In this lesson, you will be introduced
to the Incident Management System and how it defines the structure and
various roles within an Emergency Operations Centre.
Incident Management System
A standardized management structure for all-hazard response will allow
for improved interoperability and resiliency. The Incident Management
System (IMS) may also be referred to as the Incident Command System
(ICS), which has been used for years by agencies and organizations to
effectively respond to emergencies.
IMS provides a standardized approach to EOC management which is modular,
scalable, and adaptable to meet various organizational and incident
needs.
IMS
is guided by a series of management characteristics which ensure
personnel, agencies, and organizations have a common set of tools to
enhance interoperability. These include:
- Common organizational structure based around five core management functions with clearly defined roles and responsibilities.
- Modular structure which can expand and contract based on the needs of the event.
- Clear communication, accountability, and reporting lines along with manageable supervisor-worker ratios.
- Accountability systems and tools to clearly define management direction and report on progress.
- Common terminology, integrated communications, and information management systems.
EOC Organizational Structure
Policy or Executive Group
Policy or Executive Group
An
EOC is accountable to a higher level entity which may be a Policy
Group, an Executive Group, or in lower level EOC this accountability may
be to the next higher EOC. The EOC Incident Manager needs to actively
communicate with and engage members of the Policy or Executive Group (or
their higher level EOC). Although not formally a part of the EOC, the
Policy or Executive Group is in a position to advocate for and promote
efforts of the EOC.
EOC Management Team
EOC Management Team
The
EOC Management Team consists of the Management Staff and the General
Staff. The Management Staff are the EOC Incident Manager (or EOC
Director) and Deputy as well as the Safety Officer, Liaison Officer, and
Information Officer. The General Staff are the four Section Chief that
lead the Operations, Planning, Logistics, and Finance and Administration
Sections.
💡 Did You Know?
Each
function in an EOC can be identified by a specific colour so that
personnel and teams can be easily identified. These colours may be used
on vests, name cards, or EOC signage so that each of the five management
functions, their personnel, and workspaces are clearly identified.
Adaptable and Scalable Structure
Within the Incident Management System, the EOC organisational structure
needs to be adaptable and scalable to meet the evolving needs of an
incident. This scalability allows functions and positions to be
activated, expanded, and contracted, based on operational needs, while
still maintaining clear reporting lines and accountability.
EOC’s fully expanded organizational structure should have sufficient
functions to address large and complex events. In this example, there
are over fifty functions with some able to accommodate more than one
position, which means we could have 100 or more people in the EOC. Identifying
your expanded EOC structure does two things. It provides a consistent
and standardized way to scale-up your EOC for larger incidents, and it
highlights the areas of focus for each primary function when you are
operating with a much smaller team. With this approach, the Incident
Manager only needs to activate and staff functions which are needed at a
particular time in the incident. Let’s look at a few example with expanded Operations and
Planning Sections, an activated Logistics Section and the addition of
the Liaison Officer. Based on the functions activated, this EOC would
most likely be actively supporting a moderate size incident. It's
important to note that when a function is not staffed, it becomes the
responsibility of the next senior position. So, if there was work
required in a non-activated function in Planning, then it would become a
responsibility of the Planning Section Chief. And for the Finance and
Administration Section, these responsibilities would fall to the
Incident Manager as the section chief is not yet assigned. In
this final example, it's a very large EOC with most functions
activated. This would imply they're responding to a large and somewhat
complex incident. Some units or branches could also have multiple people
assigned to them.
Remember,
your EOC structure may very from this example, but under IMS it should
be adaptable and scalable. Which means functions and positions can be
easily activated, expanded, or contracted to meet the evolving needs of
the incident.
☝ ️Tip!
Your
organisation's EOC structure may vary from these examples, but when
using an IMS structure it should still be adaptable and scalable to meet
the evolving needs of an emergency event.
Closed Captioning can be turned on by selecting CC in the video player.
Your
EOC’s fully expanded organizational structure should have sufficient
functions to address large and complex events. In this example, there
are over fifty functions with some able to accommodate more than one
position, which means we could have 100 or more people in the EOC. Identifying
your expanded EOC structure does two things. It provides a consistent
and standardized way to scale-up your EOC for larger incidents, and it
highlights the areas of focus for each primary function when you are
operating with a much smaller team. With this approach, the Incident
Manager only needs to activate and staff functions which are needed at a
particular time in the incident.
Let’s look at a few examples:
In
this first one, the Incident Manager has only activated a few
functions. The Information Officer to get some key messaging released to
the public, the Operations Section Chief to connect and liaise with
impacted groups, and the Advance Planning Unit to evaluate potential
issues and start formalizing plans.
In
this next example, we have a larger EOC with expanded Operations and
Planning Sections, an activated Logistics Section and the addition of
the Liaison Officer. Based on the functions activated, this EOC would
most likely be actively supporting a moderate size incident.
It's
important to note that when a function is not staffed, it becomes the
responsibility of the next senior position. So, if there was work
required in a non-activated function in Planning, then it would become a
responsibility of the Planning Section Chief. And for the Finance and
Administration Section, these responsibilities would fall to the
Incident Manager as the section chief is not yet assigned.
In
this final example, it's a very large EOC with most functions
activated. This would imply they're responding to a large and somewhat
complex incident. Some units or branches could also have multiple people
assigned to them.
Remember,
your EOC structure may very from this example, but under IMS it should
be adaptable and scalable. Which means functions and positions can be
easily activated, expanded, or contracted to meet the evolving needs of
the inciden
Summary
1. Incident Management System (IMS) is an
all-hazards management structure with various characteristics to support interoperability.
2. IMS provides a standardized approach to EOC organisation which is modular, scalable, and adaptable.
3. IMS uses five management functions in EOCs: Management, Operations, Planning, Logistics, and Finance and Administration.
4. The EOC organisational structure can be established in different ways to address organisational and incident needs.
