1. State EOC Operations in Agro Event
John H Campbell
Operations Chief
MO State Emergency Mgt Agency

2. Agenda Definitions Roles of EOCs in response operations
Specific actions in Ag events

3. Definitions Disaster—An event resulting in great loss or misfortune
Response—Actions taken immediately to stabilize an emergency condition
Recovery—Actions taken to restore areas and facilities to their pre-disaster condition
Stafford Act—legislation which authorizes the federal government to provide assistance to state and local governments affected by disasters

4. Definitions
EOC—Emergency Operations Center—a facility that provides an environment for multiple agencies to coordinate effective and efficient use of assigned resources in response and recovery to a disaster.
ESF—Emergency Support Function—A mechanism that consolidates multiple agencies performing similar jobs into a single cohesive unit

5. Definitions
Protective actions—Actions designed to safeguard public health and safety (evacuations, boil-orders)
Precautionary measures—Actions taken in advance of protective actions to reduce potential disaster impacts (facility restrictions, boil-advisories)
SEMA—State Emergency Mgt Agency
FEMA—Federal Emergency Mgt Agency

6. Philosophies of Emergency Mgt
All disasters start and end at local level
Local officials are in charge of response and recovery activities
State, Federal, and non-governmental resources are brought in to support local response when needs from a disaster exceed capability of community to respond/recover

7. Philosophies of Emergency Mgt for Agro Events
Event will likely be detected by local vet, animal owner, meat inspector, etc
Protective action decisions (i.e. quarantine, depopulation, etc) may be made at state or federal level
Local, state, and federal officials operate as a team during recovery phase

8. What is an EOC? Multi-agency coordination center
Central focal point for an organization to execute a coordinated, effective response
Encourages collaboration within/between response disciplines
Multiple, redundant communication systems

9. EOC Missions Maintain situational awareness for policy-makers
Allocate existing resources based on guidance contained in emergency plans and guidance issued by policy-makers
Determine unmet needs; seek assistance on filling unmet needs based on guidance from policy-makers
Provide information to public
Support responders in the field

10. Typical EOC Organization

11. Chief Official Ultimately responsible for response activities
Leads policy group discussions
Executes duties with authority as provided in emergency response plan

12. Policy Group
Group consisting of elected officials, department heads, etc
Provide guidance to responders on priorities and policy
Typical policy decisions might include
Curfews, embargos, etc
Restrictions on usage of facilities (electric, water)
Other issues

13. EOC Coordinator De facto “incident commander” for EOC staff
Communicates and implements decisions made by policy group
Supervises systems to ensure that close contact is maintained with incident sites to develop common operating picture and anticipate potential resource requests
Local Emergency Mgt Director may fill this role in many jurisdictions

14. Operations/Coordination Group
This group consists mostly of representatives from various agencies who help carry out the EOC’s core functions through ESFs
Develop/maintain situational awareness
Develop/maintain status and capabilities of resources in area of expertise
Work with other agencies in developing solutions to resource shortages
Work with Logistics Section to request outside assistance as necessary

15. Operations/Coordination Section

16. Planning
Through Situation Unit, implement systems for acquiring and reporting information specific to the disaster
Information comes from variety of sources to include Ops/Coordination Group, the public, the media, elected officials, etc
Suggest issuing Situation Reports (SITREPs) on periodic basis to communicate critical information
Develop Incident Action Plan

17. Logistics
Generally responsible for ordering outside resources to assist in response
With assistance from Ops/Coordination Group, maintain status of resource deployed
Also responsible for internal supplies for EOC and staff (i.e. food, communications, office supplies, etc)

18. Admin/Finance
Responsible for implementing systems to track time and costs associated with response activities
Can potentially activate a Procurement Unit to assist with acquisition of outside resources

19. Joint Information Center
Provide information on actions the public needs to take to protect themselves from impacts
Provide information on precautionary actions being taken by officials to reduce impacts of disaster
Provide information on the scope of the disaster
Provide information on assistance available from authorities as a result of the disaster
Respond to media queries
Set up phone bank operations to assist with outreach efforts

20. Activation Levels Most jurisdictions have three levels of activation
Minimal—Emergency Management staff only
SEMA, Level-1; FEMA, Level-3
Partial—Staff from selected agencies
SEMA & FEMA both call this Level-2
Full—Staff from all response agencies outlined in the Emergency Operations Plan
SEMA, Level-3; FEMA, Level-1

21. Specific Actions for Ag Event
Dept of Agriculture assumes leadership role
EOC activated to minimal level when Foreign Animal Disease case is suspected; activation escalates if disease is confirmed
Most protective action decisions (i.e. quarantines, depopulation, etc) will originate from state/federal level

22. Summary
EOC Missions—Situation awareness, resources management, public information
Staff for ESFs maintain visibility of issues in their area of expertise, provide info to Planning and Logistics Sections
Ag event may result in different people leading the response, and may result in protective action decisions being made at state/federal level

23. Questions
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