Planning primarily occurs before an incident in which mission areas?

Planning primarily occurs before an incident in the mission areas of prevention and protection because these areas are focused on anticipating potential hazards and implementing measures to safeguard against them. Prevention involves identifying risks and taking proactive steps to eliminate or reduce the impact of hazards, while protection encompasses strategies to shield the population and critical infrastructure from harm. This includes developing policies, conducting risk assessments, and establishing protocols that are essential for effective emergency management.

While the other mission areas are vital as well, they either pertain to actions taken during or after an incident or involve ongoing processes that do not focus mainly on pre-incident planning. For example, response involves direct actions during an incident, and recovery focuses on restoring community functions post-incident. Thus, the nature of prevention and protection as pre-incident focus areas solidifies them as the correct context for planning activities.