effective incident management - christine owen

© BUSHFIRE CRC LTD 2009

PROGRAM D: Enhancing information flow and IMT effectiveness

How healthy is the Australasian Inter-Service Incident Management System?

Some tales from the field

Dr. Christine OwenAustralasian Bushfire CRC Project Leader, University of Tasmania, Hobart


Program D.5 Information flow and teamwork in major incidents

Incident management

= complexity

= interdependency

= on-flow effects

Why a health check?


6 sections

1 Overview of incident

2 Area of Responsibility

during incident

3 Teamwork

Perspectives

4 IMT & Incident

Ground/Fire

Ground

Interaction

5 Processes

and Procedures

6 Individual Profile


AIIMS Health check

•Longevity

•Circulation

•Senses

•Stress Test


Health = longevity + sustainability

3

16

3936

6

0

10

20

30

40

% o

f resp

on

den

ts

20-29 30-39 40-49 50-59 60+

years

Age of respondents


Health = longevity + sustainability

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

respondents

20-29 30-39 40-49 50-59 60+

years

Comparison of the age of male & female respondents

male

female


AIIMS -- The Vitals: Circulation – information

flow

Good improvements in

information flow in

many areas

-Briefings

-Incident Action Plans

-Risk Management and

assessment tools


Some concerns: hearing, seeing and speaking


Comparison: Did the briefing (where one was received)...?

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100

Explain what had happened so far

Explain the current situation

Outline objectives, strategies & rationale

Id current & expected resourcing

Id alternative strategies

Id economic, social, public health & enviro risks

Id key operation points

Id boundaries of Sectors & Divisions

Outline the chain of command in the IMT

Id location of IMT personnel

Provide info on the communications plan

Id OH&S issues

Define shift times

Utilise a SMEACS format

% of positive responses

2008

2003


Hearing

only 33% heard

alternative

strategies

even in incidents

that were

complex


Problem with Seeing


Risk management tools: All agencies

Availability of risk management tools

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70

Incident resource mgmt system

Radio repeaters

Pro-forma briefing checklist

Pro-forma action checklist

Aide memoirs

Deployment of safety officers

Feedback from shift change debriefs

Use of mentors

Mobile weather station/specialists

Access to technical data bases

Technical/industry specialists

% of positive responses

2008

2003


Problem with Speaking

Incident Control System

levels—disconnect

between the IMT and

the fire-ground


Problem with SpeakingIncident Control System

levels—disconnect

between the IMT and

the fire-ground


During the shift

On a scale of 1(low) to 7(high), to what extent did

the communication plans/arrangements enable

you to do your job effectively?

0%

5%

10%

15%

20%

25%

30%

35%

1 low 2 3 4 5 6 7 high

vali

d r

esp

on

ses

IMT


During the shift

0%

5%

10%

15%

20%

25%

30%

35%

1 low 2 3 4 5 6 7 high

va

lid

re

sp

on

se

s

IMT

FG/IG





During the shift




0%

5%

10%

15%

20%

25%

30%

35%

1 low 2 3 4 5 6 7 high

va

lid

re

sp

on

se

s

IMT

FG/IG

Coord


During the shift*people and equipment

On a scale of 1(low) to 7(high) how confident

are you that all resources* were accounted

for in the resource management system for

this incident?


During the shift

On a scale of 1(low) to 7(high) how confident are

you that all resources* were accounted for in the

resource management system for this incident?

0%

5%

10%

15%

20%

25%

30%

35%

1 low 2 3 4 5 6 7 high

po

sit

ive r

esp

on

den

ts

IMT

*people and equipment


During the shift



resource management system for this incident?

0%

5%

10%

15%

20%

25%

30%

35%

1 low 2 3 4 5 6 7 high

po

sit

ive r

esp

on

den

ts

IMT

FG/IG



During the shift



resource manamement system for this incident?

0%

5%

10%

15%

20%

25%

30%

35%

1 low 2 3 4 5 6 7 high

po

sit

ive r

esp

on

den

ts

IMT

FG/IG

Coord



Organisational stress test

Were there any factors that prevented you from

doing your job?

yes

38%

no

62%


People with most difficulties in effectively

being able to do job

1. In planning

2. Less than 5 years

experience

3. Sig no mentoring

4. Women

5. Volunteers


Incident profile: Problematic blockages

1. Escalation

2. ICS Level 2-3

3. Multiple inter-agencies


Can you match the concern with the

State?

NSW Qld SA TAS Vic WA

The level of contradiction in policies

guiding the management of the incident

Concerns that the IMT and Fire/Incident

Ground personnel did not interact in an

open and honest manner

The adequacy of information provided at

changeover

Certainty about what needed to be done

Level of congestion of radio frequencies

Extent to which external factors inhibit

ability to do job


For more

information

come to the

conference

presentation

of Ian Dwyer

tomorrow @

8:30am!!!!


Prognoses and prescriptions?


Cautions: No silver bullet and one size does not

fit all

Careful not to

oversimplify the

problem

AND

Not to oversimplify

the solution


Changes needed: to culture/organisational

processes

to intent/guidance

to networks

to interdependence

and mutual expectation

to adaptive expertise

From SOPS guidelines

From hierarchy

From bureaucratic

“interference”

From following

instructions


Similar themes to this one will be

discussed at

Ian Dwyer High Performance IMT

Teamwork and organising for high

reliability- (Wed 23rd Sept 8:30am

Stream 3)

and

Jan Douglas The role of

emotional intelligence and

leadership in creating high

performing teams (Thurs 24th Sept

11:00-12:45 Stream 3)


With the assistance of two fabulous research officers…

Kirsty Vogel & Debbie Vogel and

stats...

Phil & Dr Peter

And thank you!

effective incident management - christine owen

Health & Medicine