FEMA defines the Emergency Operations Center (EOC) as, "a physical or virtual location from which leaders of a jurisdiction or organization coordinate information and resources to support incident management activities (on-scene operations)."
The EOC supports the following incident management functions.
An EOC is not an on-scene incident command post (ICP) - where the focus is on tactics to deal with the immediate situation. An EOC is used to support on-scene activities through the prioritization of activities and the allocation of available resources.
Since Yavapai County does not have a full-time dedicated Emergency Operations Center, we oftentimes utilize a virtual EOC. This also allows for better collaboration when the response area for Yavapai County is 8,127 square miles. Our EOC is arranged according to NIMS/Incident Command System (ICS) standards into Management, Operations, Planning, Logistics, and Finance & Administration sections.
Our functions include: managing logistics for sheltering operations during evacuations for humans, domestic, and barn animals; coordinating with the emergency call center; oversight of the joint information center; coordinating public facing information in mapping applications with Yavapai County GIS department, coordinating resource requests for local, county, and state assets; assessing the emergency at hand and delivering a recommendation to the Chairman of the Board of Supervisors for a declaration.
The EOC will always be activate at the lowest practical level for the incident.
EOC Activation Levels:
Level III activation is considered Normal Conditions and day-to-day operations. In this stage, the EOC will monitor and assess any activities occurring throughout the County. During Level III activation, little to no inter-agency direction or coordination is necessary as the event simply requires observation, verification of action taken, and follow-up by staff if necessary. Incidents or events that occur during Level III activation can generally be resolved quickly with limited resources.
Level II partial activation is a limited agency activation primarily focused on activating staff and Emergency Support Function lead agencies with a direct role in the incident response. These personnel are required to report to the EOC virtually, while all other ESFs are alerted and put on standby.
The Level II activation status is usually activated in response to a significant threat of a disaster or to coordinate the response to a minor disaster, during which the EOC is in operations. The EOC Command Staff disseminates information, coordinates response actions with external agencies, local partners and response agencies.
During a Level II activation, the primary sections will be staffed with OEM staff. They will develop an Incident Support Plan (ISP) and maintain Situation Reports as necessary.
During a full-scale activation, the Emergency Operations Center (EOC) is activated around the clock due to an imminent threat or disaster. All staff, as well as all Emergency Support Functions (ESFs), are activated and required to report to the EOC. Moreover, Local Partner Representatives are placed into position in the EOC.
The Incident Command System (ICS) is deployed, and all sections and branches are activated. As in Level II activation, the Incident Support Plan (ISP) is used to establish operational objectives and priorities of the incident. In addition, all logistical support elements are activated.
Response, relief, and recovery operations during a full-scale activation are expected to last for an extended period, sometimes days or weeks.
At this level, additional support or back-up staff, will include mutual-aid requests from surrounding counties and the Department of Emergency and Military Affairs is highly likely.
The following overarching operational priorities govern resource allocation and response strategy for the county during an emergency or disaster: