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How
do responders prepare for ICS/UC implementation?
The key to successful implementation
of an ICS/UC is planning and exercising at the regional
and area levels. Practice using an ICS/UC prior to an
incident will help responders understand their roles and
responsibilities and prepared them to work together in
the ICS. According to the National Contingency Plan (NCP),
the area contingency planning process, which brings together
appropriate representatives from local, state, and federal
agencies to enhance contingency planning, is the forum
for working out the details of how the ICS will be applied
in each area. When responders understand each other’s
roles and responsibilities and have a plan for working
together, they are more likely to be able to reach consensus
on response strategies and tactics. The On-Scene Coordinator
(OSC) and the Area Committee are responsible for developing,
adopting, and implementing a response management system,
such as ICS/UC, through the Area Contingency Plan (ACP).
Use of a National Interagency Incident Management System
(NIIMS)-based ICS/UC as the model for response management
in the ACP can be helpful in ensuring an effective response.
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| Four
Keys to Successful Implementation |
| To be most effective,
there are four keys to implementing an ICS with
a UC: |
Learn.
The National Response Team (NRT) encourages all
responders to learn ICS/UC. The better it is understood,
and the more familiar it is, the easier it will
be to form a common structure when demanded by an
incident.
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| Plan.
How the ICS/UC will be implemented in varying
situations should be decided well in advance of
an incident. The ACP process should be used to identify
roles and responsibilities of the various participants
during different response scenarios. |
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| Start
early. As soon as two organizations are determined
to have responsibility for, or in, a response, an
ICS/UC should be implemented. |
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Practice. Periodic training
and drills are crucial to providing training and
role-playing opportunities. To maintain proficiency,
using ICS on smaller spills and non-spill events
should be considered. Planners and responders at
all levels need to understand the authorities and
resources each response organization brings to a
specific incident. When plans and procedures are
understood, agencies can support each other effectively.
However, each response results in new lessons learned,
which necessitates continuing refinement of the
procedures and processes, development of better
methods, and meshing of agency needs and actions.
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Memoranda
of Agreement (MOA): Effective Planning Tools
to Implement a Successful ICS/UC
Using a unique approach to ensure
coordination and cooperation at the scene
of an incident, the State of Wisconsin Department
of Natural Resources (DNR) established an
MOA with EPA Region V and the USCG 9th District
for emergency response to discharges of oil
and releases of hazardous substances occurring
within their jurisdictions. The MOA acknowledges
the respective authorities of local, state,
and federal responders and stresses the importance
of including local authorities in the UC.
The MOA also advocates that roles and responsibilities
of all involved parties be clearly defined
well in advance of an incident by using the
area, state, and regional contingency planning
processes. |
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| Scenario-Based
Planning and Exercises |
 Because
most responses that require an ICS with a UC will be multi-agency
and may be multi-jurisdictional, all participating organizations
must understand the complexities of coordination. The
question is not "Who is in charge?" but "How
can all responders work together for the best results?"
The goal of an ICS is to enhance response efficiency by
eliminating duplication of effort and lessening response
time and consequently response costs. The best way to
reduce confusion and conflict is to anticipate problems
and develop possible solutions. This requires scenario-based
planning and exercises with constant communications and
coordination among all participants, working together
as a team. The following is a list of elements that should
be in place and documented in relevant plans well before
an incident occurs for an ICS/UC to be effective:
- The structure must be formalized and accepted by
all parties concerned;
- Specific ICS functions and responsibilities must
be well defined;
- Individuals must be designated for each function
and the reporting mechanisms defined and accepted.
However, it is important to note that the scope and
complexity of the incident will determine the extent
of the organizational positions actually staffed;
- Establish a methodology for developing an Incident
Action Plan (IAP) and Site Safety Plan;
- The participating organizations must make a committed
effort to respond as a team;
- Contingency plans (including ACP's, facility and
vessel response plans, and local emergency response
plans) must address training and ensure familiarity
with an ICS/UC;
- Relationships and interactions with entities outside
the ICS but relevant to the NRS (such as RRT, natural resource trustees)
must be defined.
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| Organizational
Components |
Each ACP should fully address
and describe key organizational components of the
NRS, such as the role of the RRT. Under OPA, the
Area Committees are required to include local and
state governments in the planning process and are
encouraged to invite the private sector to participate.
Because key participants differ from area to area,
however, Area Committees must have flexibility
to adapt the ICS/UC to be effective in each specific
area.
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The following items should be considered when developing
ACP's particularly when considering the implementation
of ICS:
- Jurisdictional responsibilities;
- Roles of all levels of government in the UC (such
as local, state, and federal);
- Existing local, state, and federal laws, regulations,
policies, and procedures;
- Financial agreements;
- Information dissemination;
- Communications;
- Training and exercising;
- Logistics;
- Potentially responsible parties;
- Response organization;
- NRS organizational components; and
- Lessons learned.
The ICS as described in the
ACP should be sufficient to assist the OSC in directing,
monitoring, and coordinating response efforts. Assuming
that a significant discharge will tax and possibly overwhelm
EPA, USCG, or other federal agency personnel in the region(s)
in which the incident occurs, the ACP should plan to fully
integrate other response resources into the ICS. In addition,
the ACP should include a specialized "ICS expansion
plan" that covers drastic changes in the size and/or
scope of the response effort.
Related Information: |
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