County, New Mexico

Threat and Hazard Identification and Risk Assessment (THIRA) and Stakeholder Preparedness Review (SPR) Development + Delivery

Jensen Hughes collaborated with the City of Roswell and Chaves County, New Mexico, to develop and deliver a comprehensive Threat and Hazard Identification and Risk Assessment (THIRA) and Stakeholder Preparedness Review (SPR). The THIRA/SPR project aimed to assess the threats and hazards faced by the City of Roswell and Chaves County, establish capability targets, assess current capabilities, identify and address gaps and describe the impacts of funding sources on preparedness efforts.  

The project endeavored to deliver a tailored, data-driven approach to preparedness planning, equipping the City of Roswell and Chaves County with the tools and insights needed to mitigate risks, enhance capabilities and safeguard the well-being of residents and stakeholders.

A comprehensive Threat and Hazard Identification and Risk Assessment (THIRA) and Stakeholder Preparedness Review (SPR) provide a city or county with a data-driven understanding of its risks, capabilities, gaps and investment priorities. 

The THIRA establishes measurable capability targets that define what "success" looks like during a disaster and helps a jurisdiction answer three fundamental questions:

1. What threats and hazards could impact us?
   • Natural, technological, human-caused incidents, public health emergencies
2. What would the consequences be?
   • Loss of life, injuries and illnesses, property damage, economic disruption, environmental impacts, government service interruptions
3. What capabilities do we need to manage those consequences?
   • Emergency communications, evacuation and sheltering, mass care, public information, medical surge, critical transportation, infrastructure restoration 

The SPR assesses FEMA's Core Capabilities across the prevention, protection, mitigation, response and recovery mission areas and provides an objective assessment of preparedness maturity. The gap between the two becomes the jurisdiction's preparedness roadmap.

Looking forward, Roswell and Chaves County may ultimately utilize the data for:

• Strategic planning
• Budgeting and capital improvement planning
• Grant applications
• Training and exercise development
• Resource allocation
• Emergency operations planning
• Community resilience initiatives
• Elected official and executive decision-making
• Measuring progress over time

Jensen Hughes was honored to work with Roswell and Chaves County to develop and conduct the THIRA and SPR to inform and advance their very effective emergency management, homeland security and resilience programs.