In this lesson, you will learn about
responsibilities, practices and activities that can help foster and
maintain a healthy and well-performing team in the EOC.
Initial EOC Orientation and Briefing
One
of your first EOC activities in the EOC should be an initial safety
briefing and facility orientation. This activity is usually led by the
Logistics Section and provides information that will help build
awareness, safety and effectiveness in a new work setting.
Play the video below for an example of an EOC safety and orientation briefing.
Video Transcript
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Hello
and welcome to the EOC! My name is Vik Patell and I am the Logistics
Chief. Before you begin working in the EOC, I will be giving you a
safety and facility orientation briefing. This briefing will cover an
overview of the current situation, an orientation to the EOC facility
and personnel, some safety and worker care considerations, and a few
final administrative items.
Here is our current situation:
Earlier this morning, callers to 911 reported a gas leak along First
Street. Police, Fire & Rescue, and Ambulance arrived on scene and
established an incident command post. The Incident Commander requested
that the EOC be activated to support the people evacuated from the gas
leak.
The EOC has only been
operating for just over an hour, so it is great to have some additional
help joining us! Our current priorities are to coordinate and support
the Reception Centres and ensure the public receives up-to-date
information.
For
those of you who have not worked in an EOC before, let’s review some
details about the facility and current personnel. Over on the right side
of the room, you will see the EOC organizational chart. We keep this
updated with the current personnel, so your names will be added shortly!
This is a great information display to refer to if you can’t remember
someone’s name or role.
Staff are wearing coloured vests that match their functions, so you can easily identify them in the EOC.
On
the front wall, you will see a flip chart with a list of any
pre-scheduled briefings, meetings, or conference calls. This is
important to note so you can complete any work needed for these
communications.
You
will also see a board with Current Priorities. This is a list of the
key objectives from our current Action Plan. You may be working directly
on some of these tasks or other activities that support them.
There
are also a number of other displays around the room, some maintained by
the Situation Unit in Planning and others updated by specific sections.
You are encouraged to walk around the EOC occasionally and read what is
on everyone’s displays to increase your situational awareness.
Washrooms
are located to the left of the main hall. Emergency exits are located
at the front of the building and through the back of the EOC. In the
event of an emergency, everyone will meet in the Assembly Area clearly
marked in the front parking lot.
Once you get settled into your
new role, if you need any supplies or access to other resources, check
with your supervisor. Then, if needed, come see us in Logistics and we
will do what we can to support you.
The EOC can be a stressful and overwhelming environment to work in.
Next,
I’d like to share some safety and worker care strategies. Remember to
take regular breaks during your shift. This EOC has two quiet rest areas
located by the breakout rooms. You are also welcome to sign out of the
EOC for your break and go for a walk. Your work shift in the EOC could
be longer than 8 hours, sometimes as long as 12. We want to make sure
you’re not overworked, so we ask everyone to finish their shift on time
and take days off as scheduled.
Also, fuel your body with healthy
foods and stay hydrated. Check in with family and friends. Also, use
stress management techniques such as deep breathing and actively
participate in any worker care strategies we implement for EOC staff.
Please refer to the provided handout for more information and a support
number.
Before we wrap up this orientation, I want to cover a few final administrative details. If
you get contacted by the media, please direct inquiries to the
Information Officer. Only the Information Officer, with approval from
the EOC Director, can speak to the media. No EOC staff should speak to
the media or post information related to the incident on social media.
Please
remember to sign in and out of the EOC every day and if you leave the
building for a meeting or break. It is important to remember to sign in
and out because we use the sign-in sheet to track hours and for safety
purposes. The sign-in sheet is located by the Security Guard Desk.
If
you’re from out of town and have not yet confirmed your accommodations
or transportation needs, please stay back after the orientation and we
will review these with you.
Thank you for listening. We really
appreciate you coming to help during this response. I will now take you
to your supervisor and they will provide you with a function briefing
specific to your assigned role.
---
Understanding EOC Stress
Working
in a high-paced and continually evolving work environment such as a EOC
can be stressful! Within the EOC, our goal is to use strategies and
approaches which help minimize high stress situations allowing us to
function at an optimum level.
Play the video below to learn about Yerkes and Dobson's Stress Curve.
Video Transcript
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Yerkes
and Dobson’s Stress Curve is a psychological concept that illustrates
the relationship between stress levels and performance. Understanding
this concept can help us recognize the significance of managing stress
levels and creating a supportive EOC environment. The stress curve suggests that there is an optimal level of stress for individuals, beyond which performance declines. When
there is too little stress or when staff are under loaded, performance
tends to be low due to inactivity, and a lack of motivation or
stimulation. As stress increases, performance also improves, reaching an
optimal stress level where individuals are motivated, focused, and
performing at their best. However,
if stress escalates beyond an optimal level, staff are overloaded, and
performance begins to decline. Too much stress can overwhelm
individuals, leading to decreased productivity, impaired
decision-making, and a variety of negative psychological and physical
effects. This downward slope can result in exhaustion, anxiety, and
ultimate burnout. Since
EOCs can be a high-stress environment, there are various systems,
processes, and practices that can be implemented to reduce stress
directly and indirectly. Having
a common purpose and direction, clear responsibilities, and a connected
team can all help build confidence and stability while reducing stress.
An understanding of self-care and worker care practices can also help
in maintaining this balance between stress and performance, and lead to a
healthy and productive EOC environment.
---
Utilizing practices to help maintain a balance between stress and
performance, can lead to a healthy and productive EOC environment.
💭 Reflection
Have
you ever worked in a very stressfully and continually changing
environment? If so, what types of processes and practices helped keep
your stress at an optimum level?
Supports for EOC Personnel
In addition to the safety and facility briefing you received upon
arrival at the EOC, personnel should be provided additional support
through the EOC team and by following sound worker care practices
A section/function briefing
A section/function briefing for incoming personnel should be provided by
the assigned Section Chief or supervisor. This briefing provides
incident information and an update on section status and priorities, and
more specific direction around your specific responsibilities and how
your specific team functions.
Sound Supervisory Practice
All
EOC personnel in a leadership or supervisory role must be aware of
their teams stress levels. They need to check-in regularly and be aware
of any potential hazards or "increased stressors" which could included
physical, psychosocial, and interpersonal factors.
Proactive Worker Care
Supervisors
need to work with the team and others in the EOC to identify and
implement measures which allow the team to function at an optimum
level.
There are various measures that you can take, and the EOC Management
Team can support, in proactive ways to reduce stress and support the
well-being of personnel. This includes encouraging or requiring regular
rest and meal breaks and requiring personnel to maintain established
work schedules.
Everyone Plays a Role
Everyone Plays a Role
Everyone
plays a role in keeping the EOC team as resilient as possible! Teamwork
is a key factor in maintaining the health, safety and well-being of all
EOC personnel.
The EOC Manager/ Director has overall responsibility and accountability for the psychosocial resilience of EOC personnel.
The Safety Officer oversees the implementation of worker care strategies and advises on corrective actions that should be taken.
The Logistics Section (Personnel Unit) implements appropriate worker care strategies, with support from all supervisors.
Supervisors monitor and ensure worker care strategies
are followed. They also lead by example by modeling recommended
self-care and worker care practices.
Everyone needs to be aware of their personal needs and
limitations, and they need to use the recommended self-care and worker
care practices.
Feelings and Action
When
working in a EOC, there are specific feelings and actions ("red flags")
to look out for in yourself and others that may indicate that self-care
or worker care strategies are needed.
Feelings and Action
When
working in a EOC, there are specific feelings and actions ("red flags")
to look out for in yourself and others that may indicate that self-care
or worker care strategies are needed.
Feelings
Exhaustion
Depression, guilt, or shame
Anxiety, hypervigilance
Irritability, frustration, or anger
Cynicism, hopelessness, or despair
Loss of ideals or not caring
Blaming yourself or others
Unrealistic expectations
Actions
Tunnel vision, withdrawn or isolation
Flashbacks or intrusive thoughts
Questioning colleagues/supervisor
Inability to concentrate, disorientation
Memory loss, difficulty making decisions
Wanting to leave early, not leaving
Risk-taking, aggressive, reckless
Changes in eating and sleeping
Self-medicating with alcohol, drugs, or food
💭 Reflection
What are three things that you could do to strengthen your personal (physical, social, emotional) resiliency while in the EOC?
Attending to your Well-being
Self-care and Worker Care are two important approaches which need to be
practiced before, during and after a EOC assignment. Self-care
strategies focus on actions you can take and Worker Care strategies can
be implemented by the team, supervisor or EOC Management Team.
Self Care
Psychosocial Need | Strategy Examples |
Healthy lifestyle | - Maintain a balanced lifestyle – physical, emotional, social, and spiritual |
Planning | - Develop and test a family disaster plan. |
Training | - Complete disaster/emergency training and exercises. |
Self Care
Psychosocial Need | Strategy Examples |
Autonomy, empowerment & sense of control | - Seek out credible information to assist with your decision-making. |
Healthy lifestyle | - Eat healthy foods and drink water. |
Physical security | - Have a buddy to prevent working alone. |
Short-term psych support | - Actively participate in psychosocial strategies implemented for your team. |
Social support | - Check in with family and friends. |
Stress management | - Engage in deep breathing exercises. |
Self Care
Psychosocial Need | Strategy Examples |
Connection | - Rekindle relationships. |
Expression | - Write or talk about the disaster. |
Grieving & closure | - Acknowledge losses. |
Long-term psych support | - Seek out supports and resources when you notice psychosocial “red flags.” |
Recognition | - Accept and give gratitude. |
Review & evaluation | - Reflect upon your own personal experience. |
Sense of normalcy | - Re-establish your usual routine, as soon as possible. |
Worker Care
Psychosocial Need | Strategy Examples |
Healthy lifestyle | - Promote the importance of a balanced lifestyle. |
Planning | - Develop and implement a psychosocial wellness policy. |
Training | - Provide disaster-related training and conduct exercises to build confidence. |
Worker Care
Psychosocial Need | Strategy Examples |
Autonomy, empowerment & sense of control | - Assign clear roles and give clear directions. |
Healthy lifestyle | - Model and encourage healthy behaviours (e.g., take breaks). |
Physical security | - Provide personal protective equipment (PPE; e.g., gloves, masks) when needed. |
Short-term psych support | - Make psychological first aid available to your team. |
Social support | - Set up a buddy system to encourage team members to check in on each other. |
Stress management | - Rotate job responsibilities. |
Worker Care
Psychosocial Need | Strategy Examples |
Connection | - Create cohorts or encourage your team to create informal networks. |
Expression | - Model open expression of your thoughts and feelings. |
Grieving & closure | - Give your team post-event information via debriefings. |
Long-term psych support | - Provide referrals for ongoing assessments/follow-ups, as needed. |
Recognition | - Give certificates of appreciation to all your team members. |
Review & evaluation | - Conduct exit interviews. |
Sense of normalcy | - Offer organizational support and guidance, as needed. |
📄 Course Resources
Self-Care
and Worker Care handouts can be accessed below. Print/save these and
have them with your EOC resource to easily review before and during your
next assignment. These documents can also be accessed from the Course Resources page on the main course site.
💭 Reflection
What new approaches to self-care or worker care will you practice during your next EOC assignment?
Summary
1. An initial EOC safety briefing and facility orientation will help build awareness, safety, and effectiveness.2. A common purpose, clear responsibilities, and a connected team can all
help build confidence and stability while reducing stress.
3. Everyone plays a role in maintaining the health, safety and well-being of the EOC staff team.
4. Self-care and worker care strategies should be practices before, during and after an event.
