incident command system in the private sector - an overview

Emergency Management & Safety Solutions

Incident Command System – Best Practices in Emergency Management


March 2010 www.ems-solutionsinc.com 2

Agenda

•  ICS 101 – what is ICS and why you should use it! •  The eight hallmarks of ICS

•  The journey to change a company – converting PG&E to ICS.

•  The tools that were developed. •  How it was rolled out. •  Lessons learned and suggestions for you. •  Orientation exercise highlighting the Incident Action

Planning process

Emergency Management & Safety Solutions My Observation…

•  If companies can do THREE things at the beginning of an incident they will be FAR ahead of the game. 1.  Need to have a clearly defined assessment

process, team and triggers. 2.  Clearly defined roles and responsibilities. 3.  Able to develop a succinct action plan with

clearly written strategic objectives, assignments and working periods (operational periods) before reconvening.


Emergency Management & Safety Solutions My Goal

To demonstrate that the Incident Command System (ICS) provides an ideal structure in a utility and business setting for: 1.  Command 2.  Control 3.  Coordination 4.  Collaboration 5.  Communication 6.  Consistency




What is the Incident Command System (ICS)?

•  ICS is a well organized, team approach for managing critical incidents. –  Was developed in the Fire Service in the 70’s in California to

deal with fast moving wildfires. •  ICS is now used widely throughout the United States:

–  National Response Plan (NRP). –  Foundation to NIMS –  Homeland Security Presidential Directive #5 (HSPD-5).

•  Mandatory for all federal agencies and in order to remain eligible for federal funding, state governments must use ICS.

Emergency Management & Safety Solutions ICS History

• ICS was designed to manage rapidly moving wildfires and to address reoccurring problems.

• Too many people reporting to one supervisor • Different emergency response organizational structure • Lack of reliable incident information • Inadequate and incompatible communications


Emergency Management & Safety Solutions ICS History

§ Lack of structure for coordinated planning among agencies (departments). § Unclear lines of authority. § Terminology differences among agencies (departments). § Unclear or unspecified incident objectives.




Hallmarks of ICS

•  It has the following eight hallmarks: 1.  Manageable Span of Control 2.  Common Terminology 3.  Modular/Scalable Organization 4.  Integrated Communications 5.  Unified Command Structure 6.  Consolidated Action Plans 7.  Pre-designated Command Centers 8.  Comprehensive Resource Management



Manageable Span of Control

•  A manageable span of control is defined as the number of individuals one supervisor can manage effectively. –  Management theory notes that the number of

subordinates one supervisor can manage effectively is usually 3-7, the optimum is 5.



Common Terminology

•  Common terminology is essential in any system, especially when diverse groups are involved in the response. –  Multiple departments and/or locations. –  Critical when it is not an activity you perform on a

“regular” basis. •  When possible, minimize use of abbreviations,

acronyms or confusing terminology to improve communication.

Emergency Management & Safety Solutions Modular/ Scalable Organization

• A modular organization develops from the top-down at any incident.

– All incidents regardless of size or complexity will always have an Incident Commander (IC).

• The organization can expand/shrink according to the needs of the situation.

– Only activate what you need.


Emergency Management & Safety Solutions Integrated Communications

• Integrated communications is a system that uses:

– Standard operating procedures. – Common communications plan. – Common equipment. – Common terminology.

• The sophistication will likely depend on the size and complexity of the organization and the incident.




Unified Command Structure

•  A unified command allows all departments or groups with responsibility for the incident, to manage an incident. –  By establishing a common set of incident

objectives and strategies. •  Unified command does not mean losing or giving up

agency (departmental) authority, responsibility, or accountability. –  It simply provides for a coordinated response.



Consolidated Action Plans (AP)

•  Consolidated AP’s describe: –  Current status of the incident. –  Strategic objectives. –  Team assignments. –  Resource allocations.

•  Action plans are written around an operational periods (OP): –  The OP is the time your team has to work on the action plan

before the team leaders and IC meet to discuss progress and chart a new course.

–  At the beginning of an incident the time frame is often short, 2 - 4 hours and expands with time.

–  The Incident Commander and team leads determines the length of the OP.



Pre-designated Command Centers

•  Pre-designated command centers that are appropriate for the risk and hazards. –  Primary. –  Secondary. –  Tertiary (if appropriate

based on your risk assessment).

•  Determine location once you have done a hazard analysis.

Emergency Management & Safety Solutions Comprehensive Resource Management

• Comprehensive resource management allows an organization to:

– Maximize resource use. – Consolidate control of single resources. – Reduce the communications load. – Provide accountability. – Ensure personnel safety.




Five Teams in ICS

Command - Incident Commander

Operations Planning & Intelligence Logistics Finance

Executive Management



The One Word Definition

•  Command –  Manages

•  Operations –  Does

•  Logistics –  Cares

•  Planning & Intelligence –  Plans

•  Finance –  Pays



Command

•  Sets priorities and objectives and is responsible for overall command and responsibility of the incident.

•  In charge of all functions. •  Directs, controls, orders resources. •  Resolves conflict in the teams. •  Implements policy decisions. •  Provides interface to Executive Management. •  Who makes a good IC?

–  Strong leadership skills. –  Decisive - not afraid to make a decision. –  Good overall understanding of the business. –  Well respected by their peers and senior management.



Operations

•  The responsibility for all tactical operations necessary to carry out the plan (response and recovery). –  Initial damage inspection. –  Establish situation control. –  Develop situation status reports (sit reps). –  Front line responders - they resolve the issues.

•  Goal - restore business back to “business as usual” •  Team includes the key “backbone” aspects of the business:

–  Facilities. –  Security. –  IT/Telecom. –  Safety.



Planning & Intelligence

•  Responsible for the collection, evaluation, and dissemination of information concerning incident development.

•  Takes the situation reports (from Ops) and evaluates information.

•  Applies “intelligence” to the situation and action plans. •  Make recommendations for action based on event & plans. •  Team is comprised of:

–  BCP. –  Key lines of business. –  Corporate Communications. –  Legal. –  Investor Relations.



Logistics

•  Responsible for providing the necessary support to meet incident human needs. –  Food. –  Shelter. –  Transportation. –  Medical support. –  Counseling.

•  Primary responsibility is the “care & feeding” of the teams. –  All of the human aspects of the disaster.

•  Team is comprised of: –  Human Resources. –  Meeting Services/Travel. –  Employee Assistance.



Finance

•  Responsible for monitoring and documenting all costs. Provides the necessary financial support related to the incident.

•  Establishes a paper trail for all expenditures. •  Payroll, emergency purchase orders and cash, “P” cards and

other critical cash issues. •  Works with insurance companies regarding reimbursement &

worker’s compensation insurance. •  Team is comprised of:

–  Finance. –  Risk. –  Insurance. –  Payroll. –  Treasury Operations –  Procurement (although sometimes in Logistics)



ICS Benefits

•  Flow of information and resources within and between all teams and at all levels of the organization. –  Especially helpful for companies with multiple

locations. •  Coordination between teams. •  Rapid mobilization, deployment & tracking of

resources. •  Development of trends & patterns. •  Minimizes confusion & errors.



Executives - Where are they?

•  Ideally not part of the Incident Response Team. •  They have four overall responsibilities:

1.  Strategic and policy oversight 2.  Approval of large expenditure requests. 3.  Senior statesperson role to all key stakeholders-

employees, major customers, investor community, board of directors, etc.

4.  Media spokesperson if the situation warrants it.



What do you call this team?

•  Years ago they were typically called Crisis Management Teams.

•  Now there are more likely to be called as Corporate Incident Response Team or the Corporate Incident Management Team.

•  Why a change? –  Teams activate for many

occasions not just a crisis. –  Crisis implies that you are

overwhelmed and that the situation has gotten ahead of you.

Local Incident Response Team

Corporate Incident

Response Team


(EMT)



Command•Legal•Sr Comm

Operations•Real Estate•Facilities•IS•Telecom•Corp. Security•Safety &Health

Logistics•HR•EmployeeRelations•Corp Meeting& Travel•Aviation•Admin Supp.

Planning/Intelligence•BCP•Corp Comm.•Insurance•Legal•Security•Six StrategicSBU’s

Finance•Finance•Purchasing/Procurement•Payroll

ExecutiveMgmt.

International Insurance Company




Corporate Real Estate

Life Safety Protective Services

IT/Telecom

Operations

Business Units

Corporate Communications Corporate Marketing

Investor Relations

Legal

Planning and Intelligence

Human Resources

Benefits

EAP Admin. Support

Logistics

Accounting

Insurance

Payroll Purchasing

Finance and Administration

Incident Command

International Bank



Prestigious University

Command

Operations Planning & Intelligence

Logistics & Finance

Public Information

Policy Group



ICS to the Rescue!

ICS



Regina Phelps, CEM, RN, BSN, MPA Emergency Management & Safety Solutions San Francisco, California 415-643-4300 www.ems-solutionsinc.com

THANK YOU!

incident command system in the private sector - an overview

Documents