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DHS Emergency Management

Presenter: Frank BillardDirector, Office of Facilities & Support Services

Date: October 21, 2015

Georgia Department of Human Services

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Agenda

• Overview of DHS Emergency Management– Definition– Authority– Organizational Structures– Processes– Recent Activities

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What is Emergency Management?

Emergency Management (EM) is a structured approach to planning for and responding to emergencies or disasters.

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4 Phases of Emergency ManagementPreventing future emergencies or minimizing their effects. Includes any activities that prevent an emergency, reduce the chance of an emergency happening, or reduce the damaging effects of unavoidable emergencies.

Preparing to handle an emergency. Includes plans or preparations made to save lives and to help response and rescue operations.

Responding safely to an emergency. Includes actions taken to save lives and prevent further property damage in an emergency situation. Response is putting your preparedness plans into action.

Recovering from an emergency. Includes actions taken to return to a normal or an even safer situation following an emergency.

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• State Law– OCGA, Title 38, Section 3, Articles 1-3 (Georgia Emergency Management Act

of 1981, Amended)• Georgia Emergency Operations Plan (GEOP)

– Base Plan– Emergency Support Function (ESF) Annexes

• Governor’s Executive Order– Designates State Coordinating Agencies for each ESF

State Authority

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Emergency Support Functions (ESFs)

• 15 ESFs in the GEOP (see handout)• ESFs provide the structure for coordinating state interagency support

for all planning, training, exercise, and response efforts• Individual ESFs can be activated based on the scope and magnitude

of the incident• Each ESF has a lead agency that coordinates assistance from

supporting state agencies and other organizations

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ESF #6 Mass Care & Human Services• DHS is State’s Lead Agency For ESF 6 – Mass Care & Human Services

– Sheltering Support– Mass Care– Emergency Assistance– Disaster Housing– Human Services– Status Reporting of mass care, shelter, human services activities in SOC

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ESF 6 Support Agencies• Board of Regents of the University System of

Georgia• Emergency Preparedness Coalition for Individuals

with Disabilities and Older Adults• Georgia Department of Administrative Services• Georgia Department of Agriculture• Georgia Department of Behavioral Health and

Development Disabilities• Georgia Department of Public Health• Georgia Department of Corrections• Georgia Department of Defense• Georgia Department of Driver Services• Georgia Department of Economic Development• Georgia Department of Education• Georgia Department of Labor• Georgia Department of Natural Resources

• Georgia Department of Public Safety• Georgia Department of Transportation• Georgia Department of Veterans Services• Georgia Building Authority• Georgia Bureau of Investigations• Georgia Emergency Management

Agency/Homeland Security• Georgia Forestry Commission• Georgia Governor’s Office of Consumer Affairs• Georgia Disaster Housing Task Force• Georgia Office of Planning and Budget• Georgia Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster• State Bar of Georgia• Technical College System of Georgia• The Salvation Army

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Georgia Emergency Management Agency

• GEMA Provides Overarching Coordination– WebEOC

• Documents and tracks event activities• Gathers information for daily Situation Reports (SitReps)• Generates Incident Action Plans (IAPs)• Routes and tracks Requests for Assistance

– State Operations Center (SOC)• Activation notification to ESF Coordinators• ESFs provide SOC staffing as required (normally 12 hr. shifts)

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GEMA SOC Activation LevelsLEVEL 1 (RED) – FULL SCALE ACTIVATIONAll Primary and Alternate Emergency Coordinators, GEMA Staff, and local EMA directors are notified of full scale activation. All ESFs and appropriate supporting State / Volunteer Agency Coordinators are Directed to report to and staff the SOC. All GEMA SOC positions are staffed.

LEVEL 2 (YELLOW) – ELEVATED ACTIVATIONAll Primary and Alternate Emergency Coordinators, GEMA Staff, and Local EMA directors are notified of An Elevated Activation. The necessary State Agency Coordinators and necessary GEMA Staff are directed to report to the SOC.

LEVEL 3 (GREEN) – ACTIVE MONITORINGGEMA is operating under normal day-to-day operations. The GEMA Communications Center is actively monitoring all events and reporting them to the appropriate personnel who respond accordingly.

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DHS Emergency Management Staffing

• DHS Emergency Manager (OFSS)• ESF 6 Coordinator (OFSS)

– New EM Planning / Training Coordinator (OFSS)• DFCS Emergency Management Coordinator

– DFCS Regional and County EM Coordinators• DAS Emergency Management Coordinator

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Response Escalation

• “All emergencies begin locally”• State called upon when local resources are exhausted• Federal assistance requested when State resources are exhausted• Based on Emergency Declarations

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Requests for Assistance

COUNTY EMA

DIRECTOR

CALLS SOCSOC ACTION

OFFICER TAKES CALL

& COMPLETES WebEOC

RESOURCE REQUEST

SOC

MISSION ASSIGNMENT

PROCESSES RESOURCE

REQUEST

GEMA FC

CALLS SOC ON

BEHALF OF

COUNTY EMA

DIRECTOR

COUNTY EMA or

GEMA FC

PREPARES WebEOC

RESOURCE

REQUEST

Air Ops or

GaDOD

ESFs 1-15

VOAD

Mutual Aid

Purchase

Contract

FEMA

OR

OR

VIA INTERNET

VIA WebEOC

VIA Phone

VIA Phone

Process Flow

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Recent DHS / ESF 6 Activity

• Response Activities– Ice Storms– Severe Weather (tornadoes)– Flooding– Extreme Hot Weather– Extreme Cold Weather– Hurricanes

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Recent DHS / ESF 6 Activity

• Planning / Training / Exercise Activities– Emergency Preparedness Coalition for Individuals with Disabilities & Older Adults– HURREX– Winter Weather Exercise– Sheltering– ESF 6 Mass Feeding Plan– Comfort Station Plan

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