The preparedness and resiliency of Hamilton County is directly tied to the preparedness and resiliency of the cities, villages, and townships within the County. Strong relationships between the local jurisdictions and the county build a more effective emergency management program. A Handout was created to outline the relationship between Hamilton County Emergency Management Homeland Security Agency and the local jurisdictions. One of the identified elements is that all the local jurisdictions are encouraged to develop an Emergency Operations Plan (EOP) that outlines their local emergency management efforts . To support this crucial effort, the Hamilton County Emergency Management Homeland Security Agency provides technical assistance on emergency planning.
Hamilton County Local EOP Template
A local EOP Template was developed to assist your jurisdiction with creating an EOP. It was designed to help streamline the planning process and provide you with sample language. The template was customized to fit the environment and needs of Hamilton County. The plan is broken down into two main parts: the basic plan and the supporting annexes. The basic plan provides an overview of your approach to emergency response and operations. The annexes focus on the critical operational functions and utilizes the Emergency Support Function (ESF) layout. The county also uses the ESF layout which promotes vertical synchronization across the local jurisdiction and the county. Below is the EOP template and supporting planning documents.
Hamilton County Local EOP Template Overview: This document provides an overview about emergency operations plans, describes how Hamilton County EMHSA can support your planning efforts and explains how to use the Hamilton County EOP Template.
Base Plan and Attachments
Base Plan: The basic plan should provide an overview of your approach to emergency response and operations. It explains the policies, organization, and tasks that should be involved in response to an emergency.
Base Plan Tab #1: This document is a sample Emergency Proclamation.
Base Plan Tab #2: This document includes the table that lists the Threat & Hazard Rankings for Hamilton County.
Annexes
Annex A – The Transportation Function: This annex outlined the transportation function at the local level. The transportation function assesses damage to, restores, and maintains land, air and water transportation routes during emergencies in coordination with governmental and private organizations as required. In addition, this function coordinates available resources for transportation activities including transportation routes and potential staging area. This function also identifies evacuation and reentry routes in coordination with the incident commander.
Annex B – The Communications Function: This annex outlines the communication function at the local level. The communication function assesses damage to communication infrastructure, maintains communication capabilities with response partners, provides technical assistance for communications in the local EOC, and liaises with communication/telecommunication agencies.
Annex C – The Engineering and Public Works Function: This annex outlines the engineering and public works function at the local level. The engineering and public works function supports conducting damage assessments by providing personnel to conduct damage assessment to the private sector and conducting damage assessment to the public sector including local government buildings and certain private nonprofits. Damage Assessments with be coordinated through the local damage assessment coordinator with the recovery function. This function also manages debris removal. This function inspects and repairs or demolishes public structures including dikes, dams and levees.
Annex D – The Fire and EMS Function: This annex outlines the fire and EMS function at the local level. This function maintains an overall picture of fire and emergency medical services activities related to the event for your jurisdictions. Additionally, this function manages and coordinates firefighting activities by mobilizing resources of multiple firefighting agencies. This function will likely be a direct link from the emergency operations center to the incident command post. In addition, this function may offer guidance and technical expertise about firefighting and medical emergency actions.
Annex E – The Information and Planning Function: This annex outlines the information and planning function at the local level. This function collects, processes, and analyzes information related to the disaster event, so it can be disseminated to emergency partners. This information is disseminated through displays, briefings, incident action plans, and situation reports. Additionally, this function uses this information to support the identification of overall priorities for local-level emergency activities.
Annex F – The Mass Care Function: This annex outlines the mass care function at the local level. This function addresses, coordinates, and reports on emergency mass care activities of local-level organizations responsible for sheltering, feeding, counseling, providing first aid, and related social services and welfare activities required to assist the survivors of an emergency. This function identifies unmet needs within the community and maintains the overall picture of mass care activities within the jurisdiction. In addition, this function provides a list of possible shelter locations when requested and coordinates support shelter operations.
Annex G – The Resource Support Function: This annex outlines the resource support function at the local level. This function provides logistical and resource support to local agencies and departments involved in the disaster response and recovery. This support includes locating, procuring, and issuing resources including equipment, supplies, and services required by responders and disaster survivors.
Annex H – The Health and Medical Function: This annex outlines the health and medical function at the local level. This function coordinates with support agencies to address health and medical activities at the local-level and maintain an accurate overview of health and medical activities. Some of the health and medical issues include the assessment of health/medical needs, health surveillance and epidemiological investigation, prevention and control practice, mass prophylaxis/vaccination, health/medical equipment and supplies, patient evacuation, public information, worker health and safety, environmental concerns (e.g. drinking water and waste management), fatality management, and emergency medical services.
Annex I – The Search and Rescue Function: This annex outlines the search and rescue function at the local level. This function coordinates and supports search and rescue operations within your jurisdiction. The fire department will coordinate rescue activities and provide information to the local Emergency Operations Center and Hamilton County ESF#9.
Annex J – The Hazardous Materials Function: This annex outlines the hazardous materials function at the local level. Hazardous Materials response is coordinated at the county level through the Local Emergency Planning Committee. More information about agencies involves, responsibilities and policies is found in the Hamilton County Hazardous Materials and Emergency Operations Plan.
Annex K – The Animals and Agriculture Function: This annex outlines the animals and agriculture function at the local level. This function coordinates information and support for the assessment, response and recovery operations that may impact the animal or farm communities in your jurisdiction. This includes protecting domesticated and wild animal resources, public health, the public food supply and the environment as well as the humane care and treatment of animals in disasters.
Annex L – The Energy Function: This annex outlines the energy function function at the local level. This function coordinates emergency utility services by contacting energy utilities and related governmental and private organizations for information. This information includes the assessment of damage to the utility and response and recovery operations related to fuel shortages, power outages, transmission/distribution problems, and capacity shortages that may impact your jurisdiction during a disaster.
Annex M – The Law Enforcement Function: This annex outlines the law enforcement function function at the local level. This function coordinates law enforcement activities and shares this information with emergency partners. Some law enforcement activities include: maintaining law and order within legal authority, assisting with the dissemination of alerts, warnings and notifications, staffing roadblocks, traffic control points and other sites as required, supporting communications, sharing information with the Emergency Operations Center such as casualty and damage observations, and maintain logs, records and reports essential to government operations.
Annex N – The Disaster Recovery Function: This annex outlines the disaster recovery function function at the local level. This function coordinates needs assessments, damage assessments and information gathering to apply disaster recovery funds and develop disaster-specific recovery plans.
Annex O – The Public Information Function: This annex outlines the public information function at the local level. This function organizes the necessary for the development, distribution and coordination of information to the public in the event of an emergency that requires local assessment, response, and recovery activities.