Changes in the Use of Incident Command System in the U.S. Coast Guard1

2003 ◽  
Vol 2003 (1) ◽  
pp. 1175-1178
Author(s):  
Kristy Plourde ◽  
Tim Deal ◽  
Doug Lincoln
Keyword(s):  
Oil Spill ◽  
Coast Guard ◽  
Incident Management ◽  
Incident Command System ◽  
Incident Command ◽  
Job Aids ◽  
Is Implementation ◽  
Implementation Program ◽  
Response Organization ◽  
The U.S

ABSTRACT Incident Command System (ICS) is a proven multi-contingency response management system that is flexible and provides improved interoperability with other organizations. The U.S. Coast Guard adopted the use of ICS in oil spill responses well before 2001, but the U.S. Coast Guard announced and published is implementation plan for use of ICS Coast Guard-wide in February 2001. This paper will discuss how the U.S. Coast Guard has been moving forward with a phased ICS implementation program and will discuss some of the new tools that have been established. In the Atlantic and Pacific regions, the U.S. Coast Guard has established Incident Management Assist Teams (IMATs), which are a group of trained and experienced personnel who exercise and deploy as a team. These IMATs have been developed to support local U.S. Coast Guard Incident Commanders in their response organization on large incidents. The U.S. Coast Guard has begun work on an ICS qualification system with Position Task Books (PTBs), qualification tracking, and instructor qualifications and continues to move forward with ICS training programs. The U.S. Coast Guard published the Incident Management Handbook (IMH) in April 2001. This handbook incorporated the oil spill Field Operations Guide (FOG) and included information for other types of incidents including Hazardous Materials, Terrorism, and Search and Rescue. The U.S. Coast Guard has also published job aids to help personnel in specific ICS positions. While the U.S. Coast Guard recognizes that implementation of ICS in its organization will take some time, it continues to move forward. This will only improve the way the U.S. Coast Guard responds to incidents.

ICS CONTRIBUTES TO THE NORTH CAPE OIL SPILL RESPONSE1

1997 ◽  
Vol 1997 (1) ◽  
pp. 737-742
Author(s):  
LT Tina M. Burke ◽  
LT John P. Flynn
Keyword(s):  
Oil Spill ◽  
Management System ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
Coast Guard ◽  
Management Tool ◽  
Incident Management ◽  
Incident Command System ◽  
Incident Command ◽  
The North ◽  
Oil Spill Response

ABSTRACT In recent years, the usefulness of the incident command system (ICS) has received much attention. Much of the oil industry and several government agencies involved in all types of emergency response have been using ICS for many years. In addition, the U.S. Coast Guard formally adopted the national interagency incident management system (NIIMS) ICS as the response management system of choice in February of 1996. The response to the tank barge North Cape grounding was a complex multiagency effort that brought with it many of the issues and problems responders face when dealing with crisis situations. This paper describes the ICS-based organization that was established to respond to the major North Cape oil spill, analyzes the organization compared to standard ICS, and discusses how the ICS framework and principles contributed to the success of the response. It also explains how closer conformity to standard ICS could have remedied many of the issues that later surfaced as lessons learned, resulting in improved response efficiency. The North Cape response provides a vivid example of how ICS is a helpful management tool that, if rigorously learned and applied in a widespread fashion, can greatly enhance the nation's oil spill response posture.

TO BOLDLY GO WHERE NO STATE HAS GONE BEFORE1

1995 ◽  
Vol 1995 (1) ◽  
pp. 761-765
Author(s):  
William Boland ◽  
Pete Bontadelli
Keyword(s):  
Oil Spill ◽  
Oil Pollution ◽  
Task Force ◽  
Action Plan ◽  
Coast Guard ◽  
Federal State ◽  
Incident Management ◽  
Incident Command ◽  
State And Local ◽  
Marine Safety

ABSTRACT The Marine Safety Division of the 11th Coast Guard District and the California Office of Oil Spill Prevention and Response are pursuing new avenues to assure that federal, state, and local efforts in California achieve the goals of the Oil Pollution Act of 1990 and the Lempert-Keene-Seastrand Oil Spill Prevention and Response Act of 1990. Coordination of the seven California area committees, publishing detailed area contingency plans, and the implemention of a memorandum of agreement on oil spill prevention and response highlight recent cooperative successes. In 1994 a joint Coast Guard/state/industry incident command system task force drafted an ICS field operations guide and incident action plan forms that meet National Interagency Incident Management System and fire scope ICS requirements.

Area Contingency Plan Scorecard: Determining A Plan's Ability To Achieve “Critical Success Factors”

2001 ◽  
Vol 2001 (1) ◽  
pp. 623-631 ◽  
Author(s):  
David C. Haynes ◽  
Gary L. Ott
Keyword(s):  
Critical Success Factors ◽  
Success Factors ◽  
Contingency Planning ◽  
Incident Command System ◽  
Incident Command ◽  
Contingency Plan ◽  
Critical Success ◽  
Response Organization ◽  
Effectiveness And Efficiency ◽  
The U.S

ABSTRACT Can an Area Contingency Plan (ACP) embody a response organization's potential for success? Can the response effectiveness and efficiency of an ACP be measured through expert evaluation? On a scale of low, medium, or high, how well does an ACP predict a response community's ability to achieve certain “Critical Success Factors”? Intuitively, Area Committees know that area contingency planning should better prepare a response community for effective and efficient spill response—accomplishing Critical Success Factors. Yet, at present, ACPs are generally evaluated on their conformance to a prescribed format rather than their ability to achieve Critical Success Factors. Likewise, the future holds that ACPs will be evaluated on their conformance to the U.S. Coast Guard's newly developed Incident Command System (ICS) format. However, a basic analytical method is needed to determine whether an ACP has the necessary planning elements that can be internalized and implemented to enhance and, if utilized appropriately, produce a truly successful response. This paper describes an analytical evaluation technique that uses a recently developed ACP scorecard process. Using the scorecard approach, the authors will score a number of ACPs from across the nation to determine each plan's potential (probability) for a response organization to achieve predefined Critical Success Factors.

Naturalistic Decision Making and Training the Incident Commander

1999 ◽  
Vol 1999 (1) ◽  
pp. 437-442
Author(s):  
Thomas S. Kuhaneck ◽  
Arn M. Heggers ◽  
Mark P. O'Malley
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Training Program ◽  
Coast Guard ◽  
Naturalistic Decision Making ◽  
Incident Command System ◽  
Incident Command ◽  
Decision Making Models ◽  
And Training ◽  
The U.S

ABSTRACT For years, the U.S. Coast Guard and other pollution response organizations have relied on traditional (analytical) decision making models as a basis for training their On-Scene Coordinators. With the Coast Guard's adoption of the Incident Command System (ICS), a more appropriate basis for a training program may be found using naturalistic decision making (NDM) models. This paper will describe both the traditional and naturalistic decision making models, compare them, explain why naturalistic decision making is more appropriate for training Incident Commanders, and propose a program for such training for use by the Coast Guard or other response organizations.

TERRORISM AND OIL SPILLS: WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW AND HOW WE SHOULD RESPOND1

1997 ◽  
Vol 1997 (1) ◽  
pp. 743-746 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael de Bettencourt
Keyword(s):  
Oil Spill ◽  
Planning Process ◽  
Oil Spills ◽  
The United States ◽  
Coast Guard ◽  
Incident Management ◽  
Common Denominator ◽  
Environmental Response ◽  
Effective Response ◽  
Incident Command

ABSTRACT An act of terrorism resulting in an oil spill triggers a unique set of response considerations that bring diverse agencies together under crisis conditions. To manage such incidents effectively, a systematic approach is needed to standardize incident response, command, and control methods and to better define the planning process for these demanding scenarios. The National Interagency Incident Management System-Incident Command System (NIIMS-ICS) is the common denominator that has been adopted by the United States Coast Guard for oil spill response. This paper highlights recommendations to adopt the NIIMS-ICS nationally for combined law enforcement and environmental response incidents to ensure efficient and effective response methods.

SAN JACINTO RIVER INCIDENT: ARMEGEDDON VISITS HOUSTON

1997 ◽  
Vol 1997 (1) ◽  
pp. 972-972 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joseph J. Leonard
Keyword(s):  
Management System ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
Coast Guard ◽  
Ignition Source ◽  
Incident Management ◽  
Direct Response ◽  
Incident Command System ◽  
Incident Command ◽  
Southeast Texas ◽  
Unified Command

ABSTRACT In October 1994, southeast Texas experienced some of its worst flooding ever. Near Houston, the raging waters of the San Jacinto River caused a pipeline to rupture, spilling vast quantities of gasoline. When this gasoline found an ignition source, the river became a devastating conflagration. The Coast Guard immediately activated its incident command system (ICS) with a unified command to direct response activities. Lessons learned following the San Jacinto River incident will improve future response activities and serve as the foundation for the adoption of the National Interagency Incident Management System (which includes the ICS) by the Coast Guard and the state of Texas.

A Model Grassroots Approach for Incident Command System Implementation1

1999 ◽  
Vol 1999 (1) ◽  
pp. 427-431
Author(s):  
Peter Gautier ◽  
Carol McAllister ◽  
Kristy L. Plourde
Keyword(s):  
Training Program ◽  
San Francisco ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
Coast Guard ◽  
Incident Management ◽  
Building Relationships ◽  
Incident Command System ◽  
Incident Command ◽  
Implementation Team ◽  
Marine Safety

ABSTRACT Two years ago, the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) formally adopted the National Interagency Incident Management System (NIIMS) Incident Command System (ICS) as doctrine for response management to oil and hazardous materials incidents. USCG Marine Safety Office (MSO) San Francisco Bay has aggressively implemented ICS as the way it conducts spill response in addition to how it carries out many of its routine operations. In a comprehensive effort to improve readiness through ICS, the MSO has established an ICS implementation team. This team constructed an ICS-based organization chart, referred to as a Watch Quarter and Station Bill (WQSB), crafted a training program, prepared ICS equipment and supply “go kits” for spill deployment, and developed administrative measures to maintain and track the program. The MSO's training program is two pronged, consisting of ICS classroom training to teach best practices alternating with process tabletop exercises to reinforce lessons learned from responses. Each session is open for attendance by state and federal trustees as well as local USCG operational units. In this way, the MSO reaches out to the local response community to establish ICS expertise and enhance response relationships. The MSO's implementation plan has proven to be extremely valuable in building the knowledge of personnel, building relationships and better preparing everyone for future spills.

A Logistical Response to the Grounding of the M/T Shogun1

1999 ◽  
Vol 1999 (1) ◽  
pp. 1103-1105
Author(s):  
Joseph Scott Masterson ◽  
Jerome Harrison Hilton
Keyword(s):  
Emergency Management ◽  
Poster Presentation ◽  
Oil Spill ◽  
Coast Guard ◽  
Incident Command System ◽  
Incident Command ◽  
Remote Location ◽  
Unified Command ◽  
Responsible Party

ABSTRACT On November 6, 1997, the M/T Shogun ran aground off the coast of Rota, an island in the Commonwealth of the Northern Marianas Islands. The resulting successful salvage response, which lasted 9 days, prevented the occurrence of a major oil spill in a pristine island environment. The response was managed by a Unified Command established under the Incident Command System (ICS) and consisted of the responsible party, U.S. Coast Guard (USCG), and the Commonwealth of the Northern Marianas Islands Emergency Management Office (EMO). Logistical problems, which can be directly attributed to the remote location of the island, were identified and ultimately drove almost every aspect of the response. The Logistics Section, however, repeatedly found solutions to these problems allowing the Unified Command to mount a successful response. This poster presentation seeks to display the remoteness of Rota's location, the logistical difficulties encountered during the response, and the methods used by the Unified Command to successfully overcome them.

Comprehensive Oil Spill Response Planning: Going Beyond “What” your Going to do

2003 ◽  
Vol 2003 (1) ◽  
pp. 603-606
Author(s):  
Jerry A. Hubbard ◽  
William W. Whitson
Keyword(s):  
Oil Spill ◽  
Coast Guard ◽  
Management Team ◽  
Hazardous Substances ◽  
Incident Management ◽  
Management Planning ◽  
Incident Command ◽  
Response Planning ◽  
Oil Spill Response ◽  
Response Group

ABSTRACT A review of the law and responsibilities for oil spill response reveals a need for taking oil spill response incident management planning beyond just describing what will be done, to a new level that describes specifically who will do it. Facilitating the development of an effective management team in the first 24–48 hours of a spill is critical to setting the response operations in a positive motion, and ultimate success. The development of a draft Incident Command System (ICS) structure to meet the expectations of a Type II incident and pre-identification of personnel for specific assignments will enable a more cohesive personnel qualification process, training and exercises focused on general incident management, and ultimately a better prepared cadre of response personnel. The vision for Coast Guard District Thirteen is a District Response Group that is organized into a defined and pre-approved ICS structure, with these expectations set. The National Oil and Hazardous Substances Pollution Contingency Plan requires the Coast Guard to form District Response Groups. By definition, this is all personnel and every asset the Coast Guard has within each District. However, this does not speak to the qualifications of these personnel, or address the tasking some units may receive, both of which are known. In the early hours of a major spill, confusion reigns and calls for help are made. This can be a call for help that is specific, such as the number of beach monitors, OPS Section Chiefs, or Check-in Recorders that are needed, or the more likely request is to send whoever is available. The latter is not likely to enable success if well intentioned but inexperienced management personnel show up. If we know who is available within the Coast Guard district, then we know our strengths. Therefore, we also know our weaknesses, and can identify gaps. By identifying our ICS structure, we can examine our resources, needs, and expectations; and have a plan that works while remaining flexible. There is no need to assemble a management team on the fly in the first 24 hours of a spill.

Hurricane Isaac Post-Storm Response1

2014 ◽  
Vol 2014 (1) ◽  
pp. 2253-2259
Author(s):  
Kasey Talbot ◽  
Jeff Dauzat
Keyword(s):  
New Orleans ◽  
Oil Spill ◽  
Environmental Protection Agency ◽  
Coast Guard ◽  
Incident Management ◽  
Environmental Response ◽  
The Public ◽  
Incident Command ◽  
Moving Storm ◽  
Unified Command

ABSTRACT Hurricane Isaac made landfall on August 29, 2012 over Louisiana, lingering overhead for more than 60 hours. While most were concerned with surviving the 80+ mph winds and ensuing storm surge and floods, Coast Guard members statewide knew there would be no calm after the storm; instead it would be a grueling fight to restore the port to normalcy. The slow moving storm caused grounded deep draft vessels and barges, spilled oil, releases of hazardous materials (HAZMAT), and damage to various buildings and infrastructures. U.S. Coast Guard Sector New Orleans integrated local, states, and federal agencies into a Unified Command structure to coordinate limited resources post-storm. Within Sector New Orleans, the Incident Management Division (IMD) made it their primary mission to mitigate any substantial threats of oil discharges or HAZMAT releases and ensure proper cleanup. On September 2, 2012, IMD utilized the Incident Command System (ICS) to establish a Marine Environmental Response (MER) Incident Management Team (IMT) to achieve their post storm mission. The MER IMT consisted of 200 personnel, of which 60 were Coast Guard members, and included representatives from the National Strike Force, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality (LDEQ), Louisiana Oil Spill Coordinator's Office (LOSCO), Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries (LDWF), and three Oil Spill Removal Organizations (OSROs); together the team collected 4500 barrels of oily water and 1200 HAZMAT containers, deployed over 11,000 feet of containment boom, and federalized three pollution projects. The MER IMT was disestablished on September 28, 2012 leaving Sector New Orleans IMD to maintain complete management of the ongoing federalized projects, “Fantome”, “Map Drilling”, and “Gulf South”. The projects included oil discharges in adjacent waterways of two oil production/storage facilities, oil discharges from fixed facility barges, and oil discharges from a storage platform along the marsh shoreline. Sector New Orleans executed $9.5 million in Oil Spill Liability Trust Funds towards emergency response efforts and successfully restored safety to the public health, welfare, environment, and maritime community.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document