2011 THAILAND FLOODS: INCIDENT COMMAND SYSTEMS TRIP REPORT

Summary The magnitude of the historic 2011 floods in Thailand would strain the resources and capabilities of any government, and the new Royal Thai Government (RTG) struggled to effectively and efficiently manage the crisis. Within the RTG, however, a 30-member cadre of trained professionals exists—mostly from the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation (DDPM)—who are ready to train other responders in U.S. National Incident Management Systems (NIMS) and Incident Command Systems (ICS) principles and processes. When fully incorporated and integrated, NIMS and ICS practices should help ensure a unified effort among all levels of the public and private sectors for effective and efficient response and recovery operations. Overview and Background From October 20 to November 4, Dennis Orbus traveled to Thailand to assist the U.S. Forest Service (USFS) and USAID’s Office of U.S. Foreign Disaster Assistance (USAID/OFDA) as a disaster management and ICS technical specialist. Utilizing his previous experience working in Thailand and during disaster responses such as Hurricane Katrina in the U.S., Dennis was tasked with providing information on whether leadership had incorporated NIMS and ICS practices, procedures, and processes taught in workshops conducted for the RTG in previous years into the floods response. Dennis was welcomed to the Flood Relief Operations Center (FROC) by the Ministry of Information, Communication, and Technology and given work space and access to operations. Dennis also worked with associates at the DDPM, including officials that had attended previous NIMS and ICS workshops in Thailand in March 2011. During the visit, Dennis was able to observe operations at several levels, utilizing personal interviews as the main method for gathering information.

What is ICS? ISC is a pre-defined chain of command that is designed to provide a common framework within which response agencies can work together effectively. ICS is an institutional approach involving personnel, policies, procedures, facilities, and equipment integrated into a common organizational structure. During disasters, responders may be drawn from multiple agencies that do not routinely work together, and ICS is designed to give standard response and operational procedures to reduce problems and potential for miscommunication. ICS comprises five components, including:

1. Command 2. Operations 3. Planning 4. Logistics 5. Finance/Administration

What is NIMS?

NIMS is a systematic approach to guide departments and agencies at all levels of the government, non-governmental organizations, and the private sector to work to prevent, protect against, respond to, recover from, and mitigate the effects of incidents. NIMS comprises six components, including:

1. Command and Management (ICS is a component)

2. Preparedness 3. Resource Management 4. Communications and Information

Management 5. Supporting Technologies 6. Ongoing Management and Maintenance

The 2011 Thailand Floods Response Observations Based off of these interviews and observations at the FROC, Dennis noted that: • The NIMS and ICS workshops previously conducted have not yet been integrated to form

effective and efficient teamwork among all the various governmental and non-governmental entities involved in large-scale disasters.

• The DDPM and others previously trained in

principles of NIMS and ICS have done their best to integrate best practices into the response, but they are not in lead command positions. Those in command prefer to use old, more familiar methods, rather than NIMS and ICS.

• Operations at the FROC included several

successes, such as well-prepared daily incident status summary reports, critical resource tracking, efficient call center operations, and evacuation centers meeting needs of survivors.

• Shortfalls included lack of unified command,

operations and planning sections that appeared more reactionary than proactive, lack of written incident action plans, confusion between who is in command (directing resources) and who is in a coordination and/or support role, and dissemination of public information, which contributed to confusion and mistrust.

Conclusions and Recommendations Based on the observations from the 2011 floods response, Dennis has formulated four recommendations for strengthening disaster management practices in Thailand, including: • Incorporating the principles of NIMS and ICS, such as unified command, strong operations and

planning sections looking long-range, management by objectives, written action plans, and joint information systems, would greatly enhance capabilities of RTG in responding to disasters.

• The command function (directing the operations) and the coordination and support functions

should be more clearly defined and separated. • An After Action Review process should be conducted to identify lessons learned that can be

incorporated in future operations and written plans and protocols. • Continued support for integrating NIMS and ICS principles and management practices in RTG

disaster operations should provide large dividends. Attachments

1. Attachment 1: Focus Questions on Processes 2. Attachment 2: NIMS/ICS Workshops Completed and Planned

ICS Training in Thailand Since the mid-1980s, USAID/OFDA has utilized technical expertise from USFS to institutionalize the system for disaster responses and implement disaster management capacity-building programs throughout the world. Most recently, from April 25 to May 4, 2011, USFS conducted a series of train-the-trainer (TOT) ICS courses in Khao Yai, Thailand. Participants comprised the approximately 30-person ICS TOT cadre that had received previous ICS training conducted by USFS. Participants included DDPM staff from headquarters, regional offices, and training centers, as well as representatives from the Bureau of Health Administration, the Emergency Medical Institute, the Thai Red Cross, and the Thailand Institute of Nuclear Technology.