Emergency Operations Centers (EOC)

Question 1

What are Emergency Operations Centers (EOCs)?

Answer 1

While ICS is used to manage on-scene, tactical-level response, Emergency Operations Centers (EOCs) are off-site locations where staff from multiple agencies come together to:

• Address imminent threats and hazards.
• Provide coordinated support to incident command, on-scene personnel, and/or other EOCs.

Question 2

What are the primary functions of Emergency Operations Centers?

Answer 2

• Collecting, analyzing, and sharing information.
• Supporting resource needs and requests, including allocation and tracking.
• Coordinating plans and determining current and future needs.

Question 3

What are the three common ways of organizing EOCs according to NIMS?

Answer 3

• ICS or ICS-like structure.
• Incident Support Model structure.
• Department structure.

Question 4

Organization of EOC staff can vary based on what?

Answer 4

• Jurisdictional/organization authorities.
• Staffing.
• Partner and stakeholder agencies represented.
• EOC facilities.
• EOC communications capabilities.
• Political considerations.
• The mission.

Question 5

EOCs do not use the NIMS management characteristic Modular Organization. True or False?

Answer 5

False

Question 6

What are some circumstances that might trigger Emergency Operations Centers (EOCs)?

Answer 6

• Multiple jurisdictions or agencies involved in the incident.
• The Incident Commander or Unified Command indicates an incident could expand rapidly, involve cascading effects, or require additional resources.
• A similar incident in the past led to EOC activation.
• The EOC Director or an appointed or elected official directs EOC activation.
• An incident is imminent such as predicted hurricane, flooding, hazardous weather, or elevated threat levels.
• Threshold events described in the emergency operations plan occur.
• Significant impacts to the population are anticipated.

Question 7

Emergency Operations Centers frequently have multiple activation levels to allow for what?

Answer 7

• Response scaled to the incident.
• Delivery of the exact resources needed
• A level of coordination appropriate to the incident.

Question 8

What are the three levels of activation?

Answer 8

3. Normal operations / steady state.
   
   • Activities normal for the EOC when no incident or hazard has been identified.
   • Routine watch and warning activities if the EOC normally houses this function
4. Enhanced steady-state / partial activation. Certain EOC team members/organizations are activated to monitor a credible threat, risk, or hazard and/or to support the response to a major incident or credible threat.
5. Full activation. EOC team is activated, including personnel from all assisting agencies, to support the response to a major incident or credible threat.