Activations

Emergency Operations Center

(EOC)

The Elmore County Emergency Management Operations Center is the central coordination point for emergency management operations and activities within the county. The purpose of this central point is to ensure harmonious response when the emergency involves more than one jurisdiction and several response agencies. Coordination and supervision of all services will be through the EOC to provide for the most efficient management of resources. During major emergencies the EOC will become the seat of government for the duration of the crisis.

EMA is responsible for monitoring and analyzing any situation that may threaten public safety. The EMA Director will convene members of the Elmore County MAC Group as a “local” Incident Support Team (IST) and it is an organizational unit that will be used to support the Incident Commander and will/may staff the EOC for assisting with crisis monitoring and analyzing any situation that may threaten lives, property or the environment in Elmore County.

The primary function of the EOC is to support incident management policies and priorities, facilitate logistics support and resource tracking, inform resource allocation decisions using incident management priorities, coordinate incident related information, and coordinate interagency and intergovernmental issues regarding incident management policies, priorities and strategies. Direct tactical and operational responsibility for conducting incident management activities will be the responsibility of the Incident Commander on the scene of the incident.

ACTIVATION LEVELS

FOR THE ELMORE COUNTY EOC

The Activation Levels have a range from 1 to 4 and are scalable, recognizing that an incident may start out as a low level event and escalate, or a significant event may immediately start off at a high level. Likewise, as an event becomes more stable, the Level is lowered and resources begin to demobilize. The Elmore County EOC Activations Levels are outlined as follows:

LEVEL  IV – Involves normal day to day operations which includes incidents that are within the capabilities of the local resources and are handled by the first responder organizations. EMA personnel are monitoring situations continually during day to day operations.

LEVEL  III – Involves a localized incident in which daily activities have to be altered to accommodate the situation. The incident may be of countywide or regional significance. The use of resources from multiple local departments and agencies are used to stabilize the incident. State assets typically are not requested. Departmental mutual aid agreements are relied upon. A local Incident Support Team and EOC may be activated with limited staffing. It may be necessary to issue local alerts or local emergency public information statements. Alabama Emergency Management Agency will be notified.

LEVEL  II – Involes an incident of countywide and regional significance managed by Incidents Commanders in the Operational Area(s) with the EOC activated to coordinate response and recovery activities. A local Incident Support Team (IST) may be activated to assist Incident Commander(s) in the field. This event has the potential to become a major emergency or disaster that requires significant State response and possibly Federal response. Local capabilities are clearly exceeded. The use of regional and State assets may be used to stabilize the incident. County to County mutual aid agreements or the Alabama Mutual Aid System (AMAS) may be relied upon. The EOC will be activated and there may be some select positions staffed on a 24 hour basis. Local Emergency Declarations will be issued and the Governor may issue a State of Emergency Declaration. The State EOC may be activated with limited staffing. Alabama Emergency Management Agency will be notified through periodic field reports. An Emergency Disaster Declaration may be issued by the President.

LEVEL  I – Involves an incident of regional or statewide significance managed by Incident Commanders in the Operational Areas with the EOC activated to coordinate response and recovery priorities. The event require significant State and Federal response. Local and regional capabilities are clearly exceeded and overwhelmed. The use of State assets are needed to stabilize the incident. County to County mutual aid agreements and the Alabama Mutual Aid System (AMAS) will be relied upon. The EOC will be fully activated with many positions being activated on a 24 hour basis. Local Emergency Declarations will be issued along with a State Emergency Declaration issued by the Governor. An Emergency Disaster Declaration may be issued by the President. The State EOC will be fully activated. Alabama Emergency Management Agency will be notified and briefed through periodic field reports.