incident action plans

Emergency Management & Safety Solutions Out of

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Incident Action Plans:

The Critical Incident Management Tool

Emergency Management &

Safety Solutions

Emergency Management & Safety Solutions


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Agenda

• Incident Action Plan (IAP) review.

• Planning an IAP.

• Building an IAP.

• SMART objectives.

• Facilitating an Action Planning meeting.

• Planning cycle.

• Mock scenario and practice IAP.

September 2010 2 www.ems-solutionsinc.com


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Incident Action Plan Review


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What is an Incident Action Plan?

• An IAP is a document used to record incident

strategy, tactical actions, and supporting information.

An IAP contains:

– Overall incident status / strategy.

– Specific strategic objectives and any necessary supporting

information.

– Assignment of responsibility for each objective.

– Date and time of next operational period.

• The Plan may be oral or written; ideally it is written. (If

written, it may have a number of forms as

attachments.)



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September 2010 www.ems-solutionsinc.com 5

IAP History

• IAPs are one of the

hallmarks of the Incident

Command System (ICS), which was developed in

response to a series of fires

in Southern California in the

early 1970s.

• It is now the “gold standard”

for managing incidents

worldwide.


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Why Have an IAP?

• The six C’s

1. Command

2. Control

3. Collaboration

4. Coordination

5. Communication

6. Consistency



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Planning an IAP


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Who Develops the IAP?

• If you use the Incident Command System:

– Incident Commander, team leaders (or

section chiefs), other SME as necessary, or

BCP manager.

• If you use another methodology:

– Designed person in charge, SME as

necessary, or BCP manager.



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Incident Priorities

• What are your incident

priorities? They most

commonly include:

– Life safety.

– Incident stabilization.

– Property and equipment

preservation.

– Return to business-as-

usual.



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Building an IAP


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Steps to Build an IAP

• Assess the incident situation.

– Report the current status of the event.

• Establish strategic incident objectives. – Ensure that necessary resources are

available to complete the tasks.

• Assign all objectives. – To a team or an individual.

• Determine the Operational Period.



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Assess/Report Incident Situation

• The first IAP is the initial

report and assessment.

• Subsequent IAPs contain

the latest updates.

• Creating an IAP requires

those who are most

knowledgeable of the

situation involved.



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Establish Strategic Objectives

• Set overall objectives

and priorities.

• Look at the “big

picture.”

• Ensure that necessary

resources are

available to complete

the tasks.



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Objective Criteria Test

• Does it make good sense (feasible, practical,

and suitable)?

• Is it within acceptable safety norms?

• Is it cost effective?

• Does it meets political considerations?

• Does it address/consider alternative strategies

that may be employed?


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SMART Objectives


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What are SMART Objectives?


• Plan

• Conduct

• Develop

• Produce

• Revise

• Review

• Provide

• Order

• Evaluate

• Determine

• SMART objectives use action verbs to describe the task.

• Action verbs are observable and communicate the intent of what is to be attempted:

• Assess

• Install

• Select

• Investigate

• Map

• Build


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Developing SMART objectives

• Specific – Does the objective state explicitly what is to be done, and define a key result?

• Measurable – Can you determine if you are meeting the objective or not?

• Achievable – Are you able to attain the objective?

• Realistic – Can you achieve the objective in a reasonable manner and timeframe?

• Time – Have you stated the time period in which the objective will be accomplished?



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Common Objectives “Buckets”

1. People

2. Facilities

3. Technology

4. Mission-Critical Activities at Risk

5. Communication

6. Finance (if using ICS model)


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“Buckets” Help Focus Objectives

People

• Account for all staff.

• Determine need for EAP services.

• Notify emergency contact.

Facilities

• Conduct an initial damage assessment.

• Contact contractors.

• Appoint a liaison to work with ER responders.

Technology

• Conduct an initial assessment.

• Reroute main number if unable to reoccupy in 15 minutes.

Mission Critical Activities

• Work with business units to determine what is affected.

• Once known, what are the immediate. work-arounds that can be instituted.

Communication

• Communicate company status with key stakeholders (list here)

• Update website.

• Update employee hotline.

Finance

• Notify insurance carriers.

• Document losses with photos and drawings.

• Issue a disaster accounting #.


*If using ICS


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Assign Objectives

• Assign all objectives:

– To a specific team or

individual.

– A unassigned

objective means no one is responsible to

get it done.



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Determine Operational Period

• Establish how long

will you work on the

objectives before the

planning team

needs to stop and

assess status and

progress.



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Communicate the Plan

• Communicate the

plan to all identified

stakeholders.

– Who are your key

stakeholders?

– Does everyone get

the same message?

– What are the tools?



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What Does the Final IAP Contain?

• Current situation status.

• Objectives and assignments:

– People.

– Facilities/Buildings.

– Technology.

– Mission-critical activities at risk.

– Communication.

– Finance.

• Next Operational Period.



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IAP Cycle

Plan is activated. IC meets with

Team Leads. Initial objectives

developed. Operational Period defined.

Team Leads share strategic

objectives with team and

work begins.

IC calls Action Planning Meeting. Status of all teams

is shared, progress charted, new objectives shared and

Agreed upon by all. New OP is established.

At end of the Operational Period, determine status,

& draft objectives for next Operational Period

for their team.

Team members work with their own team

& confer with other members & teams &

share information.



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Facilitating an IAP


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Facilitating an IAP

• The IAP can be facilitated by the Incident Commander,

planning chief (team leader), or BCP manager.

• Can be virtual or face-to-face.

• Format:

– Review status – done by the person most knowledgeable about

the incident.

– Review the “buckets” and what needs to be done for each.

– Make assignments.

– Determine next OP.

• IAPs should be quick – no more than 15 or 20 minutes.



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Attending an IAP Meeting

• What do you need to bring:

– Status of the event from your perspective.

– Status on assigned objectives.

– New proposed objectives.

– Plan to execute the objectives.



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IAP Meeting Rules

• In order for the meetings to be as productive as

possible, rules of engagement are necessary:

– Only invitees speak. Others may attend with permission but are not speakers.

– No mobile phones.

– No sidebar conversations.

– No interruptions unless an emergency

• The IC must set information thresholds and the team

leaders must keep to those (with few exceptions).



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In-person IAP Meetings

• If holding an in-person IAP:

– Have a meeting where everyone stands.

This usually limits the amount of wasted

time.

– Find a quiet room away from distractions.


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Planning “P”


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September 2010 www.ems-solutionsinc.com 31 Incident/Threat

Notification

Initial Assessment

Executive Mgmt Briefing (If Appropriate)

Incident Action Plan Pre-Planning

Incident Brief 201

Initial Strategy Meeting &

Information Sharing

Info

rmat

ion

Gat

heri

ng &

Sha

ring

Init

ial R

espo

nse

IC/UC Validate or

Adjust Objectives

Strategy Meeting If Objectives Adjusted

Execute Plan & Assess

Progress

Begin Operational

Period

Operational Period Briefing

IAP Preparation

& Approval

Planning Meeting

Preparing for Planning Meeting

Tactics Meeting

Information Gathering and Sharing

Information Gathering and Sharing

Operational Period Planning Cycle

The Planning “P”


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Mock Scenario and Practice IAP


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Water Outage • On Monday at 7:12 AM, Security is informed

about a major water main break that has occurred right in front of your headquarters building. – There is NO water service to the building.

– This impacts water to your cooling systems (including your data center). All building services are affected (fire suppression, toilets, drinking water, etc.).

– The water main damage is extensive and repairs are not expected to be completed until late Wednesday night or early Thursday.


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Water Outage

• Due to a lack of water, the buildings must be closed (per OSHA and local health codes).

– Security must remain on-site to perform a physical fire watch of all buildings.

– The data center may remain up but may not be staffed.

– No other staff may remain in the building.



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Initial IAP Development

• Assess the current situation. – Would this require your plan to be activated?

• Develop initial strategic objectives. – What are your priorities?

– What do you put in your “buckets”?

– Are your objectives SMART?

• Assign resources to objectives. – Do you have resource constraints?

• Determine the next Operational Period. – When will your team meet again?



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Regina Phelps, CEM, RN, BSN, MPA Emergency Management & Safety Solutions

San Francisco, California

415-643-4300

www.ems-solutionsinc.com

Thank you


incident action plans

Documents