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Logistics in/for Emergency response
Elearning for disaster
preparedness and response
Chapter 1: Logistics Cycle Preparedness
Chapter 2: Storage Space Choice
Chapter 3: Stock Management
Chapter 4: Sending and Receiving
Chapter 5: Stock Follow-up
Chapter 6: Protection, Gender, Inclusion
Chapter 7: Epidemic
20 min
35 min
15 min
35 min
35 min
15 min
15 min
Discover the sKills
Dorian_Pierre Bruwier_IFRC©
Chapter 2: Storage Space Choice
Chapter 3: Stock Management
Chapter 4: Sending and Receiving
Chapter 5: Stock Follow-up
Chapter 7: Epidemic
- Understand the logic of storage space choice
- Know the basics of stock management
- Understand the processes of sending and receiving
- Know the procedure of stock follow-up
- Be aware of epidemic and pandemic preparedness
Chapter 6: PGI
- Be aware of Protection, Gender and Inclusion
Chapter 1: Logistics Cycle Preparedness
- Identify the stages of logistics preparedness
Educational Goals
Educational Goals
1
Chapter 1: Logistics Cycle Preparedness
- Identify the stages of logistics preparedness
What is
logistics?
2
3
Logistics
Preparadness
Relief Items and prepositioning
20 min
1
What is logistics?
We take you right away into the daily life of Keran, who is on his first mission as a logistician for the National Red Cross of islands located in the Carribean.
He has just received a new message from Layana, his logistics coordinator. Let's have a look at it!
08.21
Monday 20 August
New message from Layana Misye
Keran will be in charge of opening a new permanent branch in a department.
More specifically, he will be in charge of the logistical management of the site.
Hi Ralph,
I'm Layana, your logistic coordinator. I'm so sorry, I won't be free today for your first day... But I'm so glad that we have someone trustworthy like you to do the stock management for the branch! I understood that you only had a limited first experience in logistic previously so we will start by catching up on the basics of logistic first and foremost.
08.21
Monday 20 August
New message from Layana Misye
Layana
Hi Keran, I'm so sorry, I'll be a bit late this morning...
But I'm so glad that we have someone trustworthy like you to do the stock management for the branch!
I understand that you've only had a limited experience with logistics previously so, first and foremost, we will start by catching up on the basics.
How about you go the meeting room and I'll be there shortly...
Once in the meeting room, can you please start having a look at the two documents and the posts-its I have left for you on the table.
They will help you gain a better understanding of our mission here.
I would like you to try to give me a recap of the main points to remember in those documents.
It would be great if you could send me those in about an hour by audio message.
Click here to have a look at the documents.
Hi Ralph,
I'm Layana, your logistic coordinator. I'm so sorry, I won't be free today for your first day... But I'm so glad that we have someone trustworthy like you to do the stock management for the branch! I understood that you only had a limited first experience in logistic previously so we will start by catching up on the basics of logistic first and foremost.
read more
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Who is in charge of logistics?
What is logistics?
read more
What is the logistics cycle?
The logistics department, the logistics officer and/or logistics volunteers (depending on the structure of each NS). If not available or not existing the DM department is responsible for all logistics linked to relief.
What is the logistics cycle :
1. Assessment: finding out what you need, where you can find it and how to get it to its final destination
2. Procurement/mobilisation: getting what you need
3. Transport: getting it where you want it to be
4. Storage: keeping it safe, secure and in good conditions
5. Reporting: information HQ and donors on where it came from and where it went to
Logistics is a support service, not a program in itself.
It supports other programs and departments, such as Disaster Management, Health, Nutrition, Water and Sanitation, Food Security in doing their work.
The logistic department assists the other programs with:
- Procurement (in collaboration with the finance department)
- Transportation (fleet management and organising external transportation)
- Warehousing and stock management
- Reporting
Logistic Mantra
At the RIGHT time
A mantra is an "anchor" phrase that helps remember the key message.
In the right quantity
01
At the right quality
02
At the right time
03
To the right place
04
At the right price
05
At the RIGHT price
To the RIGHT place
In the RIGHT quantity
At the RIGHT quality
At the RIGHT time
Hi Ralph,
I'm Layana, your logistic coordinator. I'm so sorry, I won't be free today for your first day... But I'm so glad that we have someone trustworthy like you to do the stock management for the branch! I understood that you only had a limited first experience in logistic previously so we will start by catching up on the basics of logistic first and foremost.
08.40
Monday 20 August
New message from Layana Misye
Layana
Ok, I'm sorry but I won't be available this morning. If you can remember the scope of logistics and the 5 rights we just saw, I think you are going to be just fine.
I would like you to go and meet with Marysa, our Disaster Manager. She is going to explain to you what is logistics preparedness.
2
Logistics Preparedness
Hi Ralph,
I'm Layana, your logistic coordinator. I'm so sorry, I won't be free today for your first day... But I'm so glad that we have someone trustworthy like you to do the stock management for the branch! I understood that you only had a limited first experience in logistic previously so we will start by catching up on the basics of logistic first and foremost.
Click on the following button to find out more
about logistics preparedness
Marysa, Disaster Manager
Hello Keran, my name is Marysa and I am the Disaster Manager.
Layana told me that you have reviewed with her what logistics is globally and I now would like us to take some time to discuss the preparedness aspect of it as it is crucial to our work here.
Anticipation
Collect all possible information on logistical aspects
Develop arrangements with suppliers prior to a disaster
Keran, when do you think is the right time to get prepared?
Before a disaster
a
After a disaster
B
During a disaster
c
Crédit : Patrice Lefaucheur
Keran, when do you think is the right time to get prepared?
Before a disaster
a
After a disaster
B
During a disaster
c
Crédit : Patrice Lefaucheur
Keran, when do you think is the right time to get prepared?
Before a disaster
a
After a disaster
B
During a disaster
c
Crédit : Patrice Lefaucheur
Preparedness should get done before a disaster.
That is correct!
next
Crédit : Patrice Lefaucheur
Let's try again!
Well, not exactly!
TRY AGAIN
Crédit : Patrice Lefaucheur
know our options and our limits
a
plan and make quick decisions
B
know ahead of time the specific difficulties we could encounter
c
Although preparedness needs continuous updating in order to be relevant, normally the main part of it should be done before hurricane season, that is to say between December and June, in order for us to:
Preparedness is useful in order to:
- be prepared: we know our options and our limits
- be efficient: we can plan and make quick decisions
- know ahead of time the specific difficulties we could encounter
Great job!
The Logistics Department
a
The Program Department
B
All Support and Program Departments
c
Who do you think should be responsible for preparedness within our branch?
Exactly. Everyone at their position needs to contribute to the preparedness efforts.
As logistician, I will rely on you a lot for logistics aspects anticipation!
Exactly!
It sounds like you might want to think about this one a bit more 😉
Not exactly!
TRY AGAIN
3
Relief Items and prepositioning
Here you are! Thank you for waiting for me. If you don't mind, we'll spend the afternoon together. Would you like some coffee?
I hope you can remember all that Marysa told you because I want us to talk about relief items now; we need to be ready for the upcoming cyclone season!!
First of all, do you know what are relief Items?
Items for shelter
Shelter kits, tarpaulins, tents, timber
Items for personal hygiene
Household items
Hygiene kits (soaps, toothbrush, towels, hygien pads)
Blankets, kitchen sets, jerry cans, hurrican laps, mosquito nets, cleaning products, buckets, clothes
Relief items are non-food items that bring relief to people in need.
Generally, it can include all or some of the following depending on our capacities:
What are Relief Items?
Sphere webpage : https://spherestandards.org/
We recommend that you take a look at the following websites:
Watch
The IFRC learning platform where they have all the training you can wish for on Sphere standards: https://ifrc.csod.com/ui/lms-learner-search/search?pageNumber=1&query=sphere
Watch
10.30
Monday 20 August
New message from Layana Misye
Let's find out together the composition of this standard kit.
Now Sphere is a very good place to start even if they are setting minimum standard and generalities.
It is important to put them in perspective and then to adapt the different kits to the local culture and use.
For the Caribbean region, the IFRC has decided that the following items should be the standard kit composition.
Let's have a look at the composition of a family kit for 1 household of 5 pax.
This is key information! We invite you to write it down.
Click here to see the list of items.
Family kit for 1 household of 5 pax:
- 1 BOX, heavy duty, plastic, for the household kit
- 1 BUCKET, plastic, 14L with clip cover and 50mm outlet
- 1 JERRYCAN, collapsible, 10L, food grade LDPE, screw cap
- 13 SOAP, body soap, 100g,
- 2 SOAP, laundry soap, 200g,
- 3 BLANKET, SYNTHETIC, 1.5X2m, medium thermal
- 20 ROPE, POLYPROPYLENE, black, diam. 12mm, twisted
- 1 TARPAULINS, woven plastic, 4 x 6 m, white/white,
- 1 KITCHEN SET familly of 5 persons, type "A"
Do you know why we do this?
To insure quality
To facilitate distribution
To have less trouble for logistics
Now, knowing what should be inside each kit is important but, as Red Cross,
we also need to respect some
standardization rules.
Standardization means respecting standards on quality, type, material, etc.
that all Red Cross relief items should respect.
Photo credit : https://www.redcross.ca/blog/2012/8/photo-of-the-day-the-role-of-logistics-in-emergency-response
© Spanish Red Cross
Photo credit Red Cross by Scott Dalton
Actually, several of the propositions before were correct.
We do this:- To guarantee good quality
- To make sure the items are appropriate
- To save money (it is cheaper to buy in large quantities for all NS together)
- To save time
- To facilitate field operations and logistics support (all is packed in the same way)
- To facilitate coordination, communication and reporting (we all speak the same language)
Great job!
next
Photo: Haiti Red Cross
If we apply the principles of standardisation to the 5R principles, which ones do they apply to?
At the RIGHT place
At the RIGHT time
In the RIGHT quantity
At the RIGHT quality
At the RIGHT price
Note that Standardisation influences 3 of the 5 “rights” for good logistics:right time, right quality, right price!
For example, as a Red Cross movement partner, we do not have to buy the items separately on the market and package them ourselves!
We can use movement wide catalogue from the IFRC or the ICRC.
Standardization makes it easier for us to operate!
The catalogue describes in great details the specifications of all the items.
This catalogue is available:
• In book form or on CD (ask HQ, IFRC or ICRC)
• Online at: www.ifrc.org/emergency-items
Item code
Accessories
Size
Quality
Estimated price
Packaging
Weight
Volume
Ideas and options on how to use the items
It makes the selection of items easy and facilitates planning, budgeting and implementation of any program in disaster preparedness and disaster response.
Prepositioning =
Storing relief items in strategic places in the country.
Now that you understand better the principle of relief items, we are going to talk about items prepositioning!
You will not have time to place an IFRC order once a shock has struck a community so we really need to think about this beforehand!
Remember that, during preparedness, we need to anticipate and make sure we have a certain number of things ready to go!
We do prepositioning...
To be able to respond quickly to any disaster.
To not depend on availability of relief items on the local market.
To start responding before international help arrives in case of big disasters.
To make sure that stock is always in good condition and ready to be sent out.
To be prepared for disaster and save precious time.
To check stock regularly and replenish if needed.
Do you think we should have all core items from the catalogue in our stock at all times?
Yes
a
No
B
©Sendy Veerabadren
Identifying the appropriate items
You will need to identify the appropriate items you want to store in your container/warehouse.
Make sure they respect the standards and are appropriate to the culture and the conditions in your specific region.
Correct!
next
©Sendy Veerabadren
Sorry, let's try again...
Well, not exactly!
TRY AGAIN
©Sendy Veerabadren
Are you ready to work on family kits?
First, here is the composition of a family kit:
1 x lantern
1 x bucket
1 x jerry can (10 liters)
1 x hygiene kit (for 5 persons)
1 x rope (20m)
1 x tarpaulin
3 x blankets
1 x kitchen set (for 5 persons)
10.30
Monday 20 August
New message from Layana Misye
Now, I would like you to do the following calculation: taking in consideration the list we just saw, how many items per kits would be needed for 50 families?
When you are finished with your calculation, click here to verify your response
1 x lantern
1 x bucket
1 x jerry can (10 liters)
1 x hygiene kit (for 5 persons)
1 x rope (20m)
1 x tarpaulin
3 x blankets
1 x kitchen set (for 5 persons)
Great job!
50 x lanterns
50 x buckets
50 x jerry cans
50 x hygiene kits (for 5 persons)
50 x ropes (20m)
50 x tarpaulins
150 x blankets
50 x kitchen sets (for 5 persons)
Now we have been talking about family kits but remember to adapt to local culture and family size numbers.
1 kit does not equal to 1 family whatsoever the size!
Working with family kits does not mean that you always distribute 1 kit per affected family.
The number of items per family depends on the size of the family and the specific needs as identified in the needs assessment!
Using the concept of family kits makes your stock planning and stock management easier since you consider a family package, not many different items individually.
Click here to understand the distribution mechanism
Examples of family package
In some cases, you might only distribute one specific item and not the whole kit.
For example, if there’s a problem with the water system in town, people only need jerry cans, not blankets!
Who, within Red Cross teams, is in charge of assessing the number and kind of items needed by the affected population after a disaster?
Logistics
a
Programs
B
Both
c
Credit photo : https://ww.breakingbelizenews.om/2021/08/25/paho-who-belize-donates-emergency-family-kits-to-belize-red-cross/
The Program team would be responsible for this assessment, based on the stock inventory given by Logistics and the needs assessment performed on the ground.
You are correct!
next
Credit photo : https://www.breakingbelizenews.com/2021/08/25/paho-who-belize-donates-emergency-family-kits-to-belize-red-cross/
Take a breath and try again.
That's incorrect!
TRY AGAIN
Credit photo : https://www.breakingbelizenews.com/2021/08/25/paho-who-belize-donates-emergency-family-kits-to-belize-red-cross/
Now part of preparedness is to insure that our branch can intervene rapidly in case of a disaster. As logistics officers, it is our job to insure we have enough to cover at least part of the affected population directly: that is the reason why we set up minimum stock level for each items.
Before storing anything, you should decide the minimum stock levels for each item in your warehouse.
Setting the minimum stock levels is linked to strategic planning and therefore done by HQ.
Asking for replenishment because the actual stock is approaching or below this minimum level is the responsibility of the person managing the storage
area.
This means the number of each item that you always want to have in your possession to be able to respond to a disaster.
If after distribution, you have fewer items than these minimum stock levels, you need to replenish (= order and purchase more of these items).
The kind of disasters that might occur
Total population in the area
The probability of disasters happening
The kind of items needed
Total population at risk in case of disaster
Some factors you need to consider when setting the stock minimum:
Replenishment time = the time it would take to get relief items from HQ or other partners to your area
The response capacity of the branch (number of active volunteers trained in emergency response and/or logistics)
Available storage space
Available transportation means
Do a math exercice to calculate how to replenish stock after a distribution when items are missing.
You can follow the instructions on the next slide.
Let's practice
Initial situation:
- In the Contingency Plan it was decided that the branch has a minimum of 50 family kits (= 50 lamps, 50 buckets, 50 jerry cans, 150 blankets...),
- Currently they have 60 complete family kits in stock.
Exercise
The distribution:
- Following a local disaster, the branch distributed 10 family kits, as well as 15 additional jerry cans and 10 additional blankets.
The new situation:
- They only have 35 full family kits left.
What are the current replenishment needs ?
1 x lantern
1 x bucket
1 x jerry can (10 liters)
1 x hygiene kit (for 5 persons)
1 x rope (20m)
1 x tarpaulin
3 x blankets
1 x kitchen set (for 5 persons)
Answer
Replenishment needs:
- They absolutely need to replace 15 jerry cans and 10 blankets to get back to their minimum stock of 50 family kits in stock,
- They may also decide to replace the 10 full family kits they distributed, to get back to the original level of 60 (it is always better to always be slightly above the minimum stock but this also depends on the space available!
To make sure you don't forget anything, you can download the checklist dedicated to this first chapter in your Toolbox.
Well Done! You finished the first chapter and Keran completed his first day with us!
See you tomorrow to review how to choose a storage space.
Completed!
Click below to go to the next chapter
