ABSTRACT
A competent community is defined as one in which all the needs for human services are addressed (Cottrell, 1976; Iscoe, 1974). To accomplish this goal, mental health professionals have to become an integral part of the emergency services network. In some communities, they have played an active role in the planning process, supportive to the emergency response of the lead agencies of law enforcement, fire and safety, search and rescue, and so forth. In order to assure that the community will receive emergency mental health services, it is necessary to participate in predisaster planning efforts and to take an active role. By serving on committees and introducing mental health issues and concerns whenever the opportunity appears, the mental health professional will educate the other agencies and benefit the community in its task of predisaster planning and postdisaster recovery (Austin, 1992).
