1

VERSION 5 .2 redacted – April 2016

CHICHESTER DISTRICT COUNCIL

EMERGENCY CONTROL CENTRE

Setup and Operational Guidance

2

SECTION 1 – INITIAL ECC SETUP AND ACTIVATION ........................................................................ 3

1.1 ACTIVATION ........................................................................................................ 3

1.2 ACCESS .............................................................................................................. 3

1.3 SET UP ................................................................................................................ 4

1.4 EMERGENCY CONTROL CENTRE SET UP CHECKLIST ................................. 4

1.4.1 ........................................................................................................................... 6

STAFF ROTA ............................................................................................................. 6

1.4.3 ........................................................................................................................... 6

EMERGENCY LOG.................................................................................................... 6

1.4.5 ........................................................................................................................... 6

AUDIO / VISUAL EQUIPMENT .................................................................................. 6

1.4.6 ........................................................................................................................... 6

ECM – NETWORKED COMPUTER ........................................................................... 6

1.4.8 ........................................................................................................................... 7

STAFF CALLOUT ...................................................................................................... 7

1.4.9 ........................................................................................................................... 7

ECC ACTIVATION MESSAGE .................................................................................. 7

1.4.10 ......................................................................................................................... 7

ALERTING CO-RESPONDERS OF ECC ACTIVATION ............................................ 7

1.4.11 ......................................................................................................................... 8

BRIEFING STAFF ...................................................................................................... 8

1.4.12 ......................................................................................................................... 9

ALLOCATE STAFF POSITIONS ............................................................................... 9

1.4.13 ......................................................................................................................... 9

PREPARE STAFF DUTY ROSTER ........................................................................... 9

1.4.14 ......................................................................................................................... 9

WHITEBOARD UPDATES ......................................................................................... 9

SECTION 2 – INFORMATION HANDLING – ....................................................................................... 10

MANUAL RECORDING ........................................................................................................................ 10

CHECKLIST INCIDENT LIAISON OFFICER - PREPARATION AND DEPLOYMENT

................................................................................................................................. 12

SECTION 4 – COMMUNICATION EQUIPMENT ................................................................................. 13

4.1 RADIOS ............................................................................................................. 13

4.2 RAYNET RADIO SYSTEM ................................................................................. 13

3

4.3 MTPAS PHONE ................................................................................................. 13

SECTION 5 CLOSING DOWN.............................................................................................................. 15

5.1 CHECKLIST ....................................................................................................... 15

RADIOS ................................................................................................................... 15

APPENDIX 1 - ECC LAYOUT ............................................................................................................... 16

APPENDIX 4 CALL HANDLING - ECM ................................................................................................ 21

MANUAL RECORDING ........................................................................................................................ 21

APPENDIX 5 EMERGENCY CONTROL CENTRE DUTY ROSTER ................................................... 22

SECTION 1 – INITIAL ECC SETUP AND ACTIVATION

1.1 ACTIVATION

The decision to open the Emergency Control Centre can be made by the following

staff;

(Out of hours) Emergency Response Coordinator.

(Office hours) Emergency Planning Officer in consultation with Head of

Housing and Environment Services / Executive Director For Environment

Any senior officer.

1.2 ACCESS

Outside office hours, the designated Emergency

Control Centre Manager (ECM) will be able to access

the building in the following ways.

Contact the Facilities Officer or Principal

Caretaker of Caretaker (attempt contact in that

order) to attend [redacted]

See Emergency Contact Directory section 1.12 for

details. The Emergency Response Coordinator and Emergency Planning Officer

have copies of the directory.

In the event that facilities officers are not contactable:

A key and alarm codes are available from [redacted].

4

The Emergency Response Coordinator will need to contact [redacted] to allow

the ECM access.

1.3 SET UP

The Emergency Control Centre will be the [redacted] room. The ECM is responsible

for preparing the room, managing the centre, staff and closure.

It is important that the ECM has sufficient staff before informing other organisations

that the centre has been activated.

1.4 EMERGENCY CONTROL CENTRE SET UP CHECKLIST

REFER TO RELEVANT GUIDANCE POINTS IN THIS SECTION FOR FURTHER

EXPLANATION

IMMEDIATE ACTIONS

Locate the staff rota and sign in

Place the signage on the Entrance door of the [redacted] room

Start an emergency log (Located in storage cupboard in Touch Down area near to IT APPS room)

Contact the ERC for latest updates and instructions

Switch on Audio and Visual equipment.

Switch on a PC and log onto the network.

Blank

Use the Contact Directory Section 1.15 Call out volunteer staff. (Out of Hours) Source staff in office hours to staff the ECC. SUGGESTED MINIMUM STAFFING

4 call handlers

1 assistant

UPON ARRIVAL OF ADDITIONAL STAFF

Send fax message to internal and external stakeholders to confirm ECC is open and telephone numbers being used.

Phone relevant response organisations to conform delivery of information as soon as possible (See Contact Directory)

Brief staff

Incident briefing

Staff roles (Access staff roles documents on book shelf and place at workstations.

Allocate staffing positions

Prepare a staff duty roster to ensure a continuous supply of suitable staff to operate the Emergency Control Centre 24 hours as required.

Ensure the whiteboard is populated with the necessary information.

ADDITIONAL ECM RESPONSIBILITIES

5

Ensure the health, safety and welfare of staff operating in the Emergency Control Centre

SECTION 3 Ensure the Incident Liaison Officer is correctly equipped and briefed.

Maintain regular contact with the Duty ERC / Emergency Planning Officer / Incident Liaison Officer and Emergency Management Team

Ensure that contact is maintained with any representative at the Strategic Coordinating Group.

Act under the direction of the Emergency Response Coordinator and Emergency Planning Officer

APPENDIX 4 Regularly check the Actions Required Tray and task outgoing callers with tasks.

SECTION 2 Process and assess information to set tasks for staff.

SECTION 5 Manage the closure of the centre

6

1.4.1 STAFF ROTA

All staff reporting to the Emergency Control Centre must complete the staff rota.

The rota can be used to allow the ECM to plan for rest periods and obtaining

additional staff over a prolonged period.

Section deleted

1.4.3 EMERGENCY LOG

LOCATION – A supply of emergency logs is located in the cupboards in the Touch

Down area near to the IT APPS room.

FUNCTION – The ECM should use the log to record the following information.

All decisions and tasks made arising from incoming call enquiries

Rationale for decisions made.

Communication with staff not located in the ECC i.e. ILO / ERC

All notes should be legible. It is important to consider that notes may be used in

evidence and are subject to the Freedom of Information Act.

1.4.5 AUDIO / VISUAL EQUIPMENT

Currently no audio/visual equipment is dedicated for the ECC. If required equipment

will have to scavenged from other rooms. PC/Laptops may provide a solution.

It will be beneficial to have the facility to watch news channels and display

information for group viewing.

1.4.6 ECM – NETWORKED COMPUTER

Currently no PCs are dedicated for the ECC. Laptops should be used and logged on

to the network.

7

1.4.8 STAFF CALLOUT

The Emergency Contact Directory is located on the Intranet and hard copies are held

in the duty EHO/ ERC bag and by the EPO

Staff that may need to be called:

ECC staff

Rest Centre staff

Incident Liaison Officers

In a major emergency situation that occurs out of hours, an up to date staff list is

available at Careline.

1.4.9 ECC ACTIVATION MESSAGE

ONLY WHEN YOU HAVE SUFFICIENT STAFF TO OPERATE THE

EMERGENCY CONTROL CENTRE.

Notify the following by phone

Sussex Police Control room

West Sussex Fire and Rescue Control Room

Ambulance major incident control room

WSCC – Emergency Management Unit

Chichester District Council Contact Centre

1.4.10 ALERTING CO-RESPONDERS OF ECC ACTIVATION

There will be different organisations that will play a major role in supporting the

efforts of a response.

Other organisations to consider

Environment Agency (CD 2.6)

Marine and Coastguard Agency (CD 2.2)

NHS Sussex (CD 2.5)

8

Strategic Coordinating Group (Through Sussex Police completed

automatically)

St Richards Hospital (CD 2.5)

Organisations should be contacted via phone and advised manually.

1.4.11 BRIEFING STAFF

The Emergency Control Centre Manager should brief all staff on

1. The details of the incident and provide important updates relevant to

their roles.

2. Role and responsibilities

1. INCIDENT BRIEFING

The whiteboard provides the ECM (or designate) to populate concise information for

staff to self brief.

Example of incident brief board

2. BRIEFING STAFF ON ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

A copy of their role and responsibilities is available for each workstation. Call

handlers should be instructed to read and understand the profile before beginning.

See APPENDICES 2 and 3 for additional reference.

9

1.4.12 ALLOCATE STAFF POSITIONS

The Emergency Control Centre will require a number of positions. The staffing level

is dependent on the size, time of activation, and duration of an incident. Likely

positions include:

Emergency Control Centre Manager

2 x Incoming Call Handlers

2 x Outgoing Call handlers

One assistant to the Emergency Control Centre Manager

1 x Incident Liaison Officer

See section 1.4.11 for briefing staff.

1.4.13 PREPARE STAFF DUTY ROSTER

This should be prepared as soon as possible. Shifts should be no longer than 8

hours long and time must be planned in for breaks.

When planning the rota the ECM should enquire the availability of the staff especially

during out of hours.

The staff duty roster can be found at the rear of the staff rota folder. An additional

copy can found at Appendix 5

Use the Emergency Contact Directory (CD) section 1.15 to source additional staff.

If resources are depleted refer the staff list located at Careline or obtainable via the

Executive Director for Support Services and the Economy (CD1.6)

1.4.14 WHITEBOARD UPDATES

The ECM should ensure the whiteboard is populated with the most up to date

information.

The information assists in providing an on overview of the current situation, resource

management and useful contacts in responding to a major incident or emergency.

10

Redacted

Dividing it into 5 sections can assist with this task.

Staff information – Staff that may need to be contacted during the incident

for example, the ERC, Rest Centre, Rest Centre Manager and ILO.

Incident Brief – Overview of the incident (See section 1.4.11 for further

guidance)

Latest updates – Recent information that will assist or amend the response

direction of staff and the Emergency Management Team.

Rest Centre Operations – This provides a snapshot of people requiring

temporary accommodation and the anticipated length of operational

requirement.

Resource Management – As requests for assistance become apparent this

section allows staff to manage resources and plan for additional staffing and

logistics as required.

SECTION 2 – INFORMATION HANDLING – MANUAL RECORDING

The role of ECC is to co-ordinate the response of the District Council during a major

incident or emergency.

There are three key roles when processing information

Emergency Control Centre Manager (See

APPENDIX 4 for full instructions)

Incoming call handler (See APPENDIX 2 for full

instructions)

Outgoing call handler (See APPENDIX 3 for full

instructions)

There are two forms to assist in the compiling of information.

11

Incoming call message

Outgoing call message

INCOMING CALL MESSAGE FORM

This form is used to record ALL incoming calls. The

calls may relate to requests for assistance or just to

enquire whether a particular road is closed.

OUTGOING CALL MESSAGE FORM

The form is used in two different ways

The outgoing call handler receives the task

from the ECM and completes a form for each

person or organisation contacted until the

enquiry is complete.

An officer has requested assistance an

update or exploration of a particular issue.

SECTION 3 - SENDING AN INCIDENT LIAISON OFFICER TO SILVER CONTROL

This section is to be used by either the Emergency

Response Coordinator or Emergency Control Centre

Manager.

It provides a Checklist to ensure the Incident Liaison Officer

is properly prepared for deployment and the actions required

for ensuring access.

Deployment instructions are located on the whiteboard for

additional reference.

12

CHECKLIST INCIDENT LIAISON OFFICER - PREPARATION AND DEPLOYMENT

1 Refer to the Emergency Contact Directory Section 1.15 to select a trained ILO

2 Instruct them to prepare equipment before attending the ECC.

Packed lunch.

Suitable clothing relative to the incident and weather.

Cash / arrangements for obtaining cash.

Charged mobile phone.

Work pass

Direct them to the Emergency Control Centre

UPON ARRIVAL AT THE EMERGENCY CONTROL CENTRE

1 Get designated ILO to sign staff rota ARRIVAL and DEPARTURE

2 Provide a briefing – ILO to use incident pack (see below) to record

3 Supply the ILO with the following equipment

Incident Liaison Emergency Kit (Red bag)

Incident Liaison Incident Pack (In the ILO Emergency kit)

High visibility jacket / vest (In the ILO Emergency kit)

Incident Liaison Officer signage to allow vehicles to enter the scene.(In kit)

Incident Liaison Officer Identification to be inserted in the high visibility jacket.

Two (2) back to back radios and additional batteries.

Battery powered universal mobile phone charger (In ILO Emergency kit)

4 Advise the ILO to contact the ECC every 30 minutes or sooner until directed otherwise.

5 Advise the ILO to report back to the ECC before booking off duty.

6 Record the vehicle registration number of the ILOs vehicle and advise the scene commander of the ILOs attendance. Provide the following information

Name.

Make, model registration number of the vehicle ILO will be driving.

13

SECTION 4 – COMMUNICATION EQUIPMENT

4.1 RADIOS

ALL STAFF MUST READ AND ADHERE TO THE GUIDANCE CONTAINED IN THE

RADIO EQUIPMENT FOLDER BEFORE BEING ISSUED RADIO EQUIPMENT.

BACK TO BACK RADIOS

These are short range radios that transmit and receive voice data on an analogue

system. They do not rely on the corporate network of transmitters.

Range – 1 to 3km (Depending on terrain and weather conditions.)

All users must observe the following instructions before being issued with a radio.

It is the responsibility of the Emergency Control Centre Manager to ensure all

radio equipment is accounted for.

INSTRUCTIONS FOR USE

Refer to the RADIO EQUIPMENT AND RAYNET INFORMATION FOLDER for full

instructions.

4.2 RAYNET RADIO SYSTEM

There is no RAYNET equipment stored at East Pallant House.

Only trained and licenced RAYNET operators are able to set up and operate

this equipment and will supply equipment if required.

4.3 MTPAS PHONE

LOCATION – The duty EHO/ERC phone is MTPAS enabled. Additional phones are

obtainable for the facilities manager. Additional key staff have registered phones.

Contact the Emergency Planning Officer for further advice.

FUNCTION - MTPAS stands for Mobile Telephone Preference Access Scheme.

During an emergency or major incident, there is an increased demand on the mobie

network as people communicate the event or request assistance from the

emergency services. It is sometimes neccessary for the Police to invoke MTPAS in

the effected area.

14

ACTIVATION-Once activated this restricts calls to only MTPAS registered phones

operating the area can make and receive calls.

The Incident Liaison Officer may need to be equipped with a MTPAS phone to

ensure communication is uninteruppted during the response phase of an incident.

There will be no notable change in the phones’ operations

Users of the MTPAS phones must keep calls to an absolute minimum. It is

reccommended that calls do not exceed 30 seconds.

4.4 TELEPHONE SYSTEM

The Emergency Control room IT APPS room is equipped with a mixture of direct

lines and phone lines on the corporate network.

A full list of these numbers can be found in the Emergency Contact Directory section

6.

DIRECT LINES

Ideally the ECC should be equipped with three direct BT lines

Incoming call position 1

Incoming call position 2

IT can advise which locations within East Pallant House have direct line GTPS

phones.

Making Calls from a Direct Line

To make an external call – Dial the number without the 9 prefix

Internal extensions cannot be made from these numbers

CORPORATE NETWORK PHONES

Emergency Control Centre Manager

Outgoing Call position 1

Outgoing Call position 2

Making calls from a corporate network phone

To make an external call – Dial 9 followed by the number

To make an internal call – Dial the extension number

15

FAULTY EQUIPMENT

If telephone equipment becomes faulty inform IT

HEADSETS

Headsets are located in Storage cupboard in Touch Down area

SECTION 5 CLOSING DOWN

RESPONSIBILITY OF THE EMERGENCY CONTROL CENTRE MANAGER

5.1 CHECKLIST

1 Ensure all staff are accounted for and have signed the staff rota

2 Switch OFF the door control switch / Phone and return the signs to the ECC.

4 Locate the fax message for closing down the ECC and send. (See SECTION 1.4.9 for guidance)

5 Contact other organisations not covered by the fax message to notify them of a shut down.

5 Switch OFF Audio on Visual equipment.

6 Shut down ECM manager PC.

7 Switch OFF the Standalone PC.

8 Place all radios and mobile phones on charge.

9 Take a photograph of the whiteboard information

10 File all logs, messages and associated documentation and pass to the Emergency Planning officer or a senior officer.

11 Leave the ECC in a ready state.

RADIOS

16

APPENDIX 1 - ECC LAYOUT

17

APPENDIX 2 CALL HANDLING – INCOMING MESSAGES MANUAL RECORDING

READ THIS ROLE PROFILE AND INSTRUCTIONS BEFORE

COMMENCING THIS ROLE

ROLE

Record all incoming telephone calls when the Emergency Control Centre is

activated.

Resolve enquiries using the available ECC resources i.e. plans, emergency

Contact directory or updated information.

Bring to the attention of the ECM, any information requiring a decision or

requests for assistance.

Complete the incoming forms accurately.

INSTRUCTIONS

When completing the incoming message form, the call handler must ensure the

following actions are completed:

Record the Date and time the call was initially received.

Record the full name of the person calling and organisation.

Contact address and telephone number.

Write any message or request clearly avoiding any ambiguous language or

unfamiliar abbreviations.

ONCE COMPLETED ANY URGENT ACTIONS SHOULD BE BROUGHT TO

THE ATTENTION OF THE EMERGENCY CONTROL CENTRE MANAGER

AS SOON AS POSSIBLE.

Non urgent requests regarding a decision should be placed in the ACTIONS

REQUIRED tray for the attention of the Emergency Control Centre Manager.

If the enquiry can be resolved, the call taker should record the actions or

advice given.

Any important contact details or information for use by other staff should be

written on the whiteboards provided.

Once the incoming call has been completed place the form in the ACTIONS

COMPLETED tray.

18

INCOMING

CALL

CAN YOU

RESOLVE

THE

MESSAGE

IMMEDIATEL

Y?

START

PLACE IN ACTION

COMPLETED

TRAY

COMPLETE

INCOMING

MESSAGE

FORM

TO

EMERGENCY

CONTROL

CENTRE

MANAGER

INSERT DATE / TIME

CALL RECEIVED.

WRITE CLEARLY

AVOID AMBIGIOUS

LANGUAGE AND UNCOMMON

ABBREVIATIONS

YES NO

PLACE IN ACTION

REQUIRED TRAY

INCOMING CALL HANDLING WORK FLOW

UPDATE ECM

WITH ANY

URGENT

INFORMATION

19

APPENDIX 3 CALL HANDLING – OUTGOING CALL MESSAGES MANUAL RECORDING

READ THIS ROLE PROFILE AND INSTRUCTIONS BEFORE

COMMENCING THIS ROLE

ROLE

Record all outgoing telephone calls when the Emergency Control Centre is

activated.

Resolve enquiries using the available ECC resources i.e. plans, emergency

Contact directory or updated information.

Bring to the attention of the ECM, any information requiring further decision or

requests for assistance.

Complete all forms accurately and file the forms in accordance with

instructions.

The outgoing calls form must be used for the following enquiries.

An incoming call has been passed to the Emergency Control Centre Manager

(ECM) for a decision and tasking and has been placed in the ACTIONS

PENDING tray.

An internal enquiry has been requested by the ECM or senior officer.

ALL outgoing calls must be recorded on the outgoing call forms.

If the task relates to an enquiry generated from an incoming call, the outgoing call

form must be attached to the original incoming call form before enquiry is completed

and filed to the ACTIONS COMPLETED to ensure continuity.

When completing the outgoing message form, the call handler must ensure the

following actions are completed:

An outgoing form must be completed for each new contact.

Record the Date and time of the call.

Record the full name of the person calling and organisation being called.

Contact address and telephone number being called.

Write any message or request clearly avoiding any ambiguous language or

unfamiliar abbreviations.

20

Call handlers should where possible, progress the enquiry until a successful

conclusion has been made.

ALL URGENT INFORMATION SHOULD BE BROUGHT TO THE

ATTENTION OF THE ECM IMMEDIATELY.

Any communication that requires further decision or direction should be

placed in the ACTION PENDING TRAY .All urgent enquiries should be

brought to the attention of the ECM immediately.

If the enquiry can be resolved, the call taker should record the actions or

advice given.

Any important contact details or information for use by other staff should be

written on the whiteboards provided.

Once the outgoing call has been completed place the form in the ACTIONS

COMPLETED tray.

COLLECT

OUTGOING CALL

ENQUIRIES FROM

ACTIONS PENDING

TRAY

CONTINUE WITH

THE ENQUIRY

UNTIL

COMPLETED

UPDATE ECM AS

REQUIRED

TASK

RESOLVED ?

START

PLACE IN ACTION

COMPLETE TRAY

AND UPDATE

APPROPRIATE

PERSONNEL

YES NO

REQUESTS FROM

ECM / SENIOR

OFFICERS MUST BE

RECORDED ON

OUTGOING

MESSAGE FORM.

TASKS GENERATED

FROM INCOMING

CALLS FORM TO BE

COMPLETED ON

OUTGOING

MESSAGE FORM.

OUTGOING CALL HANDLING WORK FLOW

COMPLETE TASK

AND RECORD

RESULT

UPDATE ECM

WITH ANY

URGENT

INFORMATION

21

APPENDIX 4 CALL HANDLING - ECM MANUAL RECORDING

The ECM is responsible for setting direction of incoming enquiries from call handlers.

The flowchart below illustrates the workflow process.

ECM ACTION ECM ACTION ECM ACTION 3

RECEIVE TASK

FROM “ACTION

REQUIRED”

TRAY

PLACE IN

“ACTION

PENDING”

TRAY

ASSESS &

RECORD

DECISION ON

FORM AND

LOG

APPRAISE EMT / ERC / EPO OF

IMPORTANT UPDATES AND

INFORMATON TO

OUTGOING

CALL

HANDLER

INCOMING

MESSAGE

FOR

DECISON

22

APPENDIX 5 EMERGENCY CONTROL CENTRE DUTY ROSTER

SHIFT 1

STAFF POSITON

NAME ON DUTY BREAK OFF DUTY COMMENTS

Call Handler 1

Call Handler 2

Call Handler 3

Call Handler 4

Assistant

ECM

ILO

SHIFT 2

STAFF POSITON

NAME ON DUTY BREAK OFF DUTY COMMENTS

Call Handler 1

Call Handler 2

Call Handler 3

Call Handler 4

Assistant

23

ECM

ILO

24