EOC are basically emergency operations centers. Its use becomes quite avoidable during incidents of all sizes. The EOCs bring the representatives of the organizations together. Thus, information is exchanged quickly. Also, resources are easily moved from one organization to another.

As Part of an EOC, there are three Structures to Consider:

  • Incident Support Model
  • ICS or ICS-like Structure
  • Departmental Structure

Different mechanisms are responsible for performing these functions.

Concepts to Understand

Between the EOC and the ICS, there is a proper communication channel. Different EOC configurations are based on ICS considerations. Similar to the training of the ICS, these structures represent organizational structures at the basic level. There are many similarities between this and incident management, the one on the ground. A change in the ICS or the provision of the ICS is used.

Thus, the EOS configuration is designed in accordance with incident management.

The standard organizational structure of ICS is used by many associations, organizations, or jurisdictions to implement EOCs. It is either used as is or with a slight modification. Structure-wise, it is similar to the incident structure on scene.

People trained in ICS are familiar with the organization structure known as an ICS-like structure. On-the-scene incident management is closely related to this structure.

Incident Management with EOC

The organization’s emergency with EOC response teams will respond to disruptions in the business in line with its established plans. There may be a need to call public emergency services. Other resources may be required, such as contractors. 

Frequently, employees, their families, the news media, and public officials will call to ask questions. Which management techniques should a business employ to handle all of these responsibilities? 

IMS’s (incident management systems) should be a part of businesses. A situation may arise that requires incident stabilization (e.g. damage assessment, firefighting, property conservation) at the incident scene. The emergency operations center (EOC) is responsible for coordinating incident stabilization, business continuity, and crisis communication activities. 

Coordinate and enforce incident management procedures from an emergency operations center, which may be physical or virtual. As part of incident management, a command center and incident command system are used.

Emergency Operations Center

Using a large conference room as an emergency operations center and the main location for team meetings is a good idea. Furniture, a phone line, Internet access, fax machines, network printers, and other office equipment must be available. The space must be furnished and have telephones, network printers, fax machines, and other office equipment nearby. 

Primary EOCs should be located at the company’s main office, and secondary EOCs should be located at another site, a temporary location (such as a hotel), or through the establishment of a teleconference bridge. These incident management functions are provided by the EOC.

Activation – Prepare for business threats by leveraging expertise and knowledge

Situation Analysis: Assessing the potential impacts of what is occurring and gathering information

Incident Briefing – Communication between team members is efficient

Incident Action Plan – Decide a course of action and establish a centralized point of decision-making

Resource Management -Establish a single contact for identification, procurement, and resource allocation

Incident Management – Monitoring actions, capturing data, and adjusting strategies as needed

EOCs aren’t incident command posts (ICPs) – where focusing is on tactics to deal with an incident as it occurs. By determining which activities to prioritize and allocating available resources, and EOC supports on-scene activities. It is one of the most important functions of the EOC to communicate with the emergency response team, the business continuity team, and the crisis communications team.