When I think of emergency preparedness, one particular training flight comes to mind, from my days as a new pilot and young 2nd Lieutenant in the Vermont Air Guard, stationed at McConnell Air Force Base in Wichita, Kansas.

I was training in the F-4 Phantom aircraft, when shortly after take-off, I noticed a strong burning smell in the cockpit. As I accelerated through 300 knots, the smoke and the smell dissipated. The instrument panel looked normal enough. But the controls seemed sluggish and slow to respond. When I modulated the throttle, and not a single instrument moved, I realized that the panel was completely frozen.

Training says that when an emergency or a malfunction occurs, the pilot should maintain aircraft control, analyze the situation and take appropriate action -- or, find the problem listed on the checklist, and do what it says.

After several frantic minutes searching the checklists, I knew there wasn’t one for a frozen instrument panel. What was I supposed to do?

Luckily, I had the visibility to turn around and land the F-4 without instruments. What I learned that day was that emergency preparedness is always a work in progress.

Today, my job with the US Air Force Reserve is as an Emergency Preparedness Liaison Officer. I study emergency plans, and implement them when called to serve, as I was on the Gulf Coast following Hurricane Katrina, or at Ground Zero following the attacks of September 11.

Whatever the emergency -- natural or manmade -- the critical factors seem to always boil down to the plan, the leadership, and the flow of communication.

A few weeks ago, Governor Douglas unveiled the State of Vermont’s new Emergency Operations Plan -- a 1,000-page document that outlines a plan of attack for every conceivable emergency that might confront our state -- from floods to ice storms to flu pandemics. It replaces the previous plan, written in the 90s, and took nearly 2 years to complete. It weighs about 10 pounds.

The most outstanding feature of the plan is that for the first time, it involves every agency and every department of state government, plus business, local government, non-profit and volunteer organizations involved in preparedness and response. It clearly defines, for every emergency scenario, who’s on the team and who’s in the lead, who is responsible and who has authority for what. It establishes clear lines of communication between state officials, local officials, and federal partners. For the past 6 months, various departments of state government have staged emergency exercises to see how the plan works.

Last week, I met a woman who told me she had heard about Vermont’s new emergency management plan. She asked me, “What does it mean for me? How can I help?”

Well, the first thing we can all do is to take responsibility for our families, our homes and ourselves. Next, we can help our neighbors -- especially older neighbors. Third, we can volunteer locally, through a Community Emergency Response Team (CERT), Local Emergency Planning Committee (LEPC), Red Cross, Salvation Army, church group or local search and rescue.

Vermont Emergency Management has created a “Family Emergency Preparedness Workbook” that gives your family its own checklist, to be equipped in an emergency, and have a plan of action when one occurs. You can find it at http://www.dps.state.vt.us/vem or ask at your town or city offices, public safety department or nearest Vermont State Police barracks.

The US Department of Homeland Security also has useful advice at www.ready.gov You can learn more about Community Emergency Response Team efforts around Vermont at www.vtcert.org You can see Vermont’s new preparedness plan at http://www.dps.state.vt.us/vem/eop

As a result of our preparedness and our plan, Vermont can withstand the stress of disaster in our state.

But strong leadership, the kind of leadership Vermont has in Governor Douglas, does more than even the best plan to determine how effective a response team will be, and how strong the people of our state can be, in the face of any emergency that comes our way.