Coordination with Incident Command During an active wildfire event, it is important that any interactions in the field occur at the incident command level. An “agency representative” can be assigned to the “command post” and report to the “Liaison Officer”. Environmental public health is considered a “cooperating agency” 19 under this scheme. The liaison officer is the incident com - mand’s point of contact for representatives of cooperating governmental agencies, jurisdictions, non-government organizations (NGOs), and private sector organizations that are not included in the unified command. After the wildfire is contained, incident command could be transferred to another agency such as environmental public health or pub - lic works to begin the process of debris removal, cleanup, and recovery. Key players can then rede - fine the organization. 20
• coordinating plans and determining current and future needs • in some cases, providing coordination and policy direction There will be situations where the EOC serves as a focal point for the establishment of mass care locations or points of distribution, allowing incident command to focus on the incident. They may also be involved with coordination of efforts when the wildfire covers multiple counties or several wild - fires converge on a path. A critical function is to provide communications and updates with incorpo - rated cities within the wildfire area. They can also let them know of the establishment of assistance centers and often will be involved with assistance in locating those centers. As a key interface with their communities, cities will often provide valuable assistance in holding community meetings and pro - viding the conduits to the impacted public. In many situations, especially during the recovery phase, environmental public health departments may have their own EOC with staff who become the focal point for environmental public health resources, planning, communications, and coordina - tion. 21 , 22 Joint Information Center Coordination with other involved agencies or entities is imperative to avoid public confusion that may lead to further risk or injury. A Joint Informa - tion Center (JIC) is typically established for major or large incidents, where such public messaging is coordinated and distributed. It is always a good idea to inform your public information office of all of the agencies/entities involved. They should coordi - nate media communications among agency PIOs or representatives, as appropriate. Initial Damage Assessment The initial response from environmental public health will be to assess the breadth of destruc - tion and/or damage to homes, facilities, and busi - nesses. This initial assessment will determine current needs and how to fulfill unmet needs. Some of those activities will occur during the active or “response” phase even while the wildfire is still actively being fought by fire personnel and will mandate a plan to ensure the safety and well-be - ing of staff. No environmental public health staff should be dispatched in or through active wildfire
Department or County Emergency Operations Center An emergency operations center (EOC) is a neces - sary focal point for support of an emergency, espe - cially one that is widespread, large, or ongoing. Typically, the lead agency or department for the emergency operations center calls for its activation and assembles representatives from a number of different agencies to help support its functioning. EOCs can be established at city, county, state, or federal levels, and, in larger incidents, all of these may have functioning EOCs. Within a county there may both department and county EOCs. An EOC’s primary functions include: • collecting, analyzing, and sharing information • supporting resource needs and requests, including allocation and tracking
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