10.0 ACTIVATING THE NEOC

In activating the NEOC, the NDC in effect has called for the transformation of pre-determined facilities in the NEOC. This could mean the changing of existing offices, halls, lounges, etc. into Executive, Operations, Communications, Public Information, Rest and Security areas.

Boxes of emergency food, office supplies, additional telephones, logs, status boards, and other material and equipment necessary for the NEOC should be readily accessible. Individual action lists in the disaster plan will outline specific responses to NEOC personnel.

a. During duty hours

Upon receipt of a severe weather warning or notification of the actual occurrence of an emergency/disaster during normal working hours, which requires centralized coordination of response and relief operations, the NDC will initiate notification and "call-up" procedures using a "fan-out" method and alert lists. Appropriate agencies will send representatives to the operations room.

b. Non duty hours

In the event that a warning or notification of an emergency/disaster is received during non-duty hours, the incoming notification will be automatically switched to the home phone or pager of the NDC or his/her deputy. The duty officer will immediately notify the NDC. If the NDC cannot be immediately contacted, his/her deputy will take the necessary actions to activate the NEOC.

c. Twenty four hour operations

When the disaster situation requires the NEOC to operate on a 24-hour basis, as soon as possible after activation, a minimum of two 12-hour shift schedules should be prepared by each NEOC section and posted on the bulletin board. Relief shifts should arrive 30 min. early so that briefings can be conducted on what has occurred, what decisions have been reached, and what problems remain. Timings should be as follows:

• shift 1 ... : ... to ... : ... hrs
• shift 2 ... : ... to ... : ... hrs

The day shift (shift 1) will be under the direction of the Operations officer, while the night shift (shift 2) will be under the direction of the NDC.

11.0 SECURITY AND SIGN-IN

Depending on the nature of the emergency/disaster, the NDC may decide to establish special security for the NEOC, in which case the police would be responsible for the physical security of the NEOC and its critical systems. In such an event, the police shall establish an NEOC roster and sign in sheet as conditions require or at the request of the NDC.

12.0 MESSAGE CONTROL
a. Incoming messages
(1) Radio messages

All emergency radio messages received in the NCCC will be delivered by messenger to the message controller for his routing. The message form described in the EMERGENCY TELECOMMUNICATIONS PROCEDURES MANUAL will be used for recording radio messages.

The Emergency Coordinator (message controller), under supervision of the Operations officer, will take the following actions upon receipt of an emergency message:

• Enter a message number at the top of the form. The message number should begin with a two letter agency identifier and then a number. Incoming messages should be numbered consecutively. Examples:

DC-1 First message received by NDC
CO-3 Third message received by the communications officer.
Section identifiers could be as follows:
DC NDC
CO Communications officer
OO Operations officer
PF Police Force
WA Water authority
Assign a priority number from 1 (highest) to 4 (lowest) as follows:

Priority 1 Lives endangered immediate response required
Priority 2 Lives endangered fast response required
Priority 3 Timely operational response required
Priority 4 Routine data and logistics messages

• Review the nature of the message and assign the problem for action to the appropriate agency representative in the operations room. Since many emergency actions or problems do not fall within the area of responsibility of a single agency, the message controller has flexibility in assigning responsibility and can, to some degree, balance the work load among the agencies.

• Log the message in the NEOC journal incoming message log indicating which agency is assigned the message for action.

• The agency assigned responsibility for the message will take the required action, indicating on the bottom half of the message form the action taken and time taken, and return a copy to the message controller.

• The message controller will see that a summary of the message and actions taken are posted on the status or action board, as appropriate and follow up until the problem is solved or until no further action is necessary.

• After posting, the message controller will ensure that the journal clerk files the message for use in compiling the after action report and for historical purposes.

• Carbon copies of messages may be made in cases where multiple agency action is frequently required, in order to avoid excessive photocopying.

(2) Telephone messages

Telephone messages may be received by a number of people in the NEOC. The person receiving the message will record the message on the message form. The message will then be delivered to the message controller. The message controller will handle the message in the same manner as a radio message.

b. Outgoing messages
The drafter of an outgoing message will write the message in the upper half of the message form , assign a priority at the top of the form and deliver a copy to the message controller.

The message controller will review the contents, assign a priority, and determine the best means to transmit the message, after which he/she will pass it to the journal clerk for logging on the outgoing message log.


Due to the urgency of the situation, agency representatives may transmit disaster information directly by telephone either to their headquarters or operating units in the field. In such cases, agency representatives should capsulize the essence of the message when time permits and provide the message controller with a copy for posting and filing. The journal clerk will maintain the message file.

13.0 DAMAGE ASSESSMENT

Damage assessments will be coordinated by the NEOC Evaluation and Information Sub-Committee/Damage Assessment. This is a vital area of disaster coordination as there will be tendencies for some assessors to underestimate, and for others to overestimate damage and needs. As such, assessments from as wide a range of assessors as possible is usually desirable.

14.0 SITUATION REPORTS (SITREPS)

A standardized format for situation reports is desirable in an emergency, and is in most cases attainable, e.g. casualties, physical damage, needs, etc., but a degree of flexibility is always necessary.

The writer of a situation report requires:

• The ability to carry in his mind a comprehensive and accurate picture of the situation.

• The ability to distinguish between, and concentrate upon the important facts, however small they may be, and the trivial, however large they may be.

• The ability to write clearly and concisely.

15.0 DISPLAYS

Because the disaster operation center's major purpose is accumulating and sharing information to ensure coordinated and timely disaster response, display devices must be maintained so that agencies can quickly comprehend what actions have been taken and what resources are available.

Display needs will vary with the nature and scope of the disaster, but the following charts are the core of the NEOC display system whenever the facility is activated.

a. Problem Log

All major problems should be entered on the Log as they are received. The log is a large plastic covered or white board with pre-assigned columns for problem #, nature of problem, response agency, response and remarks. This log is maintained by the journal clerk.

b. Event Logs

All major and significant events resulting from or affecting the disaster in any way should be displayed for all to see. These are maintained by the journal clerk.

c. Damage Assessment Chart

This chart contains columns for the city, towns and villages reported damage, time of report and extent of reported damage. This chart is maintained by the plotter.

d. City/Town/Village/Rural Map

The following information is particularly important to all agencies in the NEOC and should be posted immediately:

• Transportation routes closed or impeded
• Areas of major damage
• Locations of medical treatment and shelter facilities open.
• Expected inundation areas (flood emergencies)
• Limits of evacuation areas, control points and evacuation routes.

This map is maintained by the plotter

e. Weather Map
This map should show current forecasts and wind patterns as well as used for plotting fallout in appropriate cases. This map is maintained by the plotter.

f. Planning Map
This is a duplicate of the master ops maps kept in ops room.

g. Briefing Maps
These are large and small scale maps for briefing or specific purposes.

h. Medical Facilities Chart
This chart must show current information on the status of permanent and temporary medical facilities, including locations, beds available, blood and other critical supply needs, manpower requirements and communications links. It is particularly important to note locations of temporary medical facilities so that the public information officer and other NEOC elements can instruct the public. This chart is maintained by the rep from the Ministry of Health.

i. Shelter Facility Chart
This chart includes information on shelter locations, spaces still available and communications links. It is maintained by the shelter representative.

j. Law Enforcement Resources Chart
This chart provides information on numbers, status and locations of full time, reserve and auxiliary manpower. It is maintained by the Police rep in the ops room.

k. Fire Resources Chart
This chart displays current deployment and availability of fire. It is maintained by the Fire representative in the ops room.

l. Transportation Resources Chart
This chart displays the current status and availability of all public and private transportation. It is maintained by the Administrative and support department.

m. Other Displays
These may include:

• Evacuation route maps for crisis relocation
• Utility system maps
• Blackout block assignments
• Fault line, soil, and landslide potential maps
• Maps of predicted inundation in tsunami areas and below dams
• Flood plain maps
• Locations of hazardous materials and storage sites
• List of town organizations, their location and status
• Personnel location board (for key people)
• Officers duty roster
• Courier service schedule
• Communications diagram
• Comms status board
• Radio diagrams for each network
• Key resource location board
• Reception center control board
• Chart of NEOC layout showing rest area
• Location of electronic news media transmitters, reporters and coverage areas
• Overlays of maps to show:
• Impact zones
• Site layout
• Plumes, effects of dangerous gases
• Flood lines based on empirical data
• Any other special requirements (nuclear weapons effects etc.)
• Air photos
• EIS resource displays

16.0 BRIEFINGS AND CONFERENCES

Briefings for the NDC, the Local Committees and the Public Information officer should be scheduled at six-hour intervals. The NDC will post a briefing schedule on the bulletin board. NEOC section heads should be prepared to participate in these briefings with a three minute summary of their section's progress. The briefings by each section will include:

• Unresolved problems
• Major new problems during previous six hours
• Assistance needed from other agencies or outside organizations.
• Information developed by the section that should be passed to other NEOC sections or to the public.

Additional briefings may be organized at the request of the NDC. These may include VIP, news media briefings, and situation reviews for newly arrived agency representatives.

Conferences of key NEOC personnel may be convened at any time by the NDC to discuss and resolve major issues. These conferences will be held in the conference room.

The NDC is responsible for ensuring that any decisions reached at conferences are quickly relayed to all NEOC personnel.

17.0 REPORTS

a. NEOC Reporting

The Ops officer is responsible for ensuring that all required reports are forwarded to the back-up EOC on time. He/she is also responsible for preparing and sending any special reports on damages, threats or assistance needed.

The PIEO is responsible for informing all NEOC sections of special information needed by personnel in the field in order to respond to citizens inquiries. Locations and services offered at temporary medical, feeding, or shelter facilities in particular, should be rapidly disseminated to all disaster workers in the field.

b. After Action Reports

An after action report must be completed on deactivation of the NEOC, which signals the official end of the response. This report will be used in a debrief of the operations, which is vital for learning lessons, good and bad, which are meant to continuously improve disaster response.

18.0 OTHER TOPICS

a. Stress management
Some people will find responding to disasters quite stressful. Others will find it extremely stressful. Often, members of the NEOC work 20-30 hr shifts without adequate rest. In the event of a major disaster, it is recommended that a counselor be made available to conduct a stress debriefing. This debriefing must be incorporated in the plan, to allow for an open discussion of the feelings, frustrations and anxieties experienced by crisis personnel. Failure to do this can result in a form of aftershock, with stress and depression presenting themselves shortly after the crisis.

It is vitally important that everyone, including the NDC, gets adequate rest and relief. Therefore all agencies and/or committees will be responsible for ensuring that a proper relief system exists within their respective agencies while operating in the NEOC.

The operations, logistics and assistant operations officers should have adequate reliefs to enable the NEOC to continue running effectively throughout each 24 hr period.

(NO PERSON SHOULD WORK ANY LONGER THAN 12 HOURS)

b. Managing Public Information

Below are some useful guidelines for managing public information:

• Hold the first news conference as soon as possible after the event
• Set media guidelines regarding accessibility to information, length of question periods, conference/briefings, site tours, etc.
• Ensure good communications with frequent updates on the bulletin board or white board.
• Ensure a messenger is available to assist the media where possible.
• Media pooling is the practice of selecting a small number of media personnel from different media houses to represent print and electronic news personnel on the disaster site. A good practice is to have the media select (from their own ranks) one print journalist, one stills photographer, one video camera man and one audio technician. Media pooling is used when access to the disaster site is limited. Otherwise the media will expect full access to the site.
• Ensure monitoring of print and electronic coverage for rumour control and awareness. This can either be done by contracting monitoring to an outside company, or by installing in-house electronic equipment and monitoring personnel.
• Ensure expert spokespersons are available for credibility
• Ensure bilingual capabilities, as appropriate. Certain circumstances may warrant professional translation services.
c. Rumour Control

One of the necessary items to consider in preparing for an emergency/disaster is rumour and information. Monitoring of both the news media and incoming public calls will enable awareness of rumours and innuendoes, which could both have negative consequences for public safety and should be corrected promptly.

d. Disaster Management vs. Programmed Management

Some essential differences between disaster and programmed (normal) management are outlined below. It is important that disaster managers are aware of these differences, to mitigate adverse responses to stress and fatigue.

PROGRAMMED DISASTER
• Peacetime • Combat zone
• Scope of authority & legal base • Scope of authority & legal base defined often in question
• Paid workers • Volunteers
• Resources largely in house • Resources often not in house & MOUs needed
• Deal with problems at onset • Often inherent job after first response
• Resources largely known • Resources often unknown
• Predictable nature • Highly emergent nature
• Life directing "get around • Life threatening & time to it "dependent
• 8-hour day • 12-hour shift
• Physically easy • Physically demanding
• Long term goals • Short term goals
• Known staff • New staff
• May or may not have high public visibility • High public visibility & public visibility or pressure for results
• Known turf • New country
• Decision making centralized • Decision making decentralized
• Traditional, approved leaders, managers, organizationally • No traditional or approved leaders, managers
e. Common Mistakes in NEOC Management

Below are some common mistakes and weaknesses experienced by disaster managers over time. Awareness of these failings may help to prevent them in future. They are:

• Lack of a viable disaster plan
• Lack of knowledge of the availability of disaster resources by disaster personnel
• Lack of visible leadership
• Making incorrect decisions that lead to deterioration of the situation.
• Trying to obtain too much information whilst not establishing control of the information flow
• Focusing on the insignificant
• Unknown NEOC staff
• Physical fatigue and "burnout"
• Information void
• Lack of flexibility
• Unpreparedness for likely litigation to follow
• Not avoiding unknowns
• Negative dealings with the media
• Inability to keep "people statistics"
• Not remembering who we are working for
• Post disaster letdown
• Doing a half hearted job.