Incorporating Ethics in Disaster Communication Strategy: The Case of the U.S. Government in Deepwater Horizon

BP’s Deepwater Horizon oil spill in April 2010 was a major test of the National Incident Management System (NIMS), which the United States federal government mandates for response to all disasters. At the time, this disaster was perhaps the greatest event in scope and duration under NIMS disaster management guidelines since they were revised in 2008 (the third edition was published in 2017). Ten years later, NIMS provides procedures for operating a joint information center (JIC), but still offers no guidelines for ethical communication. This case study examines the ethical implications of 178 news releases distributed by the Deepwater Horizon Incident JIC. Qualitative analysis found that communication was conducted in an open, ethical manner, with few exceptions. Conflicts emerged, however, that may have compromised ethical standards. The authors conclude with recommendations to inform ethical decision making by JIC communicators.

Implementation and effectiveness of the National Incident Management System’s Incident Command System in law enforcement since 2003

This paper investigates the use of the National Incident Management System (NIMS)’s Incident Command System (ICS) in law enforcement since Homeland Security Presidential Directive 5 was issued in 2003. It attempts to answer the following questions: (a) To what degree has law enforcement adopted the NIMS style ICS?; (b) To what degree has the NIMS/ICS framework been applicable to law enforcement?; and (c) Is the NIMS style ICS effective in the law enforcement response environment? The research includes a review of relevant case studies and literature and also includes the analysis of a survey instrument sent to 1,220 current and former law enforcement practitioners across the United States. The survey includes both open- and closed-ended questions. The data from closed-ended questions were compiled and displayed. Data from open-ended questions were grouped thematically. Responses were then assessed and compared with information gleaned from the literature review. Results indicate the system has been widely adopted by law enforcement, and its use is applicable and effective in some law enforcement responses. Its use in the highly chaotic initial phase of incidents, however, remains an open question.

A case for standardized communications for point of distribution operations

Objective: Propose standardized communication formats and procedures at the point of distribution (POD) sites to facilitate the effective management and alleviate friction points that may occur while responding to a widespread medical incident within the National Incident Management System (NIMS). Design: Through observation of POD operations and interviews with key personnel in Indiana and county emergency management agencies (EMA), identify current communication practices and propose a structured command and control (C2) framework that would streamline management requirements during a widespread activation.Setting: The State of Indiana, various counties throughout Indiana.Conclusions: Current C2 practices are adequate for small-scale events. However, a standardized approach to the C2 and reporting framework may provide more responsive situational awareness and incident management of larger-scale medical incidents within Indiana.

Developing a regulatory framework for certifying spill management teams in California: a balancing act

ABSTRACT 1141476 Major oil spills in California have historically instigated legislation aimed at improving preparedness and response. Most recently, public concern over management of high-profile pipeline spills precipitated the 2017 passage of Assembly Bill (AB) 1197, which mandated a certification program for spill management teams (SMTs). AB 1197 directs contingency plan holders to identify a certified SMT capable of managing their reasonable worst-case spill (RWCS) volumes, and tasks the Office of Spill Prevention and Response (OSPR) with adopting regulations establishing criteria for certification, including personnel on-scene times, training, and response objectives. We aimed to develop regulations detailing requirements that are achievable, but effectively advance preparedness, drawing upon accepted standards while incorporating mechanisms for flexibility. As we developed the regulations, we conducted informal scoping meetings with industry to fine-tune these mechanisms. We created three tiers for certification delineated by RWCS volume. To account for phased resource mobilization, we established separate requirements for initial response and cascading SMT personnel. We applied team-based training requirements to initial responders and used pared-down National Incident Management System qualifications for cascading personnel, allowing equivalent courses and/or experience to substitute for required training courses. We composed a short objectives checklist, aiming to capture essential tasks to be completed within the first 24 hours. The final regulatory package strikes balances between flexibility and prescription, and between achievability and advancing statewide preparedness.

Integrating the Food and Drug Administration Office of the Coordinated Outbreak Response and Evaluation Network’s foodborne illness outbreak surveillance and response activities with principles of the National Incident Management System

The Food Safety Modernization Act mandates building a national Integrated Food Safety System, which represents a seamless partnership among federal, state, local, territorial, and tribal agencies. During multistate foodborne illness outbreak investigations, local and state partners, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA), or the United States Department of Agriculture Food Safety Inspection Service, depending on the regulated food product, become engaged and assist in coordinating the efforts between partners involved and determine the allocation of resources. The FDA Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition (CFSAN) Office of the Coordinated Outbreak Response and Evaluation (CORE) Network coordinates foodborne illness outbreak surveillance, response, and post-response activities related to incidents involving multiple illnesses linked to FDA-regulated human food, dietary supplements, and cosmetic products. FDA has implemented the National Incident Management System (NIMS) Incident Command System (ICS) principles across the agency to coordinate federal response efforts, and CORE has adapted NIMS ICS principles for the emergency management of multistate foodborne illness outbreaks. CORE’s implementation of ICS principles has provided several benefits to the operational cycle of foodborne illness outbreak investigations, including establishing a consistent, standardized, and transparent step-by-step approach to outbreak investigations. ICS principles have been instrumental in the development of a national platform for rapid and systematic laboratory, traceback, and epidemiologic information sharing, data analysis, and decision-making. This allows for partners across jurisdictions to reach a consensus regarding outbreak goals and objectives, deploy resources, and take regulatory and public health actions.

Developing a Case-based Emergency Response System with Adaptive Case Management

The emergency responses required during large-scale crises or disasters are extremely knowledge-intensive processes and are usually characterized by a high degree of unpredictability and unrepeatability. An emergency response is mission- and time-critical, unstructured, very dynamic, and it is very difficult to predefine or even to anticipate all possible response scenarios. Therefore, designing and implementing a software system to support such a response system is highly complicated and challenging. This research aims to investigate and discuss how Adaptive Case Management (ACM) can be leveraged in the design and implementation of a case-based emergency response system. In particular, this research considers the best practices of the National Incident Management System (NIMS), which is an essential part of the National Response Framework (NRF) developed in the United States. As a proof-of-concept, a prototype demonstration has been carried out on a leading commercial ACM platform. In addition, a walkthrough scenario is discussed to elaborate how ACM can support emergency response activities in real settings using the Incident Command System (ICS) organizational structure. The key benefit of this research is to guide the development and implementation of cased-based emergency response systems with a flexible and agile approach.