National Engagement for Draft Emergency Operations Center (EOC) Skillsets and User Guide

Attached for your review is a working draft of the National Incident Management System (NIMS) EOC

Skillsets User Guide which accompanies a set of EOC Skillsets The NIMS EOC Skillset User Guide and

skillsets are designed as tools to provide a flexible approach to qualifying EOC personnel They can be

used by EOC leaders at any level of government or within the private sector and nongovernmental

organizations (NGO) The Guidersquos purpose is to explain what EOC Skillsets are and how to use them to

construct EOC Position Task Books (PTB) supporting EOC qualification and certification

FEMA developed the skillsets and guide in collaboration with a range of stakeholders In order to further

expand our engagement efforts we are seeking your ideas and input on this working draft To ensure all

feedback is properly handled please use the submission form available at

httpswwwfemagovnational-incident-management-systemnational-engagement All feedback

should be submitted using the submission form to FEMA-NIMSfemadhsgov by 500 pm EDT on

May 9 2018

We welcome all ideas and comments and are specifically seeking inputs on

- Any areas of the User Guide that are difficult to understand

- The breakdown of the set of skillsets ie whether they should be broken down further or

combined

- Potential additional skillsets

- Potential gaps in EOC Skillset tasks and whether the current Task Codes are appropriate

- Modifications to tasks and behaviors for the EOC Director job titleposition qualification and

position task book

- Any additional EOC tools that would be useful for your organization

-

We look forward to receiving your feedback on this endeavor For further information on NIMS and

National Qualification System (NQS) national engagement visit httpswwwfemagovnational-

qualification-system or send an email to FEMA-NIMSfemadhsgov

Additionally if you would like to be an early adaptor of the EOC skillsets or any upcoming EOC Tools

please let us know

Emergency Operations Center (EOC) Skillsets User Guide FEMA-NIMSfemadhsgov

Contents

Introduction 1

Background 2

How to Use EOC Skillsets 4 Step 1 Determine Your EOC Organizational Structure 4 Step 2 Align EOC Skillsets with Positions to Create EOC Position Task Books 5 Step 3 Use EOC Position Task Books to Qualify Personnel 7

Appendices 8 Appendix 1 EOC Skillsets Template 8 Appendix 2 EOC Skillsets with Major Tasks 10 Appendix 3 Organizational StructureSkillset Alignment Examples 12 Appendix 4 SkillsetsOrganizational Structure Crosswalk 16 Appendix 5 Definitions 17 Appendix 6 Reference List 18

EOC Skillsets User Guide 1

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FEMA-NIMSfemadhsgov Emergency Operations Center (EOC) Skillsets User Guide

1 EOC Skillsets User Guide 2 Introduction

3 Across the United States Emergency Operations Centers (EOC) play a critical role in managing

4 incidents large and small By bringing together representatives from diverse organizations staff

5 in EOCs facilitate the flow of resources and information across organizational lines EOCs vary

6 widelymdashsome support multiple disciplines in a single jurisdiction and some support a single

7 discipline across multiple jurisdictions A ll operate under varying authorities with diverse

8 resources and missions

9 This diversity of EOCs can create challenges when communicating and sharing personnel across

10 EOC organizationsmdashwhich may use different titles for positions performing similar functions or

11 align different responsibilities to similarly titled positions EOC Skillsets provide a flexible

12 approach to EOC qualifications letting you as an EOC Leader build position qualifications

13 according to your organizationrsquos needs and resources As a part of the National Qualification

14 System (NQS) EOC Skillsets support standardized qualifications for EOC personnel while

15 remaining flexible enough to accommodate EOCs of all sizes and kinds You can mix and match

16 skillsets to create the right combination of skills and abilities for your EOC

17 Using these skillsets allows you to build the capabilities and qualifications of EOC personnel

18 expanding the network of qualified EOC personnel who can deploy nationwide The skillsets

19 also help create a national vocabulary so that whenever you need to request additional personnel

20 to support your EOC you can clearly communicate the desired capabilities

21 The ldquoEOC Skillsets User Guiderdquo is for use by any EOC leader at any level of government or

22 within the private sector and nongovernmental organizations (NGO) Its purpose is to explain

23 what EOC Skillsets are and how to use them to construct EOC Position Task Books (PTB)

24 enabling EOC qualification and certification

25 EOC Skillsets are not intended to replace existing qualification systems but to provide m inimum

26 baselines for areas where qualifications do not exist Participating in NQS or using EOC Skillsets

27 is not required for FEMA grant eligibility However the EOC Skillsets help improve the

28 professionalization of EOC personnel and contribute to the resiliency of our Nation

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Emergency Operations Center (EOC) Skillsets User Guide FEMA-NIMSfemadhsgov

29 Background

30 Mutual aid involves sharing resources including personnel between jurisdictions or

31 organizations1 The National Incident Management System (NIMS) describes standard structures

32 and vocabulary to enable personnel to work together no matter where they come from For on-

33 scene personnel these standards include the Incident Command System (ICS) which defines

34 common position titles and responsibilities

35 National Qualification System (NQS)

36 NIMS builds a foundation to support the development of a national qualification systemmdashOr NQS which 37 provides jurisdictions and organizations with guidance to certify their personnel according to national 38 baseline qualifications Through NQS FEMA is developing a common language tool set and approach 39 for qualifying certifying and credentialing deployable incident personnelmdashenabling mutual aid partners to 40 communicate resource needs quickly and precisely

41 For more information on NQS see wwwfemagovnational-qualification-system

42 Flexibility The Need for Skillsets

43 Flexibility is a guiding principle in NIMS meaning that NIMS structures are adaptable to any

44 situation This applies well to EOCs which do not have a common organizational structure

45 equivalent to ICS and vary widely in terms of authorities resources and missions You as an

46 EOC leader are best positioned to understand these variables and determine how to organize

47 your EOC As a result EOC position titles and responsibilities are also quite diverse EOC

48 skillets define tasks associated with common EOC functions giving you building blocks to

49 define qualifications for your EOC personnel no matter what organization structure or position

50 titles you use Additionally EOC Skillsets facilitate mutual aid by establishing common

51 terminology for defining requirements when requesting personnel while remaining flexible enough

52 to accommodate the diversity of EOC organizational structures across the Nation

53 Common EOC Functions

54 Regardless of structure EOC staff typically perform these common functions

55 Collect analyze and share information

56 Support resource needs and requests including allocation and tracking

57 Coordinate plans and determine current and future needs and

58 In some cases provide coordination and policy direction

59 EOC Skillsets describe these functions in terms of discrete responsibilities aligned with

60 demonstrable tasks that leaders can use to build EOC PTBs qualify personnel and define

61 requirements when requesting personnel through mutual aid

1 For additional information on common mutual aid practices terminology and processes see the NIMS Guideline

for Mutual Aid httpswwwfemagovnational-qualification-system

2 NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION PRE-DECISIONAL DRAFT

FEMA-NIMSfemadhsgov Emergency Operations Center (EOC) Skillsets User Guide

62 How Are Skillsets Different from Position Task Books (PTB)

63 Many incident personnel are already familiar with PTBs which define demonstrable tasks for on-scene 64 positions Performing these tasks supports a personrsquos qualification for a position

65 EOC Skillsets are different because unlike on-scene positions which exist within ICS EOCs have no 66 standard organizational structure and no standard to follow in building positions and PTBs EOC leaders 67 can therefore mix and match skillsets to build EOC PTBs that align with the roles and responsibilities of 68 positions in their EOCs

69 Like PTBs skillsets establish minimum performance criteria Unlike PTBs skillsets can be combined in 70 multiple ways to describe a variety of positions This allows EOC leaders to qualify their personnel with 71 the skills or combination of skills necessary to perform the functions of their EOC

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72 How to Use EOC Skillsets

3 As an EOC leader seeking to qualify your personnel you can choose which skillsets and

4 combinations of skillsets to assign to specific positions in your EOC to enable qualification and

5 support effective operations To do this follow the steps outlined in Table 1

Table 1 Steps to Using EOC Skillsets

Using EOC Skillsets Specific Actions

Step 1 Determine Your EOC Organizational Structure

Determine your organizationrsquos EOC structure and processes based on authorities resources and mission

Step 2 Align EOC Skillsets with Positions to Create EOC PTBs

Align EOC Skillsets with the positions in your organizational structure

Determine whether to add tasks to individual skillsets

Add evaluation forms and other documentation to complete the task book

Step 3 Use EOC PTBs to Qualify Personnel

Issue EOC PTBs to personnel and begin the qualification process

Emergency Operations Center (EOC) Skillsets User Guide FEMA-NIMSfemadhsgov

7

7

7

76 At the end of this process you will be able to qualify EOC personnel based on your EOCrsquos

77 unique needs

78 Step 1 Determine Your EOC Organizational Structure

79 EOCs vary in their missions authorities and resources Some have an incident support role

80 others may lead incident management efforts and some change roles according to the type of

81 incident NIMS does not endorse a preferred organizational model for EOCs nor a standard

82 approach to defining EOC positions Organizational requirements and capacity drive the

83 structure of each EOC organization If your EOC already has an established structure there is no

84 need to change it solely to apply the EOC Skillsets just proceed to Step 2

85 Table 2 sho ws some benefits of three kinds of organizational structures described in NIMS Your

86 EOC may use one of these structures a combination of elements from different structures or a

87 structure not listed here These organizational structure examples are not intended to be

88 mandatory definitive or exclusive2 There are advantages to each kind of structure so it is up to

89 you to det ermine the structure that works best for your EOC

90 Each of these structures can be expanded or contracted based on available personnel and the

91 incidentrsquos needs Some EOCs might have multiple people in each section some might have a

92 single person performing multiple functions You should consider both minimum and maximum

93 staffing levels when determining position responsibilities and required skills

4 NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION PRE-DECISIONAL DRAFT

2 For additional information and details on these structures see pages 35-39 116-123 in NIMS

httpswwwfemagovnational-incident-management-system

FEMA-NIMSfemadhsgov Emergency Operations Center (EOC) Skillsets User Guide

Table 2 Sample EOC Organizational Structures

Structure Benefits

ICS or ICS-like Structure The ICS organizational structure is familiar to many with ICS training It most closely aligns with the structure used for on-scene incident management

Incident Support Model Structure

This structure puts the EOC Director in direct contact with those conducting situational awareness and information management It streamlines resource sourcing ordering and tracking

Departmental Structure

By operating in the context of their normal relationships departmentagency representatives can function in the EOC with minimal preparation and startup time

94 Step 2 Align EOC Skillsets with Positions to Create EOC Position Task Books

95 Once you have determined the organizational structure that best fits your EOC reporting

96 structure and functional alignment use the skillsets to build each EOC PTB This process

97 involves three actions

98 Align the EOC Skillsets with your organizational structure

99 Determine whether to add tasks to individual skillsets to reflect the needs of your EOC

100 Add evaluation forms and other documentation to complete the task book

101 Action 1 Align the EOC Skillsets with your organizational structure

102 As an EOC leader you determine the skillsets your personnel need to achieve the EOCrsquos

103 mission Given the diversity of EOCs across the nation many different skillset alignments and

104 combinations are possible Ultimately you decide what you need Table 3 provides an overview

105 of the skillsets and Appendix 2 describes them in greater detail Appendices 3 and 4 provide

106 examples of EOC Skillsets aligned with various organizational structures

107 Tip The inclusion of Common Tasks Leadership Tasks andor the Policy Group skillset(s) will determine 108 where a position falls within your organization structure The inclusion of one or more of the remaining 14 109 skillsets will determine what that position will do

110 As you group skillsets together to build your desired reporting structure and to align staff

111 responsibilities consider the following guidelines

112 Skillsets cross positions Assign the same skillset to multiple positions

113 Positions complete multiple skillsets Assign multiple skillsets to a single position

114 Supervisors receive leadership tasks Assign leadership tasks to all supervisory positions

115 All positions receive common tasks Assign the common tasks to every position except

116 members of the Policy Group As outside representatives tasked with making multiagency

117 decisions members of the Policy Group are not expected to complete tasks beyond those

118 contained in the Policy Group skillset

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FEMA-NIMSfemadhsgov Emergency Operations Center (EOC) Skillsets User Guide

Table 2 Sample EOC Organizational Structures

Structure Benefits

ICS or ICS-like Structure The ICS organizational structure is familiar to many with ICS training It most closely aligns with the structure used for on-scene incident management

Incident Support Model Structure

This structure puts the EOC Director in direct contact with those conducting situational awareness and information management It streamlines resource sourcing ordering and tracking

Departmental Structure

By operating in the context of their normal relationships departmentagency representatives can function in the EOC with minimal preparation and startup time

94 Step 2 Align EOC Skillsets with Positions to Create EOC Position Task Books

95 Once you have determined the organizational structure that best fits your EOC reporting

96 structure and functional alignment use the skillsets to build each EOC PTB This process

97 involves three actions

98 Align the EOC Skillsets with your organizational structure

99 Determine whether to add tasks to individual skillsets to reflect the needs of your EOC

100 Add evaluation forms and other documentation to complete the task book

101 Action 1 Align the EOC Skillsets with your organizational structure

102 As an EOC leader you determine the skillsets your personnel need to achieve the EOCrsquos

103 mission Given the diversity of EOCs across the nation many different skillset alignments and

104 combinations are possible Ultimately you decide what you need Table 3 provides an overview

105 of the skillsets and Appendix 2 describes them in greater detail Appendices 3 and 4 provide

106 examples of EOC Skillsets aligned with various organizational structures

107 Tip The inclusion of Common Tasks Leadership Tasks andor the Policy Group skillset(s) will determine 108 where a position falls within your organization structure The inclusion of one or more of the remaining 14 109 skillsets will determine what that position will do

110 As you group skillsets together to build your desired reporting structure and to align staff

111 responsibilities consider the following guidelines

112 Skillsets cross positions Assign the same skillset to multiple positions

113 Positions complete multiple skillsets Assign multiple skillsets to a single position

114 Supervisors receive leadership tasks Assign leadership tasks to all supervisory positions

115 All positions receive common tasks Assign the common tasks to every position except

116 members of the Policy Group As outside representatives tasked with making multiagency

117 decisions members of the Policy Group are not expected to complete tasks beyond those

118 contained in the Policy Group skillset

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Emergency Operations Center (EOC) Skillsets User Guide FEMA-NIMSfemadhsgov

119 Tip When aligning skillsets with positions consider both personnel rolesresponsibilities and your EOCrsquos 120 standard processes such as resource ordering This can provide a helpful check in your alignment See 121 Appendix 3 fo r examples

122 Table 3 EOC Skillsets

Location

Policy Group

Leadership Tasks

Common Tasks

Function

Understand the Resource Requirement

Source Resources

Acquire Resources Externally

Track Resources

Information Management

Situational Awareness

Recovery Coordination

Planning

Organizational Representative

Finance

EOC Facility Management

Legal

Public Affairs

Performance Improvement

123

124 Action 2 Determine whether to add tasks to individual skillsets

125 EOC Skillsets establish minimum criteria for EOC qualificationsmdashthey do not cover the full

126 range of activities that EOC personnel could perform depending on your own agency

127 requirements As an EOC leader you have the authority to add content to the baseline template

128 When compiled the EOC PTB should describe the full range of roles and responsibilities for a

129 position and contain all tasks a trainee should perform to be qualified in hisher assigned

130 position

131

132 133

134 135 136

137 138

Tips for Compiling an EOC PTB

- Skillset order is not important Because tasks can be completed in any order the order of the skillsets does not matter when compiled into an EOC PTB

- Include the Common Tasks once Trainees must complete common tasks once per EOC PTB If a person is trying to qualify for a second positionmdashfor example in preparation for a move to a leadership rolemdashyou can decide whether to reevaluate completion of the common tasks

-Use any name that meets your needs Position names vary across the country- use the title that makes the most sense for your organization

OneResponder FEMA is developing a technology solution to support the implementation of

NQS OneResponder will be a free web-based application hosted in a cloud environment that is accessible to all members of the whole community When complete it will provide EOC leaders with the ability to build manage and issue EOC PTBs in a virtual environment

6 NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION PRE-DECISIONAL DRAFT

Figure 1 EOC PTB for a nonsupervisory nonPolicy Group position

Figure 1 Qualification Certification and Credentialing

FEMA-NIMSfemadhsgov Emergency Operations Center (EOC) Skillsets User Guide

139 Action 3 Add evaluation forms and other documentation to 140 complete the task book

141 Typically PTBs come with additional guidance such as

142 evaluation forms and introductory language on how to use

143 PTBs This helps ensure consistency in processes and

144 standards beyond demonstrable tasks such as physical and

145 medical fitness requirements Your jurisdiction or organization

146 may provide direction on evaluation tools and processes If

147 not NQS provides evaluation forms descriptions of a best-

148 practice evaluation processes and general guidance on PTB

149 evaluation in the NQS guideline and PTB introductory

150 language3

151 Once you have added any evaluation sheets or introductory

152 language to the skillsets you have created an EOC PTB similar

153 to an NQS incident management PTB See Figure 1

154 Step 3 Use EOC Position Task Books to Qualify 155 Personnel

156 An EOC PTB is a tool in the qualification certification and credentialing process for your EOC

157 NIMS uses a performance-based approach that focuses on verifying the capabilities of personnel

158 to perform in incident-related positions Figure 2 depicts the continuum of integrated

159 qualification certification and credentialing processes described in NIMS For additional details

160 see the NIMS Guideline for the NQS

-

161

162 An additional aspect of qualifying personnel is documenting completion of required trainings

163 The EOC Skillsets do not specify any accompanying trainings but FEMA provides training

164 guidance through the NIMS Training Program Please refer to httpstrainingfemagovnims for

165 additional information

3 To see PTB introductory language and the NIMS Guideline for the National Qualification System visit wwwfemagovnational-qualification-system

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Emergency Operations Center (EOC) Skillsets User Guide FEMA-NIMSfemadhsgov

166 Appendices

167 Appendix 1 EOC Skillsets Template

168 The EOC Skillsets template contains the following sections as shown in Figure 3

169 Figure 3 EOC Skillsets Template

170 Major Tasks These items summarize groups of similar tasks necessary to perform the skillset

171 Tasks These are specific demonstrable actions necessary for successful performance of a

172 skillset Trainees (people seeking to complete a task book) must demonstrate completion of

173 required tasks All tasks require evaluation but bulleted statements are only examples not all are

174 required The Authority Having Jurisdiction (AHJ)4 can modify tasks as it sees fit

4 Per NIMS an authority having jurisdiction (AHJ) is an entity that has the authority and responsibility for

developing implementing maintaining and overseeing the qualification process within its organization or

jurisdiction This may be a state or Federal agency training commission NGO private sector company or a tribal

or local agency such as a police fire or public works department In some cases the AHJ may provide support to

multiple disciplines that collaborate as a part of a team (such as an Incident Management Team (IMT))

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FEMA-NIMSfemadhsgov Emergency Operations Center (EOC) Skillsets User Guide

175 Codes Each task has at least one corresponding code indicating the circumstances in which the

176 trainee can perform the task for evaluation Evaluators may assess trainees during incidents in

177 classroom simulations and training sessions in functional and full-scale exercises and in other

178 work situations If a task has multiple codes the evaluator may evaluate in any of those

179 circumstances the trainee does not have to perform in all listed circumstances The AHJ may

180 modify codes as necessary

181 Code C Task performed in training or classroom setting including seminars and workshops

182 Code E Task performed during a full-scale exercise with equipment deployed under ICS

183 Code F Task performed during a functional exercise managed under ICS

184 Code I Task performed during an incident or event managed under ICS Examples include oil

185 spill search and rescue operation hazardous materials (hazmat) response fire and emergency or

186 nonemergency (planned or unplanned) events

187 Code J Task performed as part of day-to-day job duties

188 Code T Task performed during a tabletop exercise

189 Code R Task performed very rarely and required only if applicable to the incident

190 Note For national engagement we have left the codes blank and are soliciting the publicrsquos 191 opinions on which would be most appropriate

192 Evaluator Initials and Date The evaluator uses this space during the evaluation period See the

193 National Qualification System (NQS) guideline and Position Task Book (PTB) introductory

194 language for additional guidance When skillsets are compiled into task books the AHJ can

195 evaluate as if they were PTBs and can include corresponding evaluation forms as necessary

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Emergency Operations Center (EOC) Skillsets User Guide FEMA-NIMSfemadhsgov

196 Appendix 2 EOC Skillsets with Major Tasks

197 Table 4 below describes each skillset and its associated tasks

Table 4 EOC Skillsets with Major Tasks

Skillset Title Description Major Tasks

Policy Group

Tasks suitable for positions in a MAC Group policy group including understanding the authorities policies and priorities of the organizationjurisdiction represented to support coordinated incident management among all parties

Demonstrate an understanding of the authorities policies priorities capabilities constraints and limitations of the organization or jurisdiction represented

Demonstrate an understanding of coordinated incident managementUnified Command and the roles and responsibilities of the parties involved

Leadership Tasks

Generic leadership tasks applicable to anyone in a leadership position in an EOC

Be proficient in the job both technically and as a leader

Supervise staff to ensure understanding and accomplishment of duties and tasks

Coordinate to foster unity of effort

Common Tasks Common tasks that apply to all EOC Skillsets

Complete tasks associated with your position within the EOC

Understand the Tasks for gathering and understanding Understand and validate requirement

Resource resource needs in order to Communicate requirement in plain

Requirement communicate resource specifications language and use national standards and common terminology

Source Resources

Tasks for understanding resource options in order to acquire resources to support incident operations

Understand potential sources

Develop evaluate and implement courses of action for resource fulfillment

Acquire Resources Externally

Tasks for acquiring resources from external sources

Orderrequest external resources

Track Resources Tasks for tracking acquired resources from mobilization through demobilization

Track resources to destination

Maintain resource status

Information Management

Tasks for gathering handling sharing and archiving incident information

Perform action tracking

Facilitate information sharing and knowledge management

Perform document maintenance and archiving

Situational Awareness

Tasks for gathering and analyzing an incidentrsquos situation information to inform EOC personnel actions and decision-making

Gather data and information

Analyze data and information

Disseminate information

Continued on next page

10 NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION PRE-DECISIONAL DRAFT

FEMA-NIMSfemadhsgov Emergency Operations Center (EOC) Skillsets User Guide

Table 4 EOC Skillsets with Major Tasks

Skillset Title Description Major Tasks

Planning

Tasks focused on facilitating the planning process

Reference pre-incident plans

Developwrite plans

Disseminate plans

Facilitate ongoing planning process

Organizational Representative

Tasks associated with organizational representation in the EOC to support incident operations

Represent your organization and support EOC activities

Finance

Tasks related to fiscal management activities in an EOC

Administer financial management for EOC personnel expenditures

Advise EOC leadership and staff on financial matters associated with EOC activities

Recovery Coordination

Tasks focused on applying understanding of community impacts and preparation for long-term recovery

Prepare for long-term recovery

Demonstrate an understanding of community impacts

EOC Facility Management

Tasks associated with the operational and logistical management of the EOC facility

Ensure that EOC facilities and systems are operational

Support the needs of EOC personnel

Ensure safety and security of EOC personnel systems and facility

Legal Tasks for advising EOC staff regarding applicable laws and regulations

Advise EOC leadership and staff on legal matters and provide other legal services

Public Affairs

Tasks for working with the media as well as coordinating and disseminating information to the public

Manage EOC-related efforts to provide information and warnings to the public

Advise the EOC Policy Group leadership and personnel about public information and warnings

Performance Improvement

Tasks for collecting and analyzing information about EOC operations to support process and performance improvements for incidents and the after-action process

Collect and analyze information regarding EOC activation and activities

Suggest process improvements and solutions during EOC operations

Support processperformance improvement following EOC deactivation

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198

11

Emergency Operations Center (EOC) Skillsets User Guide FEMA-NIMSfemadhsgov

199 Appendix 3 Organizational StructureSkillset Alignment Examples

200 The following two examples demonstrate how EOC leaders use skillsets in EOCs with differing

201 organizational structures staffing levels and missions These examples use slightly different

202 lenses to match skillsets to personnel and positions All approaches arrive at the same goal to

203 assign EOC personnel the skillsets they need to be successful in their duties

204 Example 1 Aligning Skillsets with an ICS-like EOC

205 Person A is the director of an EOC that is configured based on the Incident Command System

206 (ICS) (Step 1) The Operations Coordination Section is made up of organizational

207 representatives from various Emergency Support Functions (ESF) The director typically has one

208 person assigned to coordinate and support the ESF representatives and five additional personnel

209 organized according to the structure shown in Figure 4

210

211

Figure 4 EOC Organizational Structure with ESFs 212

213 The director now wants to use the EOC Skillsets to describe the positions in this EOC (Step 2)

214 Since the EOC uses an ICS-like structure the director uses the table in Appendix 4 (Figure 14)

215 as a starting point for skillset alignment However this EOC uses a resource ordering process

216 that does not follow the standard ICS process Instead the Logistics Coordination Section

217 typically does resource tracking and the Operations Coordination Section Chief determines the

218 best source for resources After moving those skillsets accordingly the director completes the

219 skillsetposition alignment for the EOC as shown in Figure 5

12 NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION PRE-DECISIONAL DRAFT

220

222

FEMA-NIMSfemadhsgov Emergency Operations Center (EOC) Skillsets User Guide

221

Figure 5 EOC Organizational Structure with Skillsets Aligned

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Emergency Operations Center (EOC) Skillsets User Guide FEMA-NIMSfemadhsgov

223 Example 2 Situational Awareness Section and Planning Support Section

224 Person B is the director of an EOC that focuses on information planning and resources support

225 and uses an Incident Support Model matching the model described in NIMS (Step 1) The

226 director uses the table in Appendix 4 (Table 13) as a starting point in aligning skillsets with the

227 responsibilities of the sections in her EOC The director who has access to enough personnel to

228 assign multiple people to each section can now align the skillsets with individual positions

229 Person B has five people in the Situational Awareness Section and six people in the Planning

230 Support Section (see details in Figure 6 and Tables 5 and 6) when all positions in these sections

are staffed 231

232 233

234 Figure 6 Incident Sup port Model Section Callout

tuational Awareness Section In this section the director has one leader and four support

235

236 Si

237 staff She assigns the leader all the sectionrsquos skillsets plus the general leadership skillset The

238 support staff receive various skillsets associated with the functions they perform

239

240 Planning Support Section In this section the director has one supervisor one Recovery

241 Coordination point of contact and various support personnel As in the Situational Awareness

242 Section she assigns the Planning Support Section Chief the general leadership skillset along

243 with additional skillsets consistent with the mission of the section she opts not to assign the

244 Section Chief the Recovery Coordination skillset but does assign her all other skillsets within

245 the section She assigns the sectionrsquos support staff skillsets according to their respective duties

246 ensuring coverage for all skillsets Ultimately she assigns skillsets as shown in Tables 5 and 6

247

248

14 NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION PRE-DECISIONAL DRAFT

Table 6 Planning Support Section

Planning Support Section

FEMA-NIMSfemadhsgov Emergency Operations Center (EOC) Skillsets User Guide

Table 5 Situational Awareness Section

Situational Awareness Section

Role Skillsets

Situational Awareness Section Leader

Leadership Tasks Information Management Situational Awareness Common Tasks

Situational Awareness Section Specialist

Information Management Situational Awareness Common Tasks

Situational Awareness Specialist 1

Situational Awareness Common Tasks

Situational Awareness Specialist 2

Situational Awareness Common Tasks

Information Management Support Specialist

Information Management Common Tasks

Role Skillsets

Planning Support Section Leader

Leadership Tasks Planning Performance Improvement Information Management Common Tasks

Recovery Point of Contact Recovery Coordination Performance Improvement Common Tasks

Planning Specialist 1 Planning Performance Improvement Common Tasks

Planning Specialist 2 Planning Information Management Common Tasks

Planning Specialist 3 Planning Common Tasks

Performance Improvement Specialist

Information Management Performance Improvement Common Tasks

249

250

251

252

253

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Table 6 Planning Support Section

Planning Support Section

FEMA-NIMSfemadhsgov Emergency Operations Center (EOC) Skillsets User Guide

Table 5 Situational Awareness Section

Situational Awareness Section

Role Skillsets

Situational Awareness Section Leader

Leadership Tasks Information Management Situational Awareness Common Tasks

Situational Awareness Section Specialist

Information Management Situational Awareness Common Tasks

Situational Awareness Specialist 1

Situational Awareness Common Tasks

Situational Awareness Specialist 2

Situational Awareness Common Tasks

Information Management Support Specialist

Information Management Common Tasks

Role Skillsets

Planning Support Section Leader

Leadership Tasks Planning Performance Improvement Information Management Common Tasks

Recovery Point of Contact Recovery Coordination Performance Improvement Common Tasks

Planning Specialist 1 Planning Performance Improvement Common Tasks

Planning Specialist 2 Planning Information Management Common Tasks

Planning Specialist 3 Planning Common Tasks

Performance Improvement Specialist

Information Management Performance Improvement Common Tasks

249

250

251

252

253

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Figure 7 Skillsets aligned with an Incident Support Model EOC organizational structure

258

Emergency Operations Center (EOC) Skillsets User Guide FEMA-NIMSfemadhsgov

254 Appendix 4 SkillsetsOrganizational Structure Crosswalk

255 The Incident Support Model and the Incident Command System (ICS) are two common ways of

256 organizing an EOC Figures 7 and 8 depict how skillsets align within those structures

EOC Director Legal AdvisorPublic

Information

Situational

Awareness

Planning

Support Section

Resources

Support Section

Center Support

SectionPolicy Group

EOC Director -

PTB Common Tasks Common Tasks Common Tasks Common Tasks Common Tasks Common Tasks Policy

EOC Director -

509 Legal Public Affairs

Information

Management Planning

Leadership

Tasks

EOC Facility

Management

Policy Policy

Situational

Awareness

Recovery

Coordination

Source

Resources Finance

Leadership

Tasks

Performance

Improvement

Acquire

Resources

Externally

Understand the

Resource

Requirement

Leadership

Tasks Track Resources

Information

Management

Organizational

Representative

Understand the

Resource

Requirement

Incident Support Model EOC Skillset Crosswalk

257

EOC Director Legal AdvisorPublic

Information

Operations

SectionPlanning Section Logistics Section

FinanceAdmin

SectionPolicy Group

EOC Director - PTB Common Tasks Common Tasks Common Tasks Common Tasks Common Tasks Common Tasks Policy

EOC Director - 509 Legal Public Affairs Leadership Tasks Leadership Tasks Leadership Tasks Leadership Tasks

Policy Policy

Understand the

Resource

Requirement

Information

Management

Understand the

Resource

Requirement

Finance

Organizational

Representative

Situational

Awareness

Acquire Resources

Externally

Recovery

CoordinationPlanning Source Resources

Track ResourcesEOC Facility

Management

Performance

Improvement

ICS Model EOC Skillset Crosswalk

259

Figure 8 Skillsets aligned with an ICS-like EOC organizational structure

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FEMA-NIMSfemadhsgov Emergency Operations Center (EOC) Skillsets User Guide

260 Appendix 5 Definitions

AHJ Authority Having Jurisdiction

ESF Emergency Support Function

EOC Emergency Operations Center

FEMA Federal Emergency Management Agency

ICS Incident Command System

NGO Nongovernmental Organization

NIMS National Incident Management System

NQS National Qualification System

PTB Position Task Book

RTLT Resource Typing Library Tool

261

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Emergency Operations Center (EOC) Skillsets User Guide FEMA-NIMSfemadhsgov

262 Appendix 6 Reference List

263 National Incident Management System (NIMS)

264 The Resource Management section of NIMS contains specific information on the

265 qualification certification and credentialing of incident personnel It also defines pertinent

266 terms to ensure common terminology among all qualification system users

267 At the NIMS website users can find links to NIMS documents guidelines and operational

268 tools as well as training information implementation guidance the latest updates and

269 contact information for FEMArsquos regional NIMS coordinators

270 wwwfemagovnational-incident-management-system

271 FEMA Resource Typing Library Tool (RTLT)

272 The RTLT is an online catalog of national resource typing definitions NIMS job titles and

273 corresponding position qualifications and Position Task Books (PTB)

274 wwwfemagovresource-management-mutual-aid

275 FEMA Training Resources

276 FEMA provides a variety of trainings for incident management and incident support

277 personnel The FEMA training website includes information about independent study as

278 well as in-person courses

279 httpstrainingfemagov

280 NIMS Guideline for Mutual Aid

281 The NIMS Guideline for Mutual Aid provides guidance based on common practices for

282 mutual aid agreements compacts and plans for use before and after an incident or planned

283 event Private nonprofit faith-based and government organizations can use this guidance

284 in developing or refining mutual aid agreements or plans

285 wwwfemagovresource-management-mutual-aid

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