TIFAC-IDRiM Conference

28 th –30 th October 2015

New Delhi, India

EMERGENCY OPERATIONS CENTER (EOC)

DESIGN, OPERATION and MANAGEMENT

R. K. DAVE

Information Technology Research Academy, Media Lab Asia, DietY (GoI)

Abstract:
During emergencies - gathering information, decision-making, and directing necessary
actions require close coordination among key officials in the government hierarchy. This
coordination is best achieved if officials and support staff are in a centralized location with
direct lines of communications. An EOC is the centralized location where response agency
leaders meet to coordinate the response to an emergency or a disaster. Key facilities at EoC
include - reliable access to communications (both audio and video), data, and computational
resources that can be used to effectively coordinate a large number of geographically
dispersed participants and assets. In reality, an EOC is composed of many parts and there are
several "levels" of emergency operating centers. Blocks, Tehsils, Cities, Districts, States, and
Regions have EOCs. The size and makeup of the EoC may differ according to the size of the
jurisdiction or response system.

Planning, designing, commissioning, and management of EOC as a facility, which can meet
physical and organizational requirements necessary for efficient and effective performance of
EOC team, is most crucial. The design process will start with defining functional needs,
which may vary from place to place but commonly include - Coordination. Policymaking,
Operations management, information management, documentation, Public information
(including media interfacing), Training, and exercising. This will be followed by
determination of - physical features, space management, facility management, policies, and
procedures. In this paper – author reviews status of EoCs in India and recommends a model
design of EOC at National, State and District levels.
Keywords—EOC; Disaster, Management, Coordination, DSS

INTRODUCTION:

An Emergency Operation Center (EOC) is a physical facility with technical infrastructure

where decision makers meet to coordinate the response to an emergency or a disaster. An
EOC also has protocols, human interfaces, human resource requirements, and an
organizational structure (DHS, 2008). In addition to communication and coordination, an
established Network of EOC will enable outreach, and integration of resources at national,
state and district level for effective disaster management.
National Policy Disaster Management (NPDM 2009) mentions that - the establishment of
Emergency Operations Centers at the national, state, metros and district level and equipping
them with the contemporary technologies and communication facilities and their periodic up-
gradation will be accorded priority. EOCs are to be established, managed, and controlled by
National, State and local entities.

EOC FUNCTIONS AND OPERATION:

Seven essential functions (there may be more or less based on the disaster management
agenda) take place at an EOC before, during, and after a disaster:
1. Coordination: The EOC serves as the coordination point for the activities of emergency
responder organizations providing a centralized meeting, planning, and reporting facility.
2. Policy-making: Policies and procedures are often developed at an EOC in anticipation of
disaster events.
3. Operations Management: The EOC serves as the central point for managing the
deployment of personnel and resources for disaster mitigation, preparedness, response,
and recovery in the field. Because the situation during a disaster is continuously
changing, the staffing and resources must be able to keep up with these changes.
4. Information Management: Information pours into the EOC during a disaster. Data
concerning the execution of disaster response, damage assessments, and recovery
operations must be collected, analyzed, and distributed to the appropriate parties so that it
can be acted on in an effective and timely manner.
5. Documentation: Information gathered at the EOC during a disaster becomes a vital tool
in decision-making, both during and after times of emergency response. Furthermore,
documentation of emergency response methods during a disaster event allows for future
evaluation of what worked and what did not work. This information is often used to
define “lessons learned,” which can help guide the development of future policies and
procedures.
6. Public Information: The EOC is responsible for disseminating information about
mitigation, preparedness, response, and recovery to the public, the public at risk, and the
media.
7. Training and Exercising: The EOC facility is used for training and exercising purpose
during steady state using various simulation models. Emergency managers and other
stakeholders should also be given training on functioning of EOC and various systems
installed there.
EOC institutionalizes the Single Point of Service (SPS) concept to ensure effective
communication, coordination, and collaboration services, which are crucial for managing
changing dynamics of disasters. EOC will be the primary communication, collaboration
coordination, and control (limited way) point for all counter-disaster efforts and will operate
under three primary conditions:
1. Normalcy, when no emergency incident exists and there are no sufficient grounds to
warrant full activation of the EOC;
2. Emergency without warning, when an incident occurs requiring full activation of the
EOC in response to the incident; and
3. Emergency with warning, when the EOC is brought into full or partial activation to
preemptively reduce the impact of impending incidents, and respond to the impact of the
incident when it transpires.
EOC PLANNING AND DESIGN:

The first step in developing a new EOC is planning. Following factors should be reviewed
and considered in the planning process
Need Assessment: This will include hazard identification, risk analysis, and geographical
jurisdiction of EOC.
Consequence Management: Each agency in the jurisdiction determines how each identified
incident is addressed and determines what is needed in terms of space allocation, equipment
needs, facility systems, or other requirements of a supporting EOC.
Capability Assessment: A capability assessment reviews the ability of a government,
individual, or company to address identified hazards.
Facility Use: EOC facilities can be designed for multiple uses or dedicated and therefore
reserved solely for use as an EOC. Consider that the EOC design plan has the option of
converting normal use of space into another type of use during an incident, or as the incident
requires more personnel at the facility and more space is needed.
Facility Functionality: The planner / designer should consider carefully what will be done at
the EOC and what is required to accomplish the objectives. EOCs functions include
communication, collaboration and coordination (logistics, communications, infrastructure,
and emergency services) and in some cases command services. Past experience on the
number of seats, needed, functional activities with scope and services carried out during large
incidents would add value in the EOC planning process.
Staffing: There are no standards defined for staffing EOC at various levels in India but
generally, EOC will have regular staff and an organization structure (ESF based) for
managing emergencies. The number of people required to carry out the EOC functions during
an emergency will primarily drive the size and structure of the EOC.
Continuity of Operation (COOP) /Alternate EOC: Planning and provisioning of (one or
more) secondary EOC with required resources is necessary for continuity of operation.
COOP can be further strengthened by planning mobile EOC with the required capabilities to
provide continuous coordination during periods when the primary or alternative EOC will not
be in operation, such as when emergency teams are transferring between a primary and
alternate EOC.
Physical Features of EOC and Characteristics: Based on the staff and detailed survey of
requirements, the space required for the EOC is determined. Consideration should be given to
circulation (people movements) and construction layout requirements, expansion
requirements, flexible use of space and space needs for ongoing operations during renovation
or expansion of existing facilities. The actual space needed may vary between incidents.
Factors that can affect the size of the EOC - include budget limitations, available space, other
non-EOC functions that must also be accommodated as well as the anticipated staff levels.
Planners / designers should consider and address - Survivability, Security, Sustainability,
Inter-operability, and Flexibility.
Physical Layout
The EOC should be physically arranged to permit close, continuous coordination and
immediate, positive action by all responsible or impacted groups. US Department of Defense
(US-DOD 2008) described four general configurations for EOC keeping “team / group
working” requirements into consideration. Each configuration has pluses and minuses.
Classroom set up allows all persons to focus on common information area. Cluster sitting
allows reconfiguration to enhance collaboration of responding entities but does not provide
central focus for disseminated or displayed information. Conference or horseshoe layout
allows participants to have eye and voice contact but does not allow cross agency
collaboration.
 CLUSTER CLASSROOM

CONFERENCE
“V” SHAPE

(Source: US DoD 2008)

Figure 1: Emergency Operation Room Layout Options

While planning for a new construction, EOC layout design should consider following points -
1. The layout should provide a minimum of interference between operating and support
areas such as eating, sleeping, mechanical equipment, storage, and sanitary facilities.
2. The operations suite (including operations room, communications and message centers,
and executive offices) should be arranged to provide maximum efficiency in the
interchange of essential information.
3. Necessary provisions should be made for storage, though such use of space should be
carefully planned.
4. When possible, furniture and equipment should be moveable to allow reconfiguration of
the space and conversion of space functions to suit the situation and staff level required
for the specific incident.
Construction Requirements: EOC construction specifications issued under disaster risk
management (DRM) program recommend that EOC spaces should be designed as reinforced
concrete frames, for twice the seismic force for which residential buildings are normally
designed in each zone so that the EOC buildings will have much higher factor of safety
against probable earthquakes in the respective areas (GOI-UNDP 2007).
EOC MANAGEMENT:

Facility management and operation management are two distinct categories attached with an
EOC. Facility management will involve dealing with physical plant, technology systems, and
support services needed to support activities within the EOC. Operation management pertains
to the systems and procedures put in place to allow the EOC team to operate efficiently.
Identified stakeholders will develop EOC systems, procedures, protocols, and test those
through drills and exercises (Canton and Staikos 2011). Key points to be considered while
planning for EOC management includes –
 Identification of lead person(s) with overall responsibility for EOC management
 Identify key stakeholders
 Develop standard operating procedures for common EOC functions
 Develop emergency resource management system
 Management of activation during different phases of disasters under unified coordinator
 Develop a standard de-activation process that prepares the EOC for immediate
reactivation before concluding operation

RECOMMENDATIONS:

The rapid onset of many hazards, the growing costs of delayed response and the risks and
costs encountered during transitions from normal to emergency modes of operation require a
shift towards an “always-on-EOC” that scales up or down as required but never entirely
deactivate. Emerging disaster management demands standalone, all unifying “smart EOC” with
convergence of departmental / agency / other stakeholders at National and State levels. EOC
planning & designing considerations should include - uniform design / layout for state EOC
and District EOC with required spaces, standard organization structure, equipment and staff
as needed based on vulnerabilities of jurisdiction, plan for coordination of resources /
information, and use of technology to enhance information management and establish a
standard information management system. A sample EOC development checklist is given in
Table 1 below.
Table 1: State EOC Check list (suggestive)

Subject Considerations
Location Out of - 100 years Floodplain / other hazards
Spaces / rooms (merge spaces Maximum staff size would determine space requirement(s) in an EOC. In
as required) general - physical features of an EOC would include - sitting, structure,
and available space. An indicative list of spaces an EOC design should
consider include - (1) an operations area, (2) conference room(s), (3)
operation room, (4) alert and warning center / dispatch center, (5) secure
communications room, (6) media/press room, (7) and retiring room(s).
Communication/alert/warning Telephone, LAN, WAN, Unified communication, Fax, Printer, Plotter,
room (consider 50 sq. Incident mgmt... application, smart screen, Weather Monitoring, Access to
feet/person while sizing emergency alert system, EMI and electrostatic protection, Radios with
communication room, if bridge to communicate with field persons and other agencies/ antenna
availability of land and budget management/ Mass mailing -dispatching system/EOC-SOG/ DSS
permits)
Emergency Operation Room Telephone lines, Video wall, maps, Charts, Logs, Computer terminal,
(Consider 40 feet/person while Weather information, GIS, IMA, Situation monitor, TV channels, High
sizing built-up space for ceiling, No pillars, recording capabilities, DSS connected with national,
operation room state and local disaster management resource data
 Emergency Power with Power generator should be capable to support all services including
automatic start and transfer Radios, computer system and other emergency load should have automatic
switchover arrangements. This should be isolated from main EOC building
and keep a fuel reserve of 4-5 days.
Procedures & Protocols Standard Operating procedure for activating EOC along with position
descriptions for each position.
Communication system PSTN,GSM/CDMA, Radios, Satellite
Integration with other Emergency call centers (100/101/108 etc.), IMD, CWC, NRSA, INCOIS,
agencies AIR, TV channels,
Stores Charging stations, PA system, search lights, sat phones, HF/VHF radios,
Battery operated radios/TV,
Dual use- planning EOC is ideal for meetings and trainings /mock drills & exercises. Perpetual
use keeps the property in good shape.
Staff sizing A thin team of regular staff (combined team from Relief commissionerate
& SDMA), EOC staff would expand (ESF) and contract as per the
emergency needs.
Layout: During incidents, number of people taking part under each specific cluster (ESF)
will be more at State EOC compared to DEOC. Accordingly, a “classroom cluster layout”
would be more befitting at SEOC. Whereas DEOC can have either a classroom or a
conference layout. To enable space reconfiguration under certain conditions planners should
consider “collapsible /flexible” space criteria for operation room design.
Alternate / Back-up: The economic pressure is only exacerbated by the need for not only
primary but also alternate EOCs, on the rationale that any fixed facility, even if hardened, can
become unusable under some conceivable circumstance. Looking to the advancement in
technology states should consider planning mobile EOCs to back up the primary EOC.
Use of Technology: In addition to productivity improvement - modern innovations in
Information technology (IT) offers huge potential to enhance - organizational agility for
disaster management, better engagement of the public , more robust, interoperable, and
priority-sensitive communications, better situational awareness and common operating
picture, Improved decision support and resource tracking and allocation. In the design,
acquisition, and operation of IT systems, disaster management organizations should
emphasize the incorporation of disaster response capabilities into the systems that support
routine operations.
Approach: All-hazards approach is essential and state disaster management plan should be
prepared on that basis but it may not be necessary to include “all hazards” while creating
baseline resource capabilities in each of EOC.
Outsourcing: "Non-core functions (including facility management)” at EOC should be
outsourced in order to ensure that EOC team is free to focus on the incident with minimal
disruption from the environment in which the team is operating. It is advantageous to contract
with specialist firms for the implementation and management of innovative technologies in
EOC.

RFERENCES:

- Canton L.G, and Staikos N. (2011), EOC Management and Operations

- GoI-UNDP, Disaster Risk Management (DRM) Program, 24 Aug 2007
- NDMA, GoI, National Policy on Disaster Management (NPDM), 2009
- US Department of Defense (September 2008), unified facility Criteria: Emergency
Operation Center Planning & Design
- U S Department of Homeland Security (2008) National Incident Management System