Implementing an Incident Command System within a Multi-Company Organization - Emergency Preparedness

1. Implementing Incident Command System
within a Multi-Company Organization
Jim Salmon
Director - Emergency Preparedness
April 28, 2015

2. 2
• Iberdrola USA Networks overview
• Benefits of integration
• Incident Command System (ICS)
Area Command
Incident Command
Unified Command
• Emergency response roles
• Incident Position Guide (IPG)
Agenda

3. 3
Iberdrola USA Networks Overview
Facts and Figures
Service Area 34,000 square miles
Population Served 5 million
Electricity Service
62 counties, 962 cities,
towns, villages and townships
Electricity Customers 1,857,000
Miles of Transmission
Lines
8,275
Miles of Distribution
Lines
66,709
Substations 905
Electricity Delivered 31,570 gigawatt-hours
Natural Gas Service
41 counties, 337 cities,
towns and villages
Natural Gas Customers 570,000
Natural Gas Delivered 111 million dekatherms

4. Benefits of Integration
• Internal and external consistency
• Integrates common Incident Command System (ICS) terminology
• Aligns all three operating companies to a common standard
- Ease of reporting, tracking and after action review assessment
- Opportunity for standardized training
• Easily deploy employees in roles across operating companies
• Scalability
• Establishes common groundwork for Emergency Operating Procedures
(EOPs)
4

5. Introduction to Incident Command System
• Modeled after the Incident Command System (ICS) framework
developed by the National Incident Management System (NIMS)
• Benefits:
- Flexible
- Scalable
• Allows for Unified Command response with external parties
• Iberdrola USA Networks’ version has two layers:
- Incident Command for each affected operating area
- Area Command to coordinate company-wide activity
5

6. Scalability of Area and Incident Command
• For significant emergencies,
Area Command may be
activated
• For smaller, localized events,
only the Incident Command
level may be engaged
6

7. Incident
Commander
Safety Officer
Public Information
Officer
Operations Section
Chief
Transmission/
Distribution Branch
Director
Substation Branch
Director
Wires Down Branch
Director
Vegetation
Management
Branch Director
Pole Setting Branch
Director
Field Circuit
Coordinator
Circuit Information
Coordinator
Planning Section
Chief
Crew Tracking Unit
Leader
Damage
Assessment Branch
Director
OMS / ETR Support
Branch Director
Logistics Section
Chief
Logistics Support
Branch Director
Dry Ice / Bottled
Water Unit Leader
Food/Lodging Unit
Leader
Fleet Unit Leader
Facility Unit Leader
IT Unit Leader
Special Project
Coordinator
Liaison
(County and Local)
Public Liaison
Officer
New York Only
Supply Unit Leader
GIS Mapping
Support
Security Unit
Leader
Iberdrola USA Networks’ Incident Command
• Remaining consistent with a
manageable span of
control, Incident Command
has six areas:
- Planning
- Operations
- Logistics
- Safety
- Public Information
- Public Liaison (Outreach )
• Additional Incident
Commanders are activated
if the event affects multiple
divisions or energy sources
7

8. Area Commander
Deputy*
Assistant Area
Commander -
Public Information
Officer
Website /Social
Media Coordinator
Assistant Area
Commander -
Public Liaison
Officer
SOEM/MEMA
Liaisons
Assistant Area
Commander -
Finance/Admin
Assistant Area
Commander -
Logistics
Stores Coordinator
Fleet Coordinator
IT Coordinator
Facilities
Coordinator
Dry Ice/Bottled
Water Coordinator
Assistant Area
Commander -
Planning
Contractor
Coordinator
Vegetation
Management
Coordinator
Planning Section
MAG Liaison
Aviation
Coordinator
Resource Tracking
Coordinator
Wire Guard/
Damage
Assessment Coord
OMS Coordinator
Assistant Area
Commander -
Documentation
Documentation
Coordinator
Support Pool
(Admin and Field)
Critical Needs
Branch Director
Security
Coordinator
Food and Lodging
Coordinator
New York Only
Area Command
Deputy Assistant
Customer
Response
Messaging Unit
Leader
Customer
Response
Messaging Support
Email Coordinator
Internal
Communication
Coordinator
Social Media
Reporting
Coordinator
Life Support
Equipment
Customer
Coordinator
Critical Facility
Coordinator
Recorded Call
Coordinator
PLO Support
• To manage span of control, an
Area Commander - Deputy can
be activated to oversee these
six support areas:
- Planning
- Logistics
- Public Information
- Outreach (Public Liaison)
- Finance / Administration
- Documentation
• An Area Command Deputy
Assistant can also be activated
to perform administrative tasks
8
Area Commander - Deputy

9. • Weather and emergency events have increased in intensity and impact
• Incidents often involve multiple agencies – there’s a critical need to
integrate resource management into one operational organization
• Unified Command allows all agencies to engage effectively in the
management of the incident
9
Unified Command

10. Emergency Response Roles
• Established 70 ICS roles for emergency response
- In addition to 16 “blue-sky” roles (call center, ECC, IT)
- Electric emergency focused, but adaptable to natural gas, pandemic, or
cyber and physical security events
• All salaried workforce have an emergency response role
• Area Command model reflects a four-deep bench
- Roles are encouraged to rotate on-call status and establish shifts during
multi-day events
• Incident Command roles contain a pool of responders
- Activated according to need, availability, location and skill set
• New employees are on-boarded with introductory ICS training
and their emergency role assignment
10

11. • Works hand-in-hand with the ICS organization charts to support
emergency response and emergency response training
• Modeled after the NIMS Incident Command System – Emergency
Responder Field Operations Guide to reflect the utilities sector,
and specifically, Iberdrola USA Networks
• Documents Iberdrola USA Networks’ ICS and reviews role
responsibilities and reporting
11
Incident Position Guide (IPG)

12. 12
Emergency Response Roles – Example
Customer Response Messaging Unit Leader (CRM-UL)
Area Command level
• Incident Position Guide description:
- Monitors social media and responds to event-related customer messages
- For a large multi-company event, there may be one CRM-UL supervising a team
in each operating company
- The lead serves as the point of contact for the Assistant Area Commander –
Public Information Officer (AAC-PIO)
- Consults with the AAC-PIO on customer feedback or challenging responses
• High visibility role; allows AAC-PIO team to manage ever-increasing social
media traffic
• Customer Response Messaging Support will be activated if required,
reporting to the CRM-UL
• Ideal bench depth of four resources for CRM-UL; eight for support staff

13. Crew Tracking Unit Leader (CT-UL)
Incident Command level
• Incident Position Guide description:
- Tracks assigned resources and documents resource types, rest status and
resource gaps using ARCOS Crew Manager
- Works closely with other Incident Command levels to maintain master roster of
all resources checked in by Logistics Section at the incident; oversees
demobilization activity
- Ensures resources are tracked to their respective reporting locations; and
provides relevant information to the receiving supervisor, including safety
briefings
• Role feeds data required for ongoing reporting compiled by the Resource
Tracking Coordinator at Area Command
• Pool of employees to provide coverage for multiple locations
13
Emergency Response Roles – Example

14. 14
Questions?