An Emergency Operation Plan (EOP)

An Emergency Operation Plan (EOP)

Introduction

An Emergency Operation Plan (EOP) is a document that specifically outlines how facilities such as law enforcement agencies can respond to critical incidents. It majorly sets the guidelines that personnel in an agency should follow to manage an event efficiently, effectively, and promptly. EOPs are majorly designed to be used for all types of incidents that the agency might be called upon to manage and resolve. EOPs are, therefore, essential when it comes to preparing, responding, and managing critical incidents. Miami-Dade Police Department has its EOP that is used as a guide to how officers would respond to critical events. There are specific criteria emphasized that law enforcement must consider when developing their EOPs that are essential for adequate preparing personnel, responding to incidents, and managing events. The EOP of Miami Dade Police contains various aspects such as EOC operations, communication during a critical incident, utilization of volunteers, deployment of personnel, interagency cooperation, critical incident stress management, and essential tasks for managing the crisis phase.

EOC Operations

The Emergency Operation Center (EOC) in Miami Dade Police is to act as the coordination hub for incident responses. The major coordination points that the EOC focuses on to ensure that it is capable of serving include all emergency operations, information gathering and dissemination, and coordination with local governments, outside contractors, mutual aid, and volunteers. The five primary functions of the EOC in Miami-Dade Police are the command, planning, operations, logistics, and finance. According to reports, these are some of the major departments contained in EOCs, which are crucial for their effectiveness. In Miami-Dade Police, the EOC is responsible for the overall response management and coordination of all operations needed to support the Incident Action Plans (IAPs) when incidents occur. The EOC is also responsible for collecting, evaluating, and disseminating information and for coordinating the development of IAPs. This is precisely the work of the planning department that is also responsible for training and educating officers on critical incident management.

There is also the logistics department whose role is to identify and procure facilities, services, personnel, equipment, and materials needed to assist in the management of various incidents. Thanks to the department, the Miami-Dade Police has continued to provide officers with the latest resources required by officers to effectively respond and manage critical events. There is also the finance department in the EOC that is responsible for tracking incident costs, forecasts, and payments of responders, contractors, and claims. The department plays an essential role when it comes to managing costs in critical incidents by working with other departments such as planning and logistics.

Communication During Incidents

According to reports, communication is one of the essential elements for effective response and management of critical incidents. Without proper communication, responders would have a hard time taking orders and managing critical events. There are various ways that the police of Miami Dade communicate in critical incidents. The primary forms that are used during critical incidents are the two-way radios. Relevant information needed by the responders is usually transmitted through the two-way radios, especially when the orders need to be communicated urgently to officers and also if orders are general, such as the nature of the critical incident. The police department also has its social media platforms that are majorly used to communicate with members of the community and officers. During critical events, social media platforms are used to update members of the community and officers regarding the location of the incidents, its nature, and what are expected from the concerned groups. According to reports, public cooperation is essential when it comes to managing critical events. The social media platforms are majorly used to seek the cooperation of the public and also alert officers to be vigilant in case extra help and resources would be needed. Telephones and cell phones are other communication tools that are used during a critical incident. The decision-makers majorly use the two modes of communication during the event. Telephones and cell phones are used to request and convey relevant information needed for decision-making regarding how the incident can be effectively managed.

Utilization of Volunteers

The EOP of Miami Dade Police also involves the use of volunteers in the preparation, responding, and managing of critical incidents. The agency has a volunteer program that focuses on training interested volunteers regarding critical events, working with volunteering groups, and collaborating with trained individual volunteers and volunteering groups during critical incidents. The agency frequently conducts training on critical incidents where interested volunteers and officers are encouraged to participate. These volunteers are majorly utilized in minor events and in cases where extra manpower is needed to manage an incident effectively. Volunteering groups are also used to educate and train interested individuals on how to respond, assist, and manage critical events. The agency majorly works and forms partnerships with volunteering groups whose operations involve training, educating, and helping in critical incidents. Volunteering groups have proved to be a great source of skills and knowledge for the agency regarding how it can better prepare, respond, and manage critical incidents. The EOP of Miami Dade Police, therefore, targets professional and unskilled volunteers in its effort to ensure the agency can adequately prepare, respond, and manage critical incidents. Additionally, the volunteer program encourages the agency to make use of spontaneous and affiliated volunteers. Spontaneous volunteers are people who are willing to volunteer in the immediate aftermath of a disaster, while affiliated volunteers are those that are attached to recognized voluntary agencies that have trained them on disaster response and management.

Deployment of Personnel

Miami-Dade Police utilizes the Incident Command System (ICS). According to reports, ICS is a powerful system that can be used by law enforcement to organize chaos due to its scalability and objectiveness. By utilizing the ICS, law enforcement agencies can also become more proactive when dealing with critical incidents. Miami-Dade has an Incident Management Team (IMT) that is made up of an Incident Commander, commander staff, and the general staff. Before deployment of personnel, incidents reported to officers on patrol or direct to the station are immediately notified to the IMT at the EOC who determine their threat level and resources needed for responding. Based on the nature and complexity of an incident, the IC orders personnel deployment to the location of the incident. However, the deployment of personnel and resources is mostly managed with IC in conjunction with supervisors. Yet, in the event of a dispute, the IC has the authority to direct attendance. The use of various technologies such as Automatic Vehicle Location Systems (AVLS), Automatic Person Location Systems (APLS), and mapping services helps Miami-Dade to have real-time information on the availability of personnel such as officers, volunteers, voluntary groups.

When responding to critical incidents, the Miami-Dade Police also makes use of specially trained and equipped police tactical operations teams. According to reports, the use of tactical operation teams during critical incidents has been associated with a substantial reduction of injury risks, loss of lives, and appropriate resolution of incidents. The Tactical Commander is usually in charge of the tactical operations team. The Tactical Commander oversees all the operations of the team, is always on the lookout for any information on critical incidents, and works closely with IC in responding, identifying, and managing events. The Tactical Commander is responsible for activating the Tactical Operation Team when critical incidents occur. By activating the Tactical Operation Team, the members are deployed to the location of the critical event. However, the Tactical Commander is always subordinate to the IC in terms of when and if the tactical operations team will be activated. However, once the IC requests for the deployment of Tactical Operations Teams, the Tactical Commander is directly responsible for the methods and tactics that would be used to accomplish the mission.

Interagency Cooperation

The EOP of Miami-Dade Police also involves interagency cooperation. According to reports, interagency cooperation is a collaborative approach that is changing the landscape of how law enforcement agencies manage critical incidents. Interagency collaboration allows for a broader and more diverse perspective on how to respond and manage critical events. The plan requires Miami-Dade Police to work with other law enforcement agencies within and outside its jurisdiction. The plan majorly emphasizes the need for sharing information, especially during critical incidents. Apart from law enforcement agencies, the plan also involves the agency working with other departments such as local fire service agencies, Emergency Medical Services (EMS), voluntary groups concerned with critical incidents, and the local community. The plan involves the Miami-Dade Police sharing information regarding how popular critical events can be jointly responded to by the agency and the groups mentioned above. Some of the best practices utilized in the plan are the war zone care and rescue concept, where the agency works with fire services, EMS, and voluntary groups to save lives while also stopping assailants. To promote interagency collaboration, the plan emphasizes the need for the Chief Police of Miami-Dade and other management professionals to frequently meet with leaders from other departments to discuss how they can collaborate in different incidents. The plan also encourages joint training between the agency and other departments on how to respond and collaboratively manage various events. Based on the plan, joint training is meant to promote effective coordination between different departments during incidents and ensuring that there is a unified command. From the community side perspective, the plan encourages community policing that focuses on how Miami-Dade Police can work with community members during critical incidents. It encourages the need to educate the community on critical events and what the members should do for effective resolution. Miami-Dade Police works with social institutions such as schools where they teach staff and students on critical incidents and what their responsibilities are when such events occur.

Critical Incident Stress Management (CISM)

One characteristic associated with critical incidents is stress. Responders can experience stress when they are forced to endure emotionally tragic or physically threatening events. The two types of critical incident stress are acute and delayed stresses. Acute stresses usually occur during or shortly after an incident, while delayed stress occurs hours, days, months, and even years after an event. Proper identification of stress is crucial to the survival of officers. The EOP of Miami-Dade Police also involves critical incident stress management. Miami-Dade Police has a critical incident stress management department that is responsible for providing stress management services to officers. The approaches used by the department in stress management include peer support, debriefing, counseling, and debriefing. The plan emphasizes the need to manage stress before, during, and after critical incidents. In the ‘before an incident’ section of the plan, the department is encouraged to regularly conduct training to officers on how to recognize stress symptoms and reactions related to critical incidents. The department is also required to inform officers about the nature and complexity of their jobs and why seeking help to stress management is crucial for their health, life, and work performance. During an incident, the department is also encouraged to participate to ensure that stress is effectively managed during the phase. The staff in the incident department is required to ensure that responders take necessary breaks to reduce frustration and fatigue. The personnel is also required to facilitate processes that ensure that there are enough responders in a scene to allow rotation and relief of personnel when necessary.

Additionally, the stress management staff is required to ensure that officers get refreshments, nutrition foods, and beverages, especially for prolonged critical incidents. In the ‘after an incident’ section, the plan mandates the stress management department to provide formal debriefing to responders and make counseling available. Additionally, Miami-Dade Police’s EOP requires the CISM department is required to regularly communicate information to different levels of management regarding the importance of effective management and control in stress management of employees. The department is also required to initiate various approaches to monitor the stress levels of officers, especially after major incidents.

Management of the Crisis Phase

The EOP of Miami-Dade also discusses the primary goals that need to be focused on when managing the crisis phase of any critical incident. The plan aims at ensuring that critical incidents are resolved as quickly as possible and that there is little damage caused by the event. This requires resolving the incident in its early phases, with the major one being the crisis phase. According to reports, the crisis phases of critical incidents have similar problems and obstacles. It is, therefore, realistic that the EOP of Miami-Dade highlights what officers should strive to achieve when responding to critical incidents. The same steps can be taken to minimize the effects of the crisis phase regardless of the type or location of an event. One of my primary goals in the crisis phase, as outlined by the EOP of Miami-Dade Police is establishing control and communications. The goal is vital as the responding team and the public need to know who is in charge, where the orders are coming from, and how they can exchange and pass relevant information to effectively manage the incident at its early stages. Another goal-focused by the plan is identifying the kill zone. The kill zone refers to the area of imminent danger to responders and citizens. The goal is essential as it would help to prevent the escalation of harm to the responders and public due to blindly accessing areas of imminent dangers. Another fundamental goal focused on by the plan is establishing the inner perimeter. According to the plan, the goal is crucial as it would help to ensure that officers operate in an area that is safe and where they can directly control situations. The goal is also vital as it would help to prevent the kill zone from moving or expanding further to other areas. Establishing the outer perimeter is another essential goal of officers as outlined in Miami-Dade’s EOP. Focusing on the goal is vital when managing the crisis phase as the outer perimeter completely encloses the inner perimeter of an incident and provides a much safer working area for responders. According to reports, the goal is also essential as it would help to ensure effective control of movement to and from the scene and further prevent gridlocks. The other primary goal-focused in the plan in the crisis phase is establishing the on-scene command post. The on-scene command post ensures that there is conduciveness in communications and decision-making. The goal is essential as it would help to minimize various stress factors in a scene such as noise, confusion, and panic. Establishing a staging area where resources wait for deployment is another essential task outlined in the plan. The goal is critical as it would ensure that resources do not directly respond to the kill zone, thereby promoting safety and preventing gridlocks. The final primary goal focused on the EOP of Miami-Dade Police is identifying and requesting additional resources. The goal is essential as only through knowing the resources that are currently needed and those that would be required later can an incident in the crisis phase be effectively managed. According to the plan, if Miami-Dade Police can achieve the goals mentioned above, it is likely to manage and resolve critical incidents quickly and prevent it from moving to the other stages.

Conclusion

It is crucial for law enforcement agencies to develop EOPs that can assist them in preparing, responding, and managing critical incidents. However, having EOPs is not enough for law enforcement when it comes to managing and resolving critical incidents. Agencies need to ensure that officers are well aware of what their EOP entail. Many agencies have EOPs, but the challenges are lack of awareness and knowledge of responsibilities, implementation, and why they are essential. EOPs also need to cover various aspects that are essential for ensuring that the plans would assist the concerned agency in preparing, responding, and managing critical incidents. The Miami-Dade Police has an effective EOP that can significantly aid the agency in preparing, responding, and managing stress. However, how well and informed officers in the agency are aware of the document is still not satisfactory. The agency can, therefore, ensure that its EOP works to its advantage if it increases awareness and understanding of the document and why it is crucial.