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FIRST RESPONDERS…COMMAND AND CONTROL
When disaster strikes our first response must be to save lives and property. Our success is directly related to what we have done prior to the emergency to develop organized and trained teams for an effective first response and continued operational control. The ultimate goal is to recover and continue as individuals and as business or governmental entities. Emergency Response Teams (ERTs) are your "First Responders". "Command and Control" ultimately rests with your Emergency Operations Center Team. Essential functions for both are: • Activate your Emergency Organization "First Responder" and "Command and Control" functions are based on the concept of the Incident Command System (ICS), first created for the fire services in southern California, and now used nation wide. ICS is based on a manageable span of "Command and Control" and the principle that "Command and Control" starts with the "First Responder" to a major incident site and ultimately transfers to an Incident Command Post. Principles of ICS have been adopted for emergency preparedness by many states, local governments, and the private sector. This commonality promotes coordination and under-standing between public and private entities. The first fire unit to arrive at a major fire is the "First Responder". Local government is "First Responder" in a major disaster event. Business and industry need to establish floor or area teams as their "First Responders" to disasters. EMERGENCY RESPONSE TEAMS (ERTs): The mission of your ERTs, as your "First Responders", is to provide life saving actions, mitigate problems where possible, and gather situation and damage information for the EOC Team's "Command and Control" of the event. Emergency Response Teams should be recruited from volunteers, then trained in First Aid/CPR, Light/Urban Search and Rescue, Triage and Casualty Management, Psychological First Aid, "Size Up" (Situation Information), Damage Assessment, Shelter, and Security. Teams also need hands-on skills exercises. An effective "First Response" necessitates development and training of enough teams so each task is addressed in a timely manner. Cross training teams builds a strong organization and helps ensure availability of trained team members. EMERGENCY OPERATIONS CENTERS (EOCs): The EOC is your "Command and Control" site. It can be a well staffed, highly technological operation with sophisticated equipment, or it can be a small staff effort responding with simple tools of operation. It must be sufficiently staffed and equipped to functionally support Incident Command, Operations, Communications, Resources Management, Logistics, and Records, and meet the team's common goal to "Command and Control" the incident. Unlike the ERTs, the EOC Team is assigned from the executive or management level. Like the ERT members, EOC team members should train to their duties prior to the emergency, including "Command and Control", Problem Solving—Table Top Exercises, and Functional Exercises. EOC Team members also benefit by attending ERT training so they understand how their "First Responders" function, and how information they receive at the EOC is gathered. The EOC Team, your "Command and Control", has responsibility to gather internal information from its "First Responders" (ERTs) and to obtain external information from outside resources. The EOC Team then has the awesome responsibility to evaluate this information, determine a Plan of Action for the life safety of their personnel and the continuity of their company or agency, and then "Command and Control" this Plan of Action. When disaster strikes, your ability to survive and recover will be directly related to the effectiveness of your "First Responders" and your "Command and Control" and their ability to carry out an effective Plan of Action. Prepare for it! About the author: |