Effective Disaster Relationships Developing Partnerships in Advance Mobile County Emergency Management Agency Walter Dickerson, Executive Director

Mobile County EMA Mission: The mission of the Mobile County Emergency Management Agency is to protect Mobile County citizens from all hazards by providing and coordinating resources, expertise, leadership and advocacy through a comprehensive, risk-based security and emergency management program.   Central point of coordination within the state for response and recovery to disasters. The primary focus of the agency when not in a response or recovery mode is to ensure that the state, and the 11 million citizens residing in it, are prepared to respond to an emergency or disaster and to lead mitigation efforts against the effects of future disasters. Direction and Control and key part - Establish and maintain clear direction and control and operational procedures to ensure effective response Training - Conduct comprehensive internal and external training to improve the capability to respond and recover

Emergency Management Cycle Four Phases of Emergency Management Mitigation Preparedness Response Recovery

MITIGATION Reduce or eliminate the cost of damage caused by disasters Minimize the impact on citizens, businesses, and properties

PREPAREDNESS Disaster Planning Emergency Operations Plans (EOP) Hazard ID and Risk Assessments Emergency Management Assistance Compact (EMAC) After action evaluations following disasters and exercises Training Emergency management and homeland security-related training for Mobile County and the State of Alabama Exercise All-hazards and WMD-related exercises for Mobile County and State of Alabama Planning – Responsible for the state EOP and EOP guidance to local EMA. Provides guidance state and local agencies to continually enhance and standardize the format and content of all state and local plans. Training - Conduct comprehensive internal and external training to improve the capability to respond and recover Exercise - Ensure exercises evaluate capabilities of existing plans and procedures Major Exercise Highlights: Development of the State of Ohio Terrorism Exercise and Evaluation Manual Major League Baseball exercise/Cincinnati Reds (2nd in U.S. – 1st in Ohio) International Cross Border Exercise/Canada Participation on national Homeland Security focus groups 2 Master Exercise Practioner certifications 85 Local Emergency Planning Committee exercises (hazardous materials)

RESPONSE MCEMA - Central point of coordination within the county for response to and recovery from disasters Activate MCEMA Emergency Operations Center Coordinate State Resources Conduct Damage & Needs Assessment Recommend Actions to the State EMA and Mobile County Coordinate local Response Responsible for coordination with local, state and federal agencies. Establish and maintain clear direction and control and operational procedures to ensure effective response

RECOVERY Restore governments, systems, and people to pre-disaster levels Administer local assistance programs Infrastructure Individuals & families Assist with long-term recovery activities

David Paulison on Partnership “While emergency management should remain first and foremost a state and local responsibility, the federal government has to be prepared to engage more proactively during the initial stages of a disaster. To do this, we need to enhance partnerships with state and local governments, nongovernmental organizations, and the private sector to identify where the weaknesses exist. The federal government should work with states and municipalities to close capability gaps and improve our combined, integrated response. Katrina has taught us the value of early and unified engagement”. - David Paulison, Director, FEMA "Weathering the Next Storm", Washington Post, 08/27/06

Mobile County’s Local Partners County Commissioners City Mayors City Fire & Police Depts. County EMS City & County Engineers City & County Public Works Medical Services County Agent Dept. Human Resources Private Sector Hospitals Private companies County Medical Examiner County Public Health County Sheriff Public School Board Volunteer agencies Red Cross Voluntary Organizations Active in Disasters (VOAD) Citizen Corps Salvation Army Alabama Defense Force There are many partners at the local and state levels. This list of local and state partners and organizations is by no means inclusive and most are involved with both local and state agencies. The state agencies listed are representative of the agencies that are most frequently involved in responding to emergencies, but there are many more. The agencies listed, with the exception of the Guard, are the primary agencies for at least one of the 15 Emergency Support Functions in the Emergency Operations Plan. Ohio EMA is the lead on 4 ESF’s. There are a great many support agencies listed for each ESF and every agency is involved in more than one ESF. Now we’re going to go into detail on the ESF’s.

State Partners State EMA State Fire Marshall AL DOH State Highway Patrol Marine Police AL National Guard State Docks Civil Air Patrol ALDOT AL Forest Service Community Action AL Environmental Protection Agency AL Agriculture Dept Public Utilities Commission There are many partners at the local and state levels. This list of local and state partners and organizations is by no means inclusive and most are involved with both local and state agencies. The state agencies listed are representative of the agencies that are most frequently involved in responding to emergencies, but there are many more. The agencies listed, with the exception of the Guard, are the primary agencies for at least one of the 15 Emergency Support Functions in the Emergency Operations Plan. Ohio EMA is the lead on 4 ESF’s. There are a great many support agencies listed for each ESF and every agency is involved in more than one ESF. Now we’re going to go into detail on the ESF’s.

Federal Partners DHS FEMA U.S. Coast Guard U.S. Army Corps of Engineers FBI OSHA ATF

County of Alabama Emergency Operations Plan All-hazards framework through which Mobile County responds to and recovers from disasters that affect the health, safety and welfare of persons affected by emergencies. Emergency Operations Plan span emergencies from initial monitoring through post-disaster response and recovery Defines interagency coordination and assigns specific functional responsibilities The Ohio EOP is structured on an all-hazards framework and the Plan covers operations from initial monitoring and assessment through disaster response and recovery. Expand on response and recovery, and the link between them. The Ohio EOP defines the roles and responsibilities of state-level agencies and how they will work together to save lives and protect property.

Emergency Operations Plan Describes how citizens and property will be protected in a disaster or emergency. Describes actions that will be taken in response to hazards, and details tasks to be performed by specific entities In short, the Ohio EOP describes how the citizens of Ohio and their property will be protected during emergencies and disasters. The citizens of Ohio are not a homogeneous population. They are young and old They are rich and poor They are urban and rural They are able-bodied and they are disabled They are able to effectively respond during emergencies and disasters and They have functional needs that need to be addressed in order for them to be able to effectively respond during emergencies and disasters.

The Ohio Emergency Management Agency is the central point of coordination within the state for activities to support mitigation, preparedness, response and recovery functions before, during and after a disaster.... All disasters begin locally, however; as the Governor's emergency management organization, we may activate the Ohio Emergency Operations Center to better coordinate the state's response. This center brings together the primary state and federal agencies that will be assisting in the disaster.

National Incident Management System (NIMS) Created to provide the standardization and interoperability required to prevent, prepare for, respond to, recover from, and mitigate the effects of domestic incidents, regardless of cause, size, or complexity

NIMS – Key Principles Six primary components that work together to provide a national framework for preventing, responding to and recovering from domestic incidents: Command and Management Preparedness Resource Management Communications and Information Mngmt. Supporting Technologies Ongoing Management and Maintenance

NIMS REQUIREMENTS… New and Ongoing Requirements Ensure that the Public Information System can gather, verify, coordinate, and disseminate information during an incident Promote mutual aid agreements with private sector and non-governmental organizations Consistent application of Incident Action Plans and Common Communications Plans Coordinate and support emergency incident and event management through the development and use of multi-agency coordination systems Public Information System included in the jurisdiction’s Emergency Operations Plan

ICS Related Definitions Emergency Operations Center (EOC) The physical location at which the coordination of information and resources to support domestic incident management activities normally takes place. An EOC may be a temporary facility or may be located in a more central or permanently established facility, perhaps at a higher level of organization with a jurisdiction. EOCs may be organized by major functional disciplines (e.g., fire, law enforcement, and medical services), by jurisdiction (e.g., Federal, State, regional ,county, city, tribal), or some combination thereof.

EOC PRIMARY FUNCTIONS Direction & Control Information Collection, Evaluation and Display Coordination Establishment of Priorities Resource Management Communications Needs Assessment Action Items Damage Assessment Warning Continuity of Government Public Information Center Routine Office Other

Current MCEMA EOC Capabilities 200KW Generator, with a 6000 gallon fuel tank, capable of operating for 14 days. 100 telephone lines, with an additional 100 in place should they be needed. State, County, and City of Mobile 800MHZ Radio system. Emergency Alerting System (EAS). Amateur radio communications. Local and national television monitoring, plus 3 satellite monitoring systems. Internet and Local Area Networking capability. Computer modeling programs for various natural and technological disasters. Specialized Emergency Management computer software for maintaining, analyzing, and reporting emergency situations. Web EOC Interoperability Communications Capability

Proposed New MCEMA EOC Provide adequate work space, technology and shelter for EOC operations during disaster situations The new proposed EOC would allow county and municipal governments a place to function in the event their facilities were impacted by disaster Provide a full-time training facility as well as adequate space to conduct meetings Allow space for projects such as damage assessment & long term recovery Provide a facility that will withstand a Cat 5 Hurricane

Proposed New MCEMA EOC

Proposed New MCEMA EOC

COUNTY EOC Emergency Management Fire Service Public Works Health Law Enforcement Fire Services Fire Service COUNTY EOC Health Public Works Red Cross Emergency Medical Hospitals

SAMPLE EOC STAFFING NOTE: Utilization of these positions will depend on the type and magnitude of the disaster. Other positions may be created to fulfill special needs as they arise. OPERATIONS GROUP Emergency Management Director EOC Operations Officer Law Enforcement County, City, Township, State, Federal Fire Service LEPC Representative Public Works Engineering Health Medical (Local Hospital) Mental Health EMS Coordinator Human/Social Services Red Cross Department of Education Volunteer Coordinator Representative from Voluntary Organizations Utility Representative Water Electric Natural Gas Telephone Sanitation Representatives of Private Organizations State and Federal Representatives Damage Assessment Coordinator Disaster/Situation Analyst OPERATIONS GROUP (continued) Resource Manager Other Representatives Food and Housing Transportation Fuel Source groups Coroner EXECUTIVE GROUP Commissioner, Mayor, or Other Chief Elected Official Emergency Public Information Officer Legal Representative Emergency Management Director (Optional) SERVICES SUPPORT (Administrative) Facility Typists Coordinator Security Computer Operators SUPPORT SERVICES (Communications) Message Controller Message Runners Information Plotters Communications Officer Radio/Telephone Operators Amateur Radio Operators 9-1-1 Coordinator

STATE-LEVEL EMERGENCY STATE FOCUS Policy Support Coordination Priority Planning COUNTY OR AREA FOCUS Planning* LOCAL FOCUS INCIDENT FOCUS Operations Finance Logistics STATE IC LOCAL EOC COUNTY EMERGENCY OPERATIONS CENTER (EOC) COUNTY COUNTY COUNTY EOC EOC EOC LOCAL LOCAL LOCAL LOCAL Emergency Operations Center (EOC): The physical location at which the coordination of information and resources to support domestic incident management activities normally takes place. An EOC may be a temporary facility or may be located in a more central or permanently established facility, perhaps at a higher level of organization within a jurisdiction. EOCs may be organized by major functional disciplines (e.g., fire, law enforcement, and medical services), by jurisdiction (e.g., Federal, State, regional ,county, city, tribal), or some combination thereof. EOC EOC EOC EOC IC IC IC IC IC IC IC IC *Function not included in current EOC structure.

Steps to Establish Relationships Strategically partner with all emergency stakeholders Think regionally, act locally Federal, state, local, NGO inclusiveness Engaged partnership philosophy Collaboration is the key Build a ‘culture of preparedness’ Strengthen all relationships/partnerships Memorandums of understanding The integrated planning concept is not new, but the group of participants in the planning process needs to be expanded to include private sector resources that address the functional needs of special needs populations on a day-to-day basis. Because persons with varying conditions and diagnoses can be served by similar resources, it will be important that agencies that might not have worked together are brought together to address emergency-based functional needs. This expanded planning effort needs to be led at the local level by County Emergency Management Agencies, Local Emergency Planning Commissions and other entities that have the responsibility for coordinating emergency planning, exercising and training.

Benefits of the Team Approach The Emergency Operations Plan (EOP) is more likely to be used and followed if the tasked organizations have a sense of ownership and their views were considered and incorporated More knowledge and expertise are brought to bear on the planning effort Closer professional relationships among response and recovery organizations in the planning process should translate into better coordination and teamwork in emergencies

Benefits of Collaboration Strengthening the overall response to the disaster Elimination of duplication of services Expanding resource availability Enhancing problem solving through cross-pollination of ideas

EOC Disaster Message Flow ICS CMD FIRE OPNS POLICE PLNG EMS LOG HOSP 9-1-1 "Incident Site" PUBLIC RELATIONS STATE EOC MEDIA CENTER EOC ICS CMD OPNS PLNG LOG FIN FIRE PIO FIRE STATION POLICE EMS HOSP ADJACENT COUNTY PIO

Recent Disaster Declarations 03/03/07 Severe Storms and Tornadoes   08/29/05 Hurricane Katrina     07/10/05 Hurricane Dennis 09/15/04 Hurricane Ivan 05/12/03 Severe Storms, Tornadoes and Flooding 11/14/02 Severe Storms and Tornadoes     10/09/02 Tropical Storm Isidore 12/07/01 03/05/01 Severe Storms & Flooding 12/18/00 Tornadoes 03/17/00 Severe Storms And Flooding 02/18/00 Winter Storm 1444 110802 Van Wert tornado 1453 030503 Ice Storm 1478 071303 Flooding 1484 080103 Blackout 1507 012604 Flooding 1519 060304 Flooding 1556 091904 Flooding EM 3138 Snow/Ice/Flooding

Key Issues Build appropriate relationships BEFORE the disaster…include non-traditional partners Planning Effort Process builds relationships Invite ALL appropriate partners Training Exercising After Action Reviews/Corrective Action Plans Revise the Plan Continue the Cycle Know the plan; Know your role

Questions?

Contact Information Walt Dickerson 251-460-8000 wdickerson@mcema.net