Interagency Operations

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Interagency Operations

• Standard Operating Procedures
• Jim Reutlinger, SEARCH

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STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURES

• The devil is in
• the details!

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Interoperability OperationsDeveloping Policies
And Procedures

• What
• Formalized interagency agreements on how the
  system will be maintained and used, integrating
  NIMS.
• (The National Incident Management System)

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Interoperability OperationsDeveloping Policies
And Procedures

• Why
• Interagency communications policies and
  procedures establish how technology is to be used
  to achieve interoperability.
• Integration of NIMS ensures an operational focus
  compatible with incident management systems with
  other potential cooperators beyond the
  initiative.

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Interoperability OperationsDeveloping Policies
And Procedures

• Who
• The system governance board approves acceptable
  policies and procedures developed by User and
  Technical Committees.

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Interoperability OperationsDeveloping Policies
And Procedures

• When
• Starting early in the project and carried on
  through a process of continuous improvements
  after implementation.

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SOP DEVELOPMENT
Interoperability OperationsDeveloping Policies
And Procedures

• Interoperable SOPs Require the Following
• A Project Foundation
• Executive Sponsor
• Educated about the need for partner-wide
  interoperability SOP
• Understanding the associated costs/recurring
  budget item
• The need for Inter Agency/ Discipline on-going
  training and exercises

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SOP DEVELOPMENT
Interoperability OperationsDeveloping Policies
And Procedures

• A Project Foundation (continued)
• MOU/MOA between partner agencies BEFORE they join
  the system!!!!!!!
• Plain language
• Regional communication plan
• Budget for equipment, training and exercises

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SOP DEVELOPMENT
Interoperability OperationsDeveloping Policies
And Procedures

• A Project Foundation (continued)
• Develop the Charter
• Make the business case
• Radio Communications
• Equipment Budget
• Personnel Training
• Equipment Maintenance

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SOP DEVELOPMENT
Interoperability OperationsDeveloping Policies
And Procedures

• A Project Foundation (continued)
• The Regional Communication Plan
• NIMS/ICS for all disciplines, EOC and PSAP
• On-going training for Disciplines, EOC and PSAP
• Tactical interoperability plan
• Data management Plan

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SOP DEVELOPMENT
Interoperability OperationsDeveloping Policies
And Procedures

• A Project Foundation (continued)
• Create an SOP committee or sub-committee under
  Operations User Group
• Committee should reflect makeup of participating
  disciplines
• Use existing regional task force or advocacy group

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SOP DEVELOPMENT
Interoperability OperationsDeveloping Policies
And Procedures

• The best technology and infrastructure cannot
  make up for a poor or non-existent communications
  plan.

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Interoperability OperationsDeveloping Policies
And Procedures

• Interoperability Tech Guide
• Integrate NIMS into SOPs
• Establish and Use a Standard Method
• Standard Template Example
• A purpose or objective statement
• A technical background statement describing
  capabilities and constraints under which the
  standard, protocol, or procedure is used
• An operational context statement addressing when
  it is appropriate
• A recommended protocol/standard statement
  addressing related criteria that qualify use of
  the one being established
• The recommended procedure, itself, describing how
  the task is performed,
• A management statement describing who is
  responsible for supervising or managing this
  procedure

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Interoperability OperationsDeveloping Policies
And Procedures

• Creating Operational Policies
• and Procedures
• The Technical and User Committees of the
  governing body are commonly tasked with
  responsibility to create the SOPs, carry them
  through approval and adoption, and maintain them
  over time.
• ICS Communications Unit (NIMS)
• Incident Dispatch Teams (Tactical Dispatch)
• Emergency Traffic (How to handle)
• Channel Span of Control (Off loading busy
  channels)
• Standard Language (Drop the use of codes)
• Communications-order Model (Message
  acknowledgement)
• Operational Unit Reporting (Standardized
  reporting)

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Interoperability OperationsDeveloping Policies
And Procedures

• Creating Operational Policies
• and Procedures
• The Incident Communications Plan
• SOPs drive the development of the incident
  communications plan
• The plan is specific to an incident due to its
  unique geographic location the type of operations
• The ICS 205 Template identifies communications
  resources for the incident
• Functional assignments
• Technical parameters of the resource, such as
  frequencies and tones for conventional channels.
  
• the ICS 205 says a lot about the participating
  agencies and the incident command structure

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Interoperability OperationsDeveloping Policies
And Procedures

• The diagram depicts a realistic organizational
  chart identifying responders to a hypothetical
  event by their function.

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SOP DEVELOPMENT
Interoperability OperationsDeveloping Policies
And Procedures

• What Does Success Look Like?
• Region/State wide SOP compatibility between
  jurisdictions, disciplines and agencies
• Region/State wide integration between
  jurisdictions, agencies and disciplines
• Region/State communication plan compatibility

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Mission Critical Incidents

• PSAP, EOC, Incident Command, Tactical Operations
• Multi-agency, multi-discipline
• Use of plain language
• NIMS/ICS
• Use of Communication Unit Leaders
• Use of unit identification Swap radios
• NIM/ICS
• Plain language
• Use of Unit Identification
• Radio Cache activation/deactivation
• PSAP management of Gateway request
• Gateway activation
• Gateway deactivation

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SAFECOMWhat is it?
SAFECOM, a communications program of the
Department of Homeland Security's Office for
Interoperability and Compatibility (OIC), with
its Federal partners, provides research,
development, testing and evaluation, guidance,
tools, and templates on communications-related
issues to local, tribal, state, and federal
response agencies. SAFECOM is working to
address the need to develop better technologies
and processes for the multi-jurisdictional and
cross-disciplinary coordination of existing
systems and future networks.
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SAFECOMContinuum
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SAFECOMKey Drivers for Progression Along
Continuum

• Leadership commitment to achieve interoperability
• Leadership support for collaboration across
  disciplines
• Frequent usage of interoperability solutions
• Coordination across all disciplines (Governance,
  Technology, SOPs, Training)
• Examples
• The Regional Committee must review and approve
  equipment purchases, SOPs, and training plans
• Equipment must be purchased to develop SOPs and
  training materials
• SOPs must be in place prior to developing training

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SAFECOMElements of Comprehensive Local/Regional
Interoperability SOPs

• Progression along the continuum is a parallel
  process
• In other words, you cannot progress along
  continuum if only one discipline has advanced
• Example, if you procure new equipment but have
  not conducted exercises for use of the new
  equipment, you have not truly progressed along
  the continuum
• Goal
• Region Wide SOP Integration between agencies and
  disciplines

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Interoperability OperationsDeveloping Policies
And Procedures

• Questions?