This Plan Is Approved by the Nominated Council Commander

Document Version Control

Authorisation

This plan is approved by the nominated Council Commander.

Document responsibility

This document is the responsibility ofClick here to enter text.

Version / Date / Summary of changes / Author
Document location
This document is stored inClick here to enter text. / Confidentiality classification
This document is classified ashigh

Review

TheCouncilEmergency Operations Centre Manual does not require periodic formal review. Informal reviews may be undertaken as required, including to incorporate changes to legislation, staffing or as a result of findings following incidents.

Acknowledgements

This project was funded by the Commonwealth Attorney General’s Department and South Australian Government from the Natural Disaster Resilience Program and by the Local Government Research and Development Scheme. Input was provided by the following councils and agencies:

General

1.Purpose

This document forms the operational component of Council name Emergency Management Plan.

This document is intended to be used during activation of the Council’s Emergency Operations Centre (CEOC)and assists the Council Incident Management Team (CIMT) in managing the response and recoveryphase of an incident.

2.Council responsibilities

Council has responsibilities in emergency management as outlined in the following table:

Legislation / Local Government responsibilities
Emergency Management Act 2004 /

• Requires the preparation of the SEMP (which Council is required to give due weight to in plans, policies and activities)

Fire and Emergency Services Act 2005 /

• For rural councils or councils with designated urban bushfire risk areas- appoint Fire Prevention Officers
• Contribute to Bushfire Management Area Plans
• Prevent or inhibit the spread and outbreak of fire
• Protect property from fire
• Minimise threat to human life from fire

Local Government Act 1999 /

• Protect its area from natural and other hazards and to mitigate from the effect of such hazards
• Give due weight, in all its plans, policies and activities to regional, state and national objectives and strategies concerning the economic, social, physical and environmental development and management of the community
• Flooding specific – if flooding in the area of a council has occurred or is imminent and the council is of the opinion that a situation of emergency has arisen in which there is danger to life or property, it may order that action be taken as it thinks fit to avert or reduce the danger

3.Council Incident Management Team

The Council Incident Management Team (CIMT) is flexible and scalable dependent on the incident. Smaller and less complex incidents may require fewer resources, with more than one role filled by the same person. In larger incidents, Council may have an extended CIMT with every function filled by a resource.

When multi-agency response is required council involvement will again change to adapt to external state level structures including the ZEST, LGFSG and Control Agency.

Council Incident Management Team activation

4.Incident levels

Council has identified the following incident levels for classifying incidents. A CIMT may be established to manage and coordinate level 2 or 3 incidents and will be established by the appointed Council Commander.

Incident Level / Description
Council Level 1 / Council able to resolve incident within existing resources in a business as usual capacity
Council Level 2 / The incident is more complex in size, resource or risk and Council is required to assign additional resources above business as usual
Council Level 3 / The incident is unable to be managed using existing Council resources and external support is required

Different agencies, including the LGFSG and Control Agencies, have their own levels for classifications of emergency incidents which may differ from those of councils.

5.Triggers for activation

The CIMT may be activated by the CEO or Council Commander when a level 2 or3 incident is anticipated, is imminent or is already occurring.

Triggers for activation can include:

a)Council has received advice from a Control Agency or the LGFSG that an emergency has or is about to occur

b)Council becomes aware of an incident within their jurisdiction that has the potential to become an emergency

c)Council has been notified that an emergency in an adjoining area is likely to impact on the Council name.

d)Council is required to attend ZEST activation

6.CIMT activation levels

Activation can occur in four phases depending on the nature of the incident. In some incidents, there may not be time for all phases to occur. Action and Standby phases will always occur regardless of the type of incident. The phases and actions are outlined below:

Alert: Upon receipt information that a level 2 or3 incident may reasonably be expected to occur some preliminary planning may occur. Activities in this phase could include pre-rostering, determining availability of resources and preliminary communications with external agencies.

Standby: The CIMT may be put on standby if there is reasonable warning or forecast of an incident occurring, for instance this may occur if a severe storm or extreme fire danger day is predicted. CIMT staff will be notified of their expected attendance at the EOC if it is activated.

Action: The Council EOC is staffed, with operations coordinated and resources deployed in response to the incident. Communications are essential between internal staff, external agencies and the public. Stand down: debrief and stand down phase.

Response phase actions for CIMT

Phase / Action

Council Emergency Operations Centre - CIMT

7.CEOC location

The CIMT will be located in the Council Emergency Operations Centre (CEOC).

The primary site of the CEOC is: address

A back-up secondary location is: address

Considerations when selecting appropriate locations include:

• Vulnerability to hazards
• Access to appropriate communications and technology
• Sufficient space
• Security and general access
• Proximity to required resources including access to meals for 24-hour activations

The CEOC will be a secure area with access restricted to staff with valid identification.

8.CEOC resources

The CEOC has the following resources which enable it to host a CIMT:

Insert relevant resources e.g. whiteboard, IT access, phones, printer, battery powered radio, cab charges, food/water etc, maps…

9.Staff requirements for attendance at CEOC

Personnel attending the CEOC are required to bring the following:

Insert resource requirements including identification, laptop or tablet, charger, phone information relevant to the incident….

10.Council Commander council emergency operations centre activation checklist

This checklist has been prepared to assist the Council Commander and CIMT staff activate the Emergency Operations Centre.

Done / Action
Obtain information about incident: location, damage, size and scale, nature, safety issues
Make contact with relevant Control Agency (as listed in Appendix A of Council Emergency Management Plan)
Make contact with relevant Council staff
Make contact with LGFSG State Duty Officer through Council contact phone
Make contact with SAPOL regarding information on roadblocks or disruptions
Consider requesting establishment of ZEST through SAPOL
Determine location of CIMT and gain access
Assess rostering requirements for CEOC and notify staff
If needed contact additional staff to be on standby
Gather all required resources and template documents
Record all activities in incident log book
Establish time sheet system to record staff hours
Consider communication requirements:

• Internal staff
• CEO
• Mayor
• Elected members
• Media
• IMT regular briefing
• Field staff

Organise rotating meal breaks for staff, refreshments
Inform finance a cost code may need to be established for itemising expenses associated with the incident

Council Incident Management Team staffing

11.Staffing

The CEOC will be staffed by Council staff with appropriate skills and training. Staffing of the CIMT is scalable and flexible in response to the scale and nature of the incident.

Rostering of all personnel for duty in the CEOC will be determined by the relevant CIMT member, in accordance with appropriate work health and safety conditions.

It is recommended that councils identify staff for the following four functions as a minimum, noting that more than one function can be performed by one personin a smaller or less complex incident:

• Council Commander
• Operations
• Media/Communications
• Safety/WHS Advisor

In councils with more resources, additional functions may be identified for the CIMT including:

• Administration
• Finance
• Planning/Intelligence
• Logistics
• Customer Contact Manager
• Local Government Liaison Officer

Specific roles may be required for more complex and technical incidents.

Council has identified the following CIMT for a non-specific incident(some examples are provided below as a guide). Please enter your own CIMT structure in a table below, identifying positions that will fill functions. Remember that more than one function can be filled by one person.

Example 1:

CIMT Member / Primary Contact / Secondary Contact / Third Contact
Council Commander / Practice Manager, Corporate Consulting / Practice Manager City Operations / General Manager City Services
Media Liaison Service / Coordinator Marketing / Media and Marketing Officer / Nil
Planning Officer / Practice Manager Corporate Consulting / Service Coordinator WHS & Risk / Risk Officer
Operations Officer / Service Coordinator / Seasonal Cyclic A / Service Coordinator Precinct Maintenance
Logistics Officer / Practice Manager Asset Operations / Service Coordinator, Operations / Service Coordinator Seasonal Cyclic A
Safety Advisor / Service Coordinator, Risk and WHS / WHS Officer / Case Officer – Safety, Rehabilitation and Welfare

Example 2:

CIMT Member / Primary Contact / Secondary Contact
Council Commander / CEO / Nominated Director
Incident and Operations Manager / Director Assets and Environments / Manager Civil and Water Operations
Communications and Media Liaison / Director Organisational Services and Excellence / Manager Customer and Communications
Safety and Administration Support Officer / Director Community and Cultural Development / Manager Organisational Development

Example 3:

CIMT Member / Primary Contact / Secondary Contact / Third Contact
Council Commander
Operations Manager
Control Agency Council Liaison
Safety Advisor
Administrations Officer
Communications Manager
Customer Contact Manager
Planning Manager
Logistics and Facilities Manager
Customer Care
ICT Services

12.Council IMT diagram

Insert diagram of CIMT if needed (in a council with limited resources and a small CIMT this may not be necessary)

May be similar to this:

13.Functional role statements

The following role statements provide a guide to establishing functions within your CIMT.

The colour codes below have been adapted from AIIMS and may be used by Council if you have a large CIMT, otherwise delete this section. It is strongly suggested that colours NOT be altered as this will cause confusion with other agencies including the Control Agency.

/ Council Commander

• Activate and deactivate CIMT
• Initiate and facilitate planning and briefing meetings
• Activate and deactivate roles as required
• Assess situation, identify risks and determine priorities
• Liaise with Control Agencies/Council Liaison Officer
• Update and brief the CEO on the situation
• Approve deployment of Council support/resources
• Schedule and facilitate debriefing and evaluation processes
• Oversee the financial records relating to emergency management
• Activate transition to recovery efforts

/ Operations Manager

• Coordinate deployment of Council support/resources
• Determine need for additional resources or logistics support
• Manage and supervise operation response
• Develop a program for clean-up and restoration of Council assets and services
• Report events, accidents or incidents in the field to Incident Commander

/ Administration Officer 1

• Activate and maintain the Incident Journal
• Support the Incident Commander
• Communication to staff in relation to rosters
• Assist CIMT with administration functions

• Administration Officer 2 (Activated for large events)
• PA support for the Incident Commander

/ Communications Manager

• Ensure Council communication/media policies and procedures are followed
• Ensure the CEO and Elected Members are provided with adequate levels of information regarding the incident
• Manager media communication needs and strategies
• Provide advice regarding corporate image matters
• Collate and disseminate information to Elected Members, Staff, Executive and the Community

/ Organisation Liaison Manager

• Key interface between CIMT and Elected Members and the organisation
• Report issues and trends to the Incident Controller
• Communicate incident updates to Elected Members and organisation

/ Planning Manager

• Monitor and maintain resources deployed
• Assess situation, identify risks and report to Incident Commander
• Assess requests for resources from external agencies
• Ensure all aspects of Shift Management changeover including record of staff hours and rosters
• Ensure appropriate records are maintained in regard to expenditure relating to the incident
• Coordinate access to external professional advice relating to assets and public liability (e.g. insurance advisors)
• Prepare mapping information

/
/ Safety Advisor

• Manage the safety and welfare of staff involved in the incident
• Ensure compliance with relevant legislation and Council’s WHS policies/principles
• Provide advice regarding WHS matters and the evaluation of risks/hazards
• Maintain records on all WHS matters including SOP’s and JSA’s
• Ensure staff have adequate PPE suited to the situation
• Coordinate access to external professional advice relating to WHS (e.g. insurance advisors)

/ Logistics and Facilities Manager

• Establish Incident Control facility
• Ensure appropriate Information Technology and communications resources are available
• Ensure necessary equipment and consumables are available
• Arrange additional external human resources (ie: agency/other council staff)
• Obtain and maintain physical resources, facilities, services, and materials
• Coordinate provisions of food and water for staff

/ Control Agency Council Liaison

• Represent Council in the Local Government Zone Emergency Support Team (ZEST)
• Share information between the ZEST and Council
• Represent Council in the LG Function Support Group

LGA of SAECM 657499Emergency Operations Centre Manual Page 1 of 46

14.Rostering

In a lengthy incident, Council will require at least a primary and secondary contact (preferably more) to enable 24 hour per day rostering. This template is provided for rostering purposes:

Incident:nameDay number: 1Date: dd/mm/yyyy

CIMT Position / Shift 1 (xAM – xPM) / Shift 2 (xPM – xAM) / Shift 3 (xAM – xPM)
Council Commander
WHS and Safety Officer
Media and Liaison officer
Operations Officer

Important information needed to complete this roster:

• Rostering of staff for the CIMT is a maximum shift of 12 hours, but can be less than this. Council policy indicates that the maximum attendance period will be xx hours.
• 24 hour rostering is not essential and depends on council resources and nature and severity of incident.
• Additional positions may be required in a complex and prolonged event, or less in a simpler incident.
• If it is anticipated to be a prolonged event, provisions will be needed in the rostering to allow days off for staff. It is recommended that staff be rested after a period of3consecutive days.

LGA of SAECM XXXXX< File Name > Page 1 of 46

15.Fatigue management

Fatigue management is a crucial issue for both staff in the CIMT and on-ground. To manage this, Council has considered the following points in resourcing emergency response for an incident:

• Where possible, Council pre-notifies staff of rostering for the CIMT and is flexible with the hours worked in the substantive position to allow for rest before attendance.
• It is important that staff comply with the maximum shift hours as listed in the CIMT roster, and leave once handover of their shift is complete.
• On-ground and CIMT staff are required to notify via the chain of command to their line manager or the Council Commander, as appropriate, if they are feeling fatigued prior to or during the shift.
• Staff are encouraged to monitor and report fatigue in colleagues.
• Staff are encouraged to use the time between shifts as rest time.
• Where staff are required to attend to personal protection of their property in an incident or participate in voluntary duties (for instance with the Country Fire Service, SA Ambulance Service or State Emergency Service) they should inform the Council Commander or relevant line manager and their shifts be reduced or alternative staff be found to resource the CIMT to minimise ongoing fatigue of these staff.
• Overnight shifts are not always required in every incident and should be reduced in length or eliminated where possible.
• Alternative transport arrangements should be available for staff that may be fatigued, for instance cab charges. Fatigued staff should not be allowed to drive home following a shift.
• Following stand down of the CIMT, staff which have worked during the incident should have an adequate rest period before returning to their substantive duties.

LGA of SAECM XXXXX< File Name > Page 1 of 46

Operations

16.Operational functions

The main operational functions of the CEOC may include, but are not limited to:

• Coordinating and deploying resources to assist response and recovery
• Coordinating the provision of additional resources required to support operations
• Collect, process, interpret and distributing information and intelligence
• Providing communications facilities
• Liaising with Control Agencies and other external agencies
• Carrying out any other directions issued by the Control Agency IMT or Local Government Functional Support Group

17.Council support to the Control Agency

As identified in the i-Responda program, tasks that Council may undertake in support to the Control Agency during an emergency could include:

• Strategic road grading/clearance
• Considered vegetation clearance
• Focus on Council infrastructure and its use in an emergency
• All Councils in SA operate and provided services and functions within a risk management framework to ensure that worker and public safety is paramount including:
• Establish WHS / Risk Management processes and systems to manage workers, liabilities, public safety and plant/equipment
• Cohesive and standard assessments pursuant to the relevant WHS requirements
• A “one-system” approach relating to WHS legislative and Exempt Employer requirements.

18.Council risks