Emergency Operations Emergency Operations Center (EOC) Center (EOC)

Operations and Operations and ManagementManagement

Course Developed and Prepared byCurt Rasmussen

Course Developed for Interview with CRA, Inc.

31 July 2009

IntroductionIntroductionThis course provides a brief overview of Emergency Operations

Center (EOC) Operations and Management.

Learning ObjectivesLearning Objectives

At the end of the course, students will be able to:

List 3 critical elements when organizing and operating an EOC.

Describe 2 factors when selecting or building an EOC.

Emergency Operations CenterEmergency Operations Center

What is the purpose of an Emergency Operations Center What is the purpose of an Emergency Operations Center (EOC)?(EOC)?

Facilitate Senior Executive Level leadership decisions by providing a single coordination point for Government Agency, Non-governmental, Private and Subject Matter Expert (SME) planning and executing synchronization.

Act as a central focal point for government agencies, as well as others in support of disaster operations including response and recovery.

Provide strategic support including policy guidance, logistics and information to the Incident Command Post or Posts.

Emergency Operations Center: Emergency Operations Center: Critical ElementsCritical Elements

When organizing an Emergency Operations Center the following critical elements need to be taken into consideration:

Facilities

Staffing

Communications

Training

Organizational Structure

Activation & Deactivation

Critical Elements: FacilitiesCritical Elements: Facilities

Some of the main factors involved in selecting or building an EOC are:

Survivability – The facility must be able to withstand the most likely disasters as determined by a Hazards and Vulnerability Analysis (HVA).

Accessibility – The facility should be accessible by staff and responders alike during disaster/emergency operations, e.g. multiple access roads.

Size - The facility should have enough square footage to comfortably house a fully manned staff. The recommended square footage per staff member is approximately 65 square ft.

Critical Elements: StaffingCritical Elements: Staffing

There are several key factors to consider when staffing the EOC some of which are as follows:

All persons assigned to the EOC must have the authority to do what is required by their jobs.

Personnel are properly trained for their positions.

Personnel should be cross-trained to ensure redundancy and survivability.

Ensure that there are an appropriate number of personnel who are assigned to the EOC in the event that the operations require multiple operational periods lasting over a significant time period.

Critical Elements: CommunicationsCritical Elements: Communications

Under the subject of communications NIMS has established two basic requirements for communications:

Interoperability amongst communications systems is a must.

Communications systems must be redundant.

What are some forms of communications?

Internet, e.g. Defense Connect Online (DCO)

Cell phones

Land Mobile Radio System (LMRS)

Radio Amateur Civil Emergency Service (RACES)

Critical Elements: TrainingCritical Elements: Training

Effective Training, Tests & Exercise (TT&E) programs share several common attributes.

TT&E Programs:

Provide training in the appropriate functional areas of mission readiness.

Allow EOC personnel to apply the skills and knowledge they gained in training.

Build team unity through meaningful opportunities for team members to work together.

One tool to enhance a TT&E program is the Homeland Security Exercise and Evaluation Program (HSEEP).

Critical Elements: Organizational Critical Elements: Organizational ModelModel

An EOC should be organized to facilitate effective operations.An EOC should be organized to facilitate effective operations.

An effective organization has the following characteristics:An effective organization has the following characteristics:

Ability to acquire, analyze, and act on information.Ability to acquire, analyze, and act on information.

Flexibility in the face of rapidly changing conditions.Flexibility in the face of rapidly changing conditions.

Ability to anticipate change.Ability to anticipate change.

Ability to maintain public confidence.Ability to maintain public confidence.

Reliability over time.Reliability over time.

An EOC should be organized to maximize each of the An EOC should be organized to maximize each of the characteristics of an effective organization.characteristics of an effective organization.

EOC Activation & DeactivationEOC Activation & DeactivationActivation:

Timing of EOC activation depends on the nature of the incident. Many jurisdictions have phases of EOC activation which can be driven from experience, law or an HVA.

Another type of activation is the “Time-Phased” activation. “Time-Phased” activation is only appropriate during certain situations.

Deactivation:

The authority to begin full or partial deactivation should be clearly stated in the jurisdiction’s EOP, and all personnel should know the process for deactivation.

In SummationIn SummationDuring this course a brief overview of Emergency Operations

Center (EOC) Operations and Management was provided.

What are 3 critical elements when organizing and operating an EOC?

Facilities

Staffing

Communications

Training

Organizational Structure

Activation & Deactivation

In SummationIn SummationWhat are 2 factors when selecting or building an EOC?

Survivability

Size

Accessibility

Questions or Comments ?Questions or Comments ?

ResourcesResourcesGreen, Walter G. (2001) Command and Control of Disaster Operations.

Universal Publishers.

IS775 EOC Management and Operations. <Operationshttp://training.fema.gov/EMIWeb/IS/IS775.asp>

Von Lubitz, Dag. “All Hazards Approach” to Network-Centric Disaster Management: The Role of Information and Knowledge Management, and Boyd's OODA Loop in Disaster Leadership. Disasters: The Journal of Disaster Studies, Policy and Management, in press, Blackwell. <http://www.projectwhitehorse.com/pdfs/5.%20All%20Hazards%20Network%20Centric%20Approach.pdf>