The Plan provides the framework for State departments/agencies interaction with Federal, county, and tribal governments; the private sector; and non-governmental organizations in the context of incident prevention, preparedness, response, and recovery activities. It describes capabilities and resources and establishes responsibilities, operational processes, and protocols to:
* Help protect the State from terrorist attacks and other natural and human-caused hazards;
* Save lives; protect public health, safety, property, and the environment; and,
* Reduce adverse psychological consequences and disruptions.

The Basic Plan is used to provide in-depth emergency management information, broken down by specific activities. It is designed for use prior to an emergency situation, and provides an extensive background for emergency responders and managers, specific to appropriate state agencies. The basic plan establishes the requirement for the appropriate state agency, either primary or support, to establish internal guidelines for the execution of each assigned response and/or recovery task.