Summary: EOCs are designed to facilitate ongoing high-risk events and manage them quickly and effectively.
EOCs exist in a variety of forms – similar to that of a NOC design. There is no single organizational structure that can define an Emergency Operation Center. Each jurisdiction requires a variation of an EOC that fits the need. The key is to maximize the staff’s efforts in decision making at the lowest practical level.
An EOC needs to be organized with the intent of facilitating a smooth operation with documenting, collecting data, and making executive decisions to ensure public confidence. This is done through efficiency, organization, and flexibility.
Management Activities Structure
The organizational structure of EOCs vary based on design and community need. For instance, one of the more utilized management activities structure comes in the form of an emergency management operations group, which houses representatives from any agency that handles a specific incident for a tactical assignment such as fire, law enforcement, public works, medical services, and more. The advantage to using this model is that the organizational structure is relatively simple – straight lines of communication.
The Pros of an Emergency Management Activities Structure
Additionally, using this model, key problem solvers and representatives from participating agencies can contribute to making key decisions and allocating resources to wherever necessary. Most custom manufacturers designer will look to address what specific type of station the EOC will be before starting work on it. By doing so, the appropriate space for foot traffic and equipment can be considered when creating the entire center. This is an important task that must be considered