Emergency Operations Center - Incident Management Team Integration

About the Program

Category: Risk and Emergency Management (Best in Category)

Year: 2016

The Oakland County Homeland Security Division is responsible for providing coordination and support to all of the agencies that may be involved in responding to emergencies within the County. The Oakland County Incident Management Team, a mutual aid team comprised of responders from police, fire, EMS, Emergency Management and public works agencies from throughout the County, is charged with assisting in command and control of emergency incidents with the local Incident Commander from any community. Both organizations had maintained a cordial relationship, but an exercise in 2010 revealed large misunderstandings about how the two groups could leverage their collective energies to manage large scale, long term or complex incidents. Providing for the response and protection of the number of residents and infrastructure stated above is a daunting task, particularly during these times of reduced resources. To remedy the problem, members of the Oakland County Homeland Security Division and the Oakland County Incident Management engaged in a process of coordination and collaboration to integrate their operational requirements. While both entities maintain their distinct identities, they have identified and partnered in several processes to enhance their joint capabilities to manage emergencies.