A colleague recalled this strange event from his time as a U.S. Air Force inspector. Cleared personnel might find it funny at first, but then scary when the implications arise.
The Center of the Problem
My friend inspected Air Force emergency operations centers around the world. Many government facilities and private companies have them. EOCs are places where your organization will coordinate responses to emergencies, such as active shooters, physical attacks, bombings, fire, or tornadoes, to give a few reasons. They are populated, when required, by a team of technical experts, including the command or company leadership.
So he went to one EOC at an American base in England. He checked this and that, and all seemed remarkably familiar. Then, when he checked the question, “What fire department do you contact in an emergency?” he discovered the answer was ‘Spangdalem Air Force Base Fire Department’. That’s where he’d seen it before…in Spangdalem, Germany! After my friend pointed out it was hard to drive from Germany to England for a fire, the EOC manager admitted, “We cut and pasted an EOC operations plan that passed inspection elsewhere.”
What just happened? The American base in England’s EOC plan was never real. No one had ever tested it. Without a real test, it is useless. In fact, such failure can cost lives. This is not an idle assertion.
Unprepared and untested
EOCs worldwide have been called to action for a host of reasons, most of them unheard of even a few decades ago. In Alabama, the routine calling of EOCs into operation responds to annual tornado seasons. The same is true in coastal Florida, where airfields are regularly secured against hurricanes. There are manuals aplenty that direct who should be on such emergency center staff, but nothing will be of value unless it can be tested.
This is not a primer on manning an Emergency Operations Center, but rather on the proper employment of one, once created. To begin with, if you are fortunate enough to have a plan in place, check its validity. I spent a remarkable afternoon once calling each number listed on one plan’s contact list. To my horror, not a single one of the numbers reached the intended party. Not one. Some numbers had been changed, but others simply didn’t exist. This was because the number was no longer a landline, but a cell phone. A test given by a higher headquarters would have failed this EOC. A bombing incident would have cost even more lives because ready-response care would have been dramatically delayed. Try every contact method, but also ensure what you’d do if all your electronics go down. What alternative plan do you have?
How do you assemble your EOC team in a crisis? Where? How do you evacuate your personnel if necessary? What if, when the bomb went off, it destroyed the room set aside for your EOC? All of this has to be considered. The bombs which blew up the American Embassies in Beirut, and in Kenya, were no respecters of single-rule responses. Make alternatives.
The Cold Hard Truth
I could go on, but I believe the point to bring home is to know where your plan is and exercise it with those who are involved in its operation. Consult other organizations like yours that have such plans. See where you can use ‘best practices’. If you can’t find such plans, ask your Government Contract person, who can refer you to professionals who can not only help you devise a plan, but coordinate its testing. Testing will be involved. Take your time with these. Time spent on such tests has proven to save lives. Bear that in mind.
For instance, a proper first step is to visit all your supporting agencies. After you’ve contacted the police and fire departments, invite them to your company. This may require authorizing them to get into secure areas. Check that out ahead of time. You don’t want your emergency medical vehicle kept held up by a gate guard who has no idea why he’s urgently trying to get on base. Notice, too, such an incident will require your contacting the guard force staff director, too. All elements of your own staff need to be briefed on changes to their Standard Operations Procedures in an emergency. An actual incident saw an Emergency Medical Team held at bay by guards who would not let them into the sensitive compartmented information center, where the man who had the heart attack lay in mortal danger.
These days the ready availability of guns is a major concern. Safety demands known rules on possession and carry on all installations and company areas. You are in charge, so know your rights and obligations. Have your legal team advise on your state laws, and what you can require for the safety of your staff. Too often an active shooting incident brings about additional bloodshed because untrained people try to respond with weapons in crises. Don’t let this happen. Review with your emergency responders, normally the police, on what actions you might take which would serve their response best. Likewise with fire department responders. What, given time, should your staff do before their arrival, other than simply evacuate the building? And do you know who will take care of your disabled or injured workers to get them out in case of a fire?
Lastly, a concern brought about by the prevalence of massive cell phone usage is paramount to understand. Who is responsible for public announcements from your organization? It is imperative you alert your public affairs personnel on their role in the EOC. They must be available at all times to advise the public about ongoing incidents. This is because, in the prevalence of social media, people need an official statement to know what is true, or not. Further, it would be wise to have your public affairs personnel attend hostage negotiation training, to understand their role before a professional hostage negotiator arrives on the scene.
Your EOC is essential to your people’s lives. Nothing is more important than that. The security of our documents and media in a crisis should be known and practiced. Don’t be satisfied until the EOC plan is written, the plan made known, and the plan practiced.
