Emergency Operations Center Manager Interview and Site Visit
In lieu of the term paper, for this class you will visit an emergency management professional and conduct a site visit to an emergency operations center or equivalent. You will have the end of week 7 to complete this in order to accommodate scheduling difficulties you may encounter in arranging your visit-however, don’t procrastinate. YOU MAY NOT SUBSTITUTE INTERNET RESEARCH, PHONE CALLS, EMAILS, etc. for the interview. You must visit an EOC and talk with an emergency manager.
It is best to select a county, state, or military base emergency manager to interview. Select someone who has more breadths of responsibility than a police or fire chief, and more technical knowledge of emergency management than a mayor or city councilman. Make an appointment to interview him or her in person, and request a visit to the emergency operations center.
Interview topics to consider would include the mission, the structure of emergency operations, the communication system, the budget, etc. Ask for an interview of the last time the system was exercised, either real-word or stimulation. Allow the interview to range freely until you have a full understanding of the operation and can explain it in detail.
For the site visit, observe the structure and communication infrastructure of the operations center. Is it protected? Is there a backup? Is the equipment current technology? What are the apparent shortcomings?
It is important that you explain to them that you are a student at American military university or American Public University and this is an assignment for your Master’s Degree program. If you require a letter from the university to validate your assignment requirement, use the one enclosed below.
Reading: View the TED talk in the lessons as you prepare to conduct your interview.
Donohue, D.(2016,May). The care and feeding of the EOC. Fire Engineering. Retrieved from http://www(dot)fireengineering(dot)com/articles/print/volume-169/issue-5/features/the-care-and-feeding-of-the-emergency-operations-center.html
Furey, B. (2009, September). Emergency operations centers: The ultimate command posts. Firehouse. https:www(dot)firehouse(dot)com/home/article/10470014/as-emergency-response-agencies-realize-the-efficiencies-of-the-incident-management-system-ims-more-emphasis-is-being-placed-on-the-tools-required-to-effectively-manage-emergency-operations-centers-eocs-are-nothing-new-in-fact-they-date-back m-to-the
Meyer,C. (2016,July) A winning strategy: Building a permanent EOC at UCF. Security Magazine. Retrieved from http://digital(dot)bnpmedia(dot)com/publication/?
I=317568&article_id=2525115&view=articleBrowser&ver=html5#
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Shouldis, W. (2010, May). The emergency operations center: A vital preparedness tool. Fire Engineering.
Retrieved from http://www(dot)fireengineering(dot)com/articles/print/volume-163/issue-5/Features/the-emergency-operations-center-a-vital-preparedness-tool.html
Assignment: Write a minimum 10-pages relating your interview and site visit results. Ensure there is a summary of what you have learned, how it relates to the class material, and that it contains a strong recommendation section with recommendations that would improve operational effectiveness. Be sure to provide this and all papers in proper APA format.
EOC Manager Interview and Site Visit
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EOC Manager Interview and Site Visit
An Emergency Operations Center (EOC) refers to a command and control center that facilitates disaster response, mitigation, and planning. Notably, disasters are inevitable, and every state should be ready to address them when they occur. The EOC can be activated when responding to natural disasters, emergencies, and severe weather events since it serves as the central center of operations. Indeed, it collaborates with other departments, federal, state, and local emergency agencies. William Shouldis defines the EOC as a generic tool that promotes coordination of disaster on-scene operations when high-risk and low-frequency incidents occur (Shouldis, 2010). Every community, regardless of its size, must remain well-prepared to solve emergency events. The EOC plays a significant role in mobilizing individuals and equipment to handle disasters that a single agency cannot control. When it captures vital incident-related information, the EOC manager and other officials set strategic directions, allocate resources, declare disasters, and establish priorities. The interview with Amy Dawson, Louisiana’s EOC Manager, will provide relevant information about the mission of the EOC, budget, coordination of activities during disaster response, the communication system, and the structure of emergency operations. Louisiana’s EOC visit is crucial since it will show the structure and communication infrastructure, the technology, and possible shortcomings of the tools used. Additionally, there will be a discussion of a summary of the critical lessons learned, how they relate to class materials, and the recommendations that would improve the operational effectiveness of Louisiana’s EOC.
Interview with Dawson, Louisiana's EOC Manager
My interview with Dawson took place on 19th July 2021 at Baton Rouge, Louisiana's EOC. In particular, reaching out to Dawson was challenging at first. However, one of my relatives, who is her friend, made it possible, particularly when he heard that it was an essential part of my master's degree program. Dawson gave me 30 minutes of her time since she was busy, and here are some of the questions and answers that I recorded:
i. What is the primary mission of Louisiana's EOC, and what drives it toward achieving it?
Louisiana's EOC intervenes during disasters to help the communities affected. Our motivation is to promote public safety.
ii. What are the functions of the EOC?
Louisiana's EOC's main functions are planning, maintaining situational awareness, assessing damages, providing required resources, evacuating affected communities, and accounting for public safety. The most significant things are to save people's lives, protect further damage of properties, and help them overcome the effects of disasters.
iii. Is there a structure followed in emergency operations? If yes, which is it?
Yes, and the structure depends on the emergency situation at hand. In most cases, the Incident Command System (ICS) structure is the best since it increases the interaction of emergency agencies and raises situational awareness levels.
iv. What is the communication system at your EOC?
Nowadays, the best communication system is the one that uses wireless technology.
v. Has the current disaster response system been used in real-life scenarios, such as during Hurricane Laura, or simulations, and was it effective?
Specifically, every disaster response system is simulated before using it in real life to ascertain its effectiveness. For example, we used it during Hurricane Laura, and it was successful and effective.
vi. How does technology affect disaster response?
Technology is a crucial tool that facilitates effective and efficient communication and collaboration. In particular, without technology, it would be challenging to succeed in disaster planning and response.
Since my focus was on understanding the operations of the EOC, many questions asked during the interview were not recorded. Besides, it was challenging to take note of everything said due to the time limit given by my interviewee.
Detailed Interview Explanation
Dawson made it clear during the interview that the primary mission of Louisiana’s EOC is to respond to disasters when they occur and promote public safety. In particular, when disasters occur, they damage properties and homes and cause people's deaths. Fast response by the EOC ensures that there is proper coordination and collaboration of emergency agencies. EOCs are designated facilities that support incident operations in a specific geographic area (Donohue, 2016). Cities, towns, businesses, counties, and federal and state governments can have EOCs. EOCs are crucial since they offer financial, logistical, and planning support to operations that facilitate disaster response. In addition, the communication system and structure of emergency operations determine how fast and effective the EOC will handle a specific disaster. For instance, these two factors can promote the collaboration of different branches, such as emergency engineering, firefighting, law enforcement, medical services, and search and rescue missions (Shouldis, 2010). For example, when Hurricane Laura occurred in August 2020, Dawson initiated a quick response through Louisiana’s EOC. Hurricane Laura’s wind speed was 150 miles per hour and category 4 (Miroff, 2020). Indeed, it caused more damages along the coast and broke numerous water systems without forgetting that it destroyed electricity grids and left some areas in darkness for a few days. Louisiana’s EOC worked closely with the federal, state, local, and other emergency agencies to respond to the deadly natural disaster. Coordination of disaster response activities cannot take place without effective communication among the involved parties.
Another significant thing that Dawson emphasized was the budget required during the disaster response. However, she was clear that the funds needed to respond or mitigate a disaster depend on the magnitude of the incident at hand. For instance, the Hurricane Laura budget cost about $19 billion (Smith, 2021). As a result, the system used by Louisiana’s EOC was operationally effective and can be used in the future.
Dawson depicted that the most significant thing in the EOC is the approach used to respond to disasters when they occur. Without proper leadership, effective communication, resource availability, and collaboration of various emergency agencies, success cannot be attained in disaster response. Jeff Morgan, the University of Central Florida's Director of the Department of Security and Emergency Management, emphasized flexibility and quick response in incident response as the most crucial things during the incident response (Meyer, 2016). In other words, the information should move among relevant parties without disruptions to ensure that required resources are provided on time. Dawson portrayed that technology is a vital tool, and the staff should be well-trained to use it appropriately. One of the most significant things about Louisiana's EOC is that communication travels horizontally and vertically. For instance, Dawson can listen to emergency responders' communication on the site of a disaster and make proper decisions (Smith & Simpson, 2009). Also, she determines the information be broadcasted. Besides, during a disaster response, the best practice is to ensure that the details are passed to the media from one source to prevent confusion. Dawson mentioned that the success of an incident response occurs when all victims are evacuated, injured people are given first-aid and taken to hospitals, and properties are safeguarded from further damage. That is why Louisiana's EOC emphasizes the coordination and collaboration of various agencies to ensure that everything is considered. For example, law enforcers are called to the disaster site to help save victims and prevent rogue responders from stealing or destructing remaining properties.
Louisiana's EOC Site Visit
The State Emergency Operations Center (SEOC) of Louisiana has the best disaster planning, mitigation, and response tools. The structure of the operations center has all essential tools, which is why Louisiana's EOC coordinated all disaster response activities during Hurricane Laura successfully. The activation of the SEOC is done by the Governor's Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness (GOHSEP) director when a disaster occurs or is imminent (GOHSEP, 2021). For example, some of the incidences that can activate the SEOC are multi-jurisdictional law enforcement operations, support for security, disasters, harsh weather conditions, and hazardous materials incidents. In addition, the SEOC has current state-of-the-art on-site video monitoring equipment to monitor evacuation routes and critical infrastructure in real-time. Additionally, it is equipped with intelligence, mapping, and communication gathering technology designed to facilitate information dissemination and raise situational awareness (GOHSEP, 2021). The diagram below shows Louisiana's EOC Seating Chart.
Figure 1: EOC Seating Chart
Figure 1 shows how different specialists and departments carry out disaster response activities to ensure operational success and effectiveness. Louisiana's EOC has a Unified Command Group (UCG) defined by Title 29: 725.6 Revised Statute (GOHSEP, 2021). In particular, it refers to the emergency strategic decision-making body. The governor appoints members of UCG since he or she is the Unified Commander. The UCG is crucial since it offers a coordinated and unified approach to disaster management, enabling agencies, governing authorities, and institutions with distinct geographic, functional, and legal responsibilities to plan, interact, and coordinate effectively (GOHSEP, 2021). Under UCG command, the SEOC enhances all levels of state response, stakeholders, and resource providers so that they work together to ensure that all needs of people affected by the disaster are fulfilled. For example, ci...