Explain the difference between incident command and unified command.
Part A EDMG 320 450 words
Scenario 1
The National Weather Service has issued a severe thunderstorm watch for the following areas: Carol County,
Bobsville, and surrounding areas until 2100. “Atmospheric Conditions are favorable for the development of severe thunderstorms (i.e. producing hail at least 1″ in diameter and/or 50 knots (58 MPH) or greater wind speeds.” “Please prepare for the storms and any subsequent watches or warnings that will be issued.”
1.
What do you do? (Role Specific)
2.
What role did you play?
3.
What actions did you initiate (provide a minimum of 3)?
4.
Were there any obstacles presented?
5.
What was the outcome of your actions?
6.
How does this contribute to the overall preparedness/response effort?
Please review the YouTube video on
a severe thunderstorm warning
.
Examples Below of Assignment A
1.
What role did you play? Emergency Manager
2.
What do you do? I would activate the COOP. this way we have the leaders of different divisions of the city and county in one place to discuss what we need to do and potentially activate the Emergency Operations Plans for the cities and the county.
3.
What actions did you initiate (provide a minimum of 3)? First, I would make notifications to the heads of all municipal and county departments to advise them of what is happening.
Secondly, I would suggest cease all non-emergency operations. I would advise that schools should be ready for an early dismissal should it come to that; I would advise the mayor and county manager that all non-essential city and county employees should be prepared to leave work early if the watch is upgraded. I would contact all first responder agencies to prepare for the possible severe weather, just in case. I would contact the utility companies as well, to make sure they were prepared for the worst.
Thirdly, I would establish the shelters and get them opened and ready to receive city and county residents who have no place safe to go to. I would also ensure the watch has been issued and is being announced via radio and tv, like it should be.
4.
Were there any obstacles presented? As far as a Thunderstorm watch is concerned, I do not see any potential issues at this point. We are waiting to see what develops out of the Watch or if it is upgraded.
5.
What was the outcome of your actions? The outcome is that the city and county departments are aware of the thunderstorm watch and are ready to cease all nonemergent operations and allow all non-essential personnel to leave if the watch is upgraded, since they are ready for that scenario.
6.
How does this contribute to the overall preparedness/response effort? This would contribute to the preparedness/response effort because each department in the cities and county would already be in the prepared mode. So, those at work or at home would already be anticipating an upgraded to a warning or possible emergency, therefore, helping in the response area, because they have already activated their EOPs and are ready.
Other Examples below
Exercise-Exercise-Exercise
There is information that we do not have about Bobsville that it important to the scenario, so for the response to the prompt, I will make the following assumptions:
1. The city has no public storm shelter.
2. The city has storm sirens.
3. The city falls in line with the 2013 Oklahoma average of 20% of homes having storm shelters.
4. School is in session, since tornado season runs April-June.
5. The event occurs during tornado season in the late afternoon, as this is when severe thunderstorms are most likely to develop.
For the first simulation, I am going to fulfil the role of Mayor. I think that I would make a good mayor/groundskeeper/dry cleaner.
The first action that I would take once the severe thunderstorm warning has been issued would be to ensure that the warning has been broadcast on both the local radio station and WBOB and is repeated frequently, along with a review of severe weather response information like shelter locations, preparation of emergency supplies such as food, water, flashlights, and radios. The broadcast would also come with a recommendation to private businesses to close and citizens to minimize non-essential travel.
The second action would be to prepare government buildings, vehicles, and personnel for the weather. Personnel such as deputies on patrol, government maintenance workers, etc. would be recalled to their perspective offices, and government buildings that are still open would be instructed to prepare for the hail and high winds by doing things such as closing any storm shutters, moving vehicles to a sheltered spot if possible, ensuring the animals at the local shelter have been moved indoors. Etc. In addition, first responders, including volunteers, would be put on alert.
The third action that I would take would be to order the closure of schools and any government buildings that are not essential first responders and giving employees the opportunity to get home safely and to prepare their own property.
Each action has some obstacles that may hinder activities or limit their effectiveness. In the first action, WBOB is an ABC affiliated news source, so I would have limited influence in what information got put out on the television. Recalling personnel may leave certain projects unfinished and susceptible to additional damage from the storm, and preparing the buildings and vehicles may be dangerous if the severe weather hits while they are doing so. There would also be obstacles with the closing of the schools, although most of the students should already be released, some parents count on their kids attending afterschool programs and may be unable to leave work in order to pick up their children.
I believe that my actions would result in minimizing the exposure of people and government property to severe weather and reducing the risk of damage and injury. I feel that all of these steps are necessary for the overall preparedness of the city to the severe weather that was forecasted as well as the potential development of more dangerous conditions. Protecting personnel, buildings, and vehicles is important because these are going to be essential to any future response plan. Minimizing the damage to these is also important for the reducing the cost of damages that the city will have to pay on an already tight budget. Early closure of government entities and the strong encouragement of minimum civilian movement would be important because severe weather striking during high traffic or movement times increases the risk of damage or injury to people and property. Minimizing the traffic on the roads before the weather gets too bad will also help ensure that first responders are able to effectively respond to any calls that occur during the weather.
Example
Emergency: Severe Thunderstorm watch until 2100/hail at least 1″ in diameter/winds speeds of at least 58mph
Role: Bobsville’s Mayor’
Actions:
1. I would suspend all city related activities until 2100. This includes all school, city, and college related sports and social meetings/gatherings.
2. I would contact the other members of the city council so we can hold an emergency meeting to gather and prepare resources. I would tell them to start contacting their personnel and resources. On way to meeting, the emergency manager can begin contacting their resources/personnel including power company, and Disaster County so resources can be staged in preparation. The fire chief can begin contacting the volunteer firefighters and the hospital. The sheriff can bring in all six deputies.
3. I would speak with the city’s Public Information Officer and prepare a statement for the city urging all residents to remain indoors until after 2100. This announcement would be made via different media outlets.
Obstacles: There are always going to be obstacles when dealing with emergencies. Some of the obstacles I could face is the lack of availability from emergency response personnel and city council members themselves. Another possible obstacle, but unlikely, is schools or college refusing to cancel any scheduled activities. A third obstacle would be residents or visitors refusing to remain indoors and jeopardize their safety and the safety of first responders by running unnecessary errands.
Outcome of actions: Emergency meeting with City Council held and resources staged. Due to the cancellation of evening activities and public announcements, there is a limited number of citizens out in public. This should dramatically reduce the number of potential injuries.
Overall preparedness/response: With resources being staged, the response to individual emergencies will be that much quicker. With limited number of people out and about, the response would be focused on property damage/utility damage versus personal injuries.
PART B 300 WORDS
1. Explain the difference between incident command and unified command.
2. Research the internet and find an article, video or webpage detailing an emergency incident that used a unified command.
3. Post the link to the article, video or webpage.
4. Was the command structure effective for this incident? If yes, describe why. If no, what could have been done better?
