8.4.1. General

Most of the departments within local government have emergency functions in addition to their normal duties as assigned by charter or legislation. Each department is responsible for developing and maintaining its own emergency management procedures, subject to review and approval of the board after analysis by Liberty County emergency management. Specific responsibilities for major county-wide disasters are outlined below under “Task Assignments” as well as in individual annexes (not included in this sample). Responsibilities for certain organizations that are not part of local government are also presented. Not all members of all groups will be represented in all situations.

8.4.2. Organization

The Liberty County Emergency Operations Center (EOC) (located within the Emergency Management Center at the intersection of AA and 39th Streets, Central City, with an alternate location at 10th and FF Streets) will function as center for multiagency coordination in support of the Incident Command and the MAC Group for all emergencies and disasters within or impacting Liberty County. The EOC will operate under the NIMS definition of an EOC. A major responsibility of the EOC is to ensure that capability is maintained to respond to unanticipated emergencies and disasters that have not yet occurred within the county.

8.4.2.1. Emergency Management Multiagency Coordination Group (MAC Group) 

The Liberty County emergency management MAC Group is responsible for all policy decisions relating to emergency management, including delegations of authority, and will act as the executive leadership of the joint city/county response. The standing members of the MAC Group are:

  • County Representatives
    • County Manager
    • Chairperson of the Board of Supervisors
    • Board of Supervisors members
    • Sheriff
    • County Attorney
    • Public Information Officer (PIO)
    • Chief Financial Officer
    • County Fire Coordinator
    • County Public Health Director
    • County Public Works Director
    • County School Superintendent
    • Emergency Program Manager
    • Hospital Representative
  • City Representatives
    • City Manager
    • Chairperson of City Council (Mayor)
    • Board of City Council members
    • City Attorney
    • Fire Chief
    • City Financial Director
    • City Public Works Director
    • Chamber of Business and Industry Designee
8.4.2.2. Emergency Management Coordination Group

The emergency management coordination group will ensure that emergency policies, support activities, and resources are coordinated among the spectrum of participating organizations. This group will prepare requests for outside aid beyond that of every day mutual aid. They will be organized to fulfill the off incident site responsibilities of Planning, Logistics, and Finance with section chiefs, branch directors, and unit leaders appointed from the membership. Depending on the type and scope of the disasters, liaisons may be required from the other municipalities in Liberty County. The members of the emergency management coordination group are:

  • County Representatives
    • Assistant Emergency Program Manager/Emergency Planning Director
    • Assistant County Manager
    • Chief Deputy, Sheriff’s Department
    • Assistant Public Works Director
    • Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Director
    • County Planning Director
    • Public Health Representative
    • Deputy School Superintendent
    • Planning Board Director
    • Power Company Manager
    • County Engineer
    • County Medical Examiner
    • Information Technology (IT)/Geographic Information System (GIS) Manager
    • Municipal Liaisons
  • City Representatives 
    • Assistant City Manager
    • Assistant Fire Chief
    • Assistant Police Chief
    • Assistant City Finance Director
    • City Planning Director
    • City School Superintendent
    • Central City Hospital Liaison
    • City IT/GIS Manager
    • City Tourism Director
    • External Representatives
    • Water Manager
    • Gas Company Manager
    • Telephone Company Manager
    • County Highway Superintendent
    • Red Cross Representative
    • Director, Local Housing Authority
    • Director, Local Public Assistance Office
    • Transit Authority Representative
    • Community Info/Hotline Coordinator
    • Purchasing Manager
    • National Guard Liaison (if activated)
    • Chamber of Business and Industry Designee
8.4.2.3. Emergency Management Operations Section

The emergency management operations section will ensure that policies and activities are implemented according to the decisions of the MAC Group and the guidance of the coordination group. The primary responsibility of the operations group is to coordinate the deployment of the appropriate resources to overcome and reduce the impact of major emergencies. They will be organized to provide direct support to Incident Commanders while providing community-wide services as directed by the MAC Group operating from the community EOC. The members of the emergency management operations section include operations officers, support personnel, and agency liaisons. The membership may include, depending on the nature of the disaster:

  • County Representatives
    • Assistant County Manager
    • Assistant Homeland Security/Emergency Program Manager
    • Emergency Operations Director
    • Assistant Public Works Director
    • Liberty County Public Health Emergency Preparedness Coordinator
    • Deputy, Sheriff’s Department
    • Assistant to County Medical Examiner
    • Assistant County Engineer
    • Emergency Medical Services Coordinator
    • IT/GIS Manager
    • Public Health Liaison
    • Deputy School Superintendent
    • Strategic National Stockpile Coordinator
  • City Representatives
    • Operations Section Chief
    • Fire Operations Branch Director
    • Fire Dispatcher
    • Law Enforcement Operations Branch Director
    • City Police Operations Officer
    • Police Dispatcher
    • Federal Law Enforcement Liaison
  • Other Representatives
    • Federal Law Enforcement Liaison
    • Disease Control
    • Health Educator/Environmental Health Representative
    • Public Health Branch Director
    • Street Superintendent
    • Sewer Superintendent
    • Water Superintendent
    • Community Service Branch Director
    • Assistant Public Health Official
    • Building/Code Enforcement Official
    • School Official
    • Public Works Branch Director
    • Public Works Dispatcher
    • Red Cross Representative
    • Power Company Superintendent
    • Gas Company Superintendent
    • Telephone Company Superintendent
    • Deputy, Sheriff’s Department
    • Sheriff’s Dispatcher
    • EMS Operations Branch Director
    • Emergency Medical Dispatcher
    • State Police Representatives
    • PIO
    • Local Military Liaison
    • State Highways Liaison Officer
    • IT/GIS Representatives
    • Shelter Operations Unit Leader
    • Higher Education Representative
    • Hospital Representative

The organization of functions means that the coordination group will fulfill the Logistics, Finance, and Planning Section functions and the operations group will satisfy the Operations section function under ICS. The Intelligence function will be activated in the management organization that is appropriate for the incident. These will be linked to the appropriate section in operation at the incident command post in the field.

8.4.3. Task Assignments (Not Exhaustive)
  • Emergency Program Management
    • Coordination of all five phases of emergency management
    • Comprehensive emergency management planning
    • Staff and responder training
    • Radiological Defense (RADEF) Program management and training
    • Resource management (e.g., county and city department oversight, external resource requests including State and Federal assistance, mutual aid)
    • Communications and warning
    • Hazardous Materials Training and Response
    • Superfund Amendments and Reauthorization Act (SARA) Title III activities
    • Local Emergency Planning Committee (LEPC) support
    • Management of drills and exercises
    • Evaluation of community preparedness
    • Development of the Emergency Operations Plan (EOP)
    • Distribution of emergency information
    • Establishment of interface with Federal agencies
    • Management of financial ramifications of disaster
    • Coordination of the county response activation
  • Law Enforcement
    • Warning and threat assessment/validation support
    • RADEF monitoring support
    • Maintenance of law and order
    • Traffic control (including aerial and ground traffic flow monitoring, enforcement of travel restrictions)
    • Control of restricted areas (access and egress)
    • Protection of vital installations (physical structures and soft targets)
    • Security of any field operating sites or facilities
    • Damage assessment support
    • Liaison and coordination with other law enforcement
    • Wildland search and rescue
    • Establish Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI); Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF); Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA); United States Coast Guard (USCG), and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) interface as needed
    • Coordination with National Guard on security issues
    • Fatality identification
    • Aerial rescue support
    • Medical rescue support
    • Policy, coordination, and operations group support
    • Advise policy group on cancellation of events, restrictions, etc.
    • Re-entry management
    • Assist Joint Information Center (JIC) with release of emergency public information
  • Fire Service
    • Fire control
    • Fire prevention inspections
    • Operation of fixed and mobile siren units
    • Search and rescue operations
    • Assistance for traffic control
    • RADEF monitoring and decontamination support
    • Damage assessment
    • Hazardous materials operations
    • Wildland fire control
    • Mine Rescue
    • Communications support
    • Urban search and rescue
    • Assist JIC with the release of emergency public information
  • Emergency Medical Services System
    • Mobilize to handle casualties
    • Triage, treat, and transport casualties
    • Maintain coverage for unaffected areas
    • Coordinate medical helicopter evacuation
    • Manage mass casualty equipment caches
    • Manage inter-facility transfers
    • Support public inoculation sites
    • Deliver additional service as directed by the public health director
    • Assist JIC with the release of emergency public information
  • Health Department
    • Investigate sanitation conditions
    • Inspect food and drink supplies (and emergency shelters)
    • Provide public health education and information
    • Advise policy group with emergency public health matters
    • Assist JIC with the release of emergency public information
    • Oversee delivery of Emergency Medical Service System
    • Serve as liaison to local, State, and Federal medical communities, including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), during a major disaster or emergency resulting in casualties
    • Assist with acquisition of medical personnel to staff alternate care facilities
    • Perform surveillance activities and detect biological agents
    • Provide laboratory testing support and epidemiologic investigations
    • Monitor and manage local pharmaceutical caches
    • Request and acquire the Strategic National Stockpile and State/local caches
    • Advise on provision of health/medical and treatment protocols for agent/illness
    • Advise on quarantine/isolation decisions
    • Interface with law enforcement to assist with crime scene measures (e.g., evidence preservation, chain of custody, crime scene investigation)
    • Veterinary/zoonotic issues
    • Environmental testing and remediation
    • Provision of disaster behavioral health support
  • Hospitals
    • Advise on issues related to hospitals
    • Coordinate hospital plans
    • Provide mass patient care
    • Manage hospital bed programs
    • Monitor and report on patients
    • Monitor and report on supply issues and staffing needs
    • Track and coordinate patients
    • Coordinate forward movement from facilities
  • Public Works/Utilities
    • Maintenance of water and sewage system
    • Maintenance of debris and garbage disposal operations
    • Road and bridge repairs
    • RADEF decontamination support
    • Fuel storage
    • Provision of (specialized) personnel, equipment, supplies, and other resources as needed– Maintenance of water pressure
    • Damage assessment support
    • Provision of potable water
    • Coordination with Health Department on water tests
    • Policy and coordination groups staff support
    • Search and rescue support
    • Building Inspection Program, as needed
    • Traffic control support (and constructing temporary emergency access routes)
    • Restoration of vital facilities
    • Clearance of debris
  • County Engineering
    • Provision of emergency engineering services and counseling
    • Flood control
    • Damage assessment support
  • Finance Department
    • Maintain records
    • Procure supplies
    • Provide staff support for coordination group 
    • Prepare reimbursement applications
    • Process the financial part of damage assessment 
    • Provide staff compensation and injury processing
  • Schools
    • Protection of school children
    • Provision of public shelters
    • Security of school facilities
    • Coordination of student-family reunification
    • Provision of space for mass immunization/prophylaxis (pre-defined Point of Dispensing [POD])
    • Provision for public education regarding emergency management
    • Provision of buses for transportation
    • Mobilization of school staff to support emergency management/shelter operations
  • Medical Examiner Office
    • Collection, identification, and committal of the deceased victims
    • Chain of custody and evidence preservation to assist law enforcement operations
    • Coordination with other services, including funeral homes, military, and Federal authorities
  • County/City Attorney
    • Legal advice support
    • Policy group support
    • Preparations of ordinances and orders
  • Community Services Department
    • Coordination of all personal relief activities
    • Identification of client needs
    • Maintenance of medical drug support to clients
    • Expansion of community crisis intervention programs
    • Operation of special needs shelters
    • Identification of vulnerable populations
  • Red Cross
    • Mass Care Shelter Operations
    • Mass Care Feeding (fixed sites and mobile)
    • Individual/family assistance
    • Public education and information support
    • First aid and nursing support
    • Blood drives
    • Counseling support
  • Telephone Company
    • Provide advice regarding telephone maintenance and operation
    • Load line control
    • Provide communications assistance to requesting agencies as needed
    • Coordinate communications planning activities with the EOC
    • Assess damage to cellular telecommunications infrastructure and communicate findings to EOC
    • Coordinate and conduct repairs as needed
  • Department of Information Technology (IT)
    • Coordinate the assessment of telecommunications systems’ integrity during and after a disaster or emergency
    • Establish emergency communications protocol, including the assignment or reassignment of existing communications equipment
    • Establish telephone and Intra/Internet communications capability between emergency response departments, as able, based upon availability and infrastructure integrity
    • Operate and maintain citywide telecommunications systems
    • Provide support assistance, as available, and within technical capabilities. (Note: The responsibility for all unique telecommunications systems resides with the host department/agency.) – Provide necessary GIS capabilities
  • Power Company
    • Power distribution advice
    • Advice regarding power outages and impact predictions
    • Damage assessment and repairs
  • Gas Company
    • Gas distribution system advice
    • Advice regarding natural gas shortages, outages, and impact
    • Damage assessment and repairs
  • Transit Authority
    • Coordinate mass public transportation resources
    • Provide advice regarding public transportation issues
    • Implement emergency functions to include traffic control if requested
    • Identify and supervise emergency vehicle mobilization areas
    • Assist in assessment of impacted transportation routes
    • Identify alternative routes for emergency response vehicles
    • Initiate emergency repairs to allow for response to critical facilities and impacted areas if alternate routes cannot be identified
  • Local Housing Authority
    • Advice regarding status and condition of housing
    • Provision of short- and long-term shelters
  • Military Support
    • Warning support
    • Traffic control support
    • Law and order support
    • Search and rescue support
    • Medical services support
    • Debris clearance support
    • Fire control support
    • Logistics support
    • Engineering support
    • Shelter support
    • Communications support