Overview: Most organizations have developed some type of Emergency Operations Plan (EOP), hazard or functional specific annexes and reference the use of the Incident Command System for managing events in order to be NIMS compliant.   This planning workshop specifically focuses on taking a limited number of events listed on your local Hazard Vulnerability Analysis (HVA) and using a facilitated discussion tabletop exercise format, develop a series of initial Incident Action Plans (IAP) for these selected events.  The resulting products may be retained in a library of tools accessible to incident commanders to refer to when faced with similar events.  This war-gaming planning workshop will streamline the critical decision making processes needed early in the incident management stage of future like-events.

The initial IAP is a written plan that defines the incident objectives and reflects the tactics and resources necessary to manage an incident during the first defined operational period. Depending on the HVA event selected, this first operational period may be from 1- 3 hours in length.  Taking the time to pre-plan this initial IAP will better enable participants to anticipate predictable challenges with each event and develop mitigation strategies to address key life safety and incident stabilization objectives.

By practicing IAP development for high probability or consequence events, supervisory staff or those who will form the first incident management team will be in a better position to initiate incident management in the early chaotic stages of many events.  Failure to organize the response early on leads to predictable problems down the road.  The product of this process, a well-conceived, complete IAP facilitates successful incident operations and provides a basis for evaluating performance in achieving incident objectives in exercises or real events.

Unlike planning which takes place in writing the EOP or specific annexes, the initial IAP identifies incident objectives and provides essential information regarding incident organization, resource allocation, work assignments, safety, and weather taking into account the variables at the time of the incident.  The IAP is developed through the incident action planning process that is operational at its core; it is not primarily an assessment tool, feedback mechanism, or report. Participants will learn which forms are key in the early stages of incident management and gain an appreciation for early establishment of the Planning Section as incident complexity grows.

The end result will be tools that:

  • Improve personnel safety and scene management
  • Are useful for training
  • May be used as foundation for Emergency Operations Plan revisions
  • Can be used to build exercises

Target Audience:  Public and private industry and organizations, Emergency Management, Emergency Medical Services, Fire Service, Governmental Administrative, Hazardous Materials, Healthcare, Law Enforcement, Public Health, Public Safety Communications, Public Works.

Duration: The one day workshop will cover 4-6 threats/hazards/activities in the client’s HVA

 

For more details about the planning seminar or scheduling opportunities, please email abetteremergency@gmail.com.