Disaster Medical Systems

APPENDICES

Action Plan: "Action Plan" means the plan prepared in the EOC and DOC containing the emergency response objectives of that SEMS level reflecting overall priorities and supporting activities for a designated period. The plan is shared with supporting agencies.

After Action Report: A report covering response actions, application of SEMS, modifications to plans and procedures, training need, and recovery activities. After action reports are required under SEMS after any emergency which requires a declaration of an emergency. Reports are required within 90 days.

Agency: An agency is a division of government with specific function, or a non-governmental organization (e.g., private contractor, business, etc.) that offers a particular kind of assistance. In ICS, agencies are defined as jurisdictional (having statutory responsibility for incident mitigation), or assisting and/or cooperating (providing resources and/or assistance).

Allocated Resources: Resources dispatched to an incident.

American Red Cross: A quasi-governmental volunteer agency that provides disaster relief to individuals and families.

Area Command: At the County Office of Emergency Services Level. An organization established to: 1) oversee the management of multiple incidents that are each being handled by an Incident Command System organization; or 2) to oversee the management of a very large incident that has multiple Incident Management Teams assigned to it. Area Command has the responsibility to set overall strategy and priorities allocate critical resources based on priorities, ensure that incidents are properly managed, and ensure that objectives are met and strategies followed.

Assigned Resources: Resources checked in and assigned work tasks on an incident.

Available Resources: Incident-based resources which are available for immediate assignment.

No definitions for this section.

Cache: A pre-determined complement of tools, equipment and/or supplies stored in a designated location, available for incident use.

California Emergency Council: The official advisory body to the Governor on all matters pertaining to statewide emergency preparedness.

Care and Shelter: A phase of operations that meets the food, clothing, and shelter needs of people on a mass care basis.

Casualty Collection Points (CCP): Term no longer used. See Field Treatment Sites.

Catastrophic Disaster: Although thee is no commonly accepted definition of a catastrophic disaster the term implies an event or incident which produces severe and widespread damages of such a magnitude as to result in the requirement for significant resources from outside the affected area to provide the necessary response.

Catastrophic Disaster Response Group (CDRG): The national-level group of representatives from the Federal department and agencies under the Plan. The CDRG serves as a centralized coordinating group which supports the on-scene Federal response and recovery efforts. Its members have access to the appropriate policy-makers in their respective parent organizations to facilitate decisions on problems and policy issues.

Chain of Command: A series of management positions in order of authority.

Checklist: A list of actions taken by an element of the emergency organization in response to a particular event or situation.

Civil Disorder: Any incident intended to disrupt community affairs that requires police intervention to maintain public safety including riots and mass demonstrations as well as terrorist attacks.

Code of Federal Regulations (CFR): "49 CFR" refers to Title 49, the primary volume regarding HAZMAT transportation regulations.

Communications Unit: An organizational unit in the Logistics Section responsible for providing communication services at the EOC/DOC or with personnel in the field.

Community Right-to-Know: Legislation requiring the communicating of chemical formation to local agencies or the public.

Compact: Formal working agreements among agencies to obtain mutual aid.

Claims Unit: Functional unit within the Finance Section responsible for financial concerns resulting from property damage, injuries or fatalities in the field or within a DOC.

Continuity of Government (COG): All measures that may be taken to ensure the continuity of essential functions of governments in the event of emergency conditions, including line-of succession for key decision makers.

Contingency Plan: A sub or supporting plan which deals with one specific type of emergency, its probable effect on the jurisdiction, and the actions necessary to offset these effects.

Cooperating Agency: An agency supplying assistance other than direct tactical or support functions or resources to the incident control effort (e.g., American Red Cross, telephone company, etc.).

Coordination: The process of systematically analyzing a situation, developing relevant information, and informing appropriate command authority of viable alternatives for selection of the most effective combination of available resources to meet specific objectives. The coordination process (which can be either intra- or inter-agency) does not involve dispatch actions. However, personnel responsible for coordination may perform command or dispatch functions within the limits established by specific agency delegations, procedures, legal authority, etc. Multi-division or Inter-agency coordination is found at all SEMS levels.

Cost Unit: Functional unit within the Finance Section responsible for tracking costs, analyzing cost data, making cost estimates, and recommending cost-saving measures.

Damage Assessment: The process utilized to determine the magnitude of damage and the unmet needs of the Department of Public Health caused by a disaster or emergency event.

Declaration: The formal action by the President to make a State eligible for major disaster or emergency assistance under the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act, PL 3-288, as amended (the Stafford Act).

Declaration Process: When a disaster strikes, local authorities and individuals request help from private relief organizations and their State government, which give all assistance possible. If assistance is beyond their capability, the Governor requests a Presidential declaration of a major disaster or an emergency.

Delegation of Authority: A statement provided to the DOC Director by the Department of Public Health Director or Health Officer delegating authority and assigning responsibility. The Delegation of Authority can include objectives, priorities, expectations, constraints and other considerations or guidelines as needed.

Department of Health Services (DHS): In a disaster, the State Department of Health Services “is charged with the responsibility for coordinating statewide disaster public health assistance in support of local operations….[and] has primary responsibility for public and environmental health operations…”

Departmental Operations Center: An emergency Operations Center used by specific departments of government for emergency response coordination.

Designated Area: Any emergency or major disaster-affected portion of a State that has been determined eligible for Federal assistance.

Designation: The action by the Associate Director, SLPSD, to determine the type of assistance to be authorized under the Stafford Act for a particular declaration; and the action by the FEMA Regional director to determine specifically what counties, or county equivalents, are eligible for such assistance.

Disaster: A sudden calamitous emergency event bringing great damage loss or destruction.

Disaster Application Center: A facility jointly established by the Federal and State Coordinating Officers within or adjacent to an disaster impacted area to provide disaster victims a "one-stop" service in meeting their emergency representatives of local, State, and Federal governmental agencies, private service organizations and certain representatives of the private sector.

Disaster Assistance Program: A program that provides State funding or reimbursement for local government response related personnel costs incurred in response to an incident as defined in Section 2402 (i).

Disaster Field Office: A central facility established by the Federal Coordinating Office within or immediately adjacent to disaster impacted areas to be utilized as a point of coordination and control for State and Federal governmental efforts to support disaster relief and recovery operations.

Disaster Medical Assistance Team (DMAT): DMATs are part of the National Disaster Medical System. The DMAT is a group of health professionals who can be trained and deployed to provide medical and health care. Composed primarily of physicians, nurses, and support personnel, this grouping provides both emergency and primary care to an affected population. (Region IV RDMHC Emergency Plan) DMATs are coordinated at the Federal (and sometimes State) level.

Disaster Service Worker: Includes public employees and any unregistered person impressed into service during a State of War emergency, a State of emergency, or a Local Emergency by a person having authority to command the aid of citizens in the execution of his duties.

Disaster Support Area (DSA): A predesignated facility anticipated to be at the periphery of a disaster area, where disaster relief resources (manpower and material) can be received, accommodated or stockpiled, allocated, and dispatched into the disaster area. A separate portion of the area may be used for receipt and emergency treatment of casualty evacuees arriving via short-range modes of transportation (air and ground) and for the subsequent movement of casualties by heavy, long-rang aircraft, to adequate medical care facilities.

Disaster Welfare Inquiry (DWI): A service that provides health and welfare reports about relatives and certain other individuals believed to be in a disaster area and when the disaster caused dislocation or disruption of normal communications facilities precludes normal communications.

Division: The services or functions provided by a specific department of government are grouped into Divisions. Examples of divisions include: Aging & Adult Services, Emergency Medical Services Agency, Environmental Health, Food & Nutrition Services, Health Information Technology, Hospital & Clinics, Mental Health and Public Health.

Documentation Unit: Functional unit within the Planning Section responsible for collecting, recording and safeguarding all documents relevant to an incident or within an EOC/DOC.

Earthquake Advisory: A statement issued by the State of California Office of Emergency Services (OES), usually following a medium-sized earthquake, regarding scientific opinion that there is an enhanced likelihood for additional seismic activity within a specified period (usually three to five days).

Emergency: A condition of disaster or of extreme peril to the safety of persons and property caused by such conditions as air pollution, fire, flood, hazardous material incident, storm, epidemic, riot, drought, sudden and severe energy shortage, plant or animal infestations or disease, the Governor’s warning of an earthquake or volcanic prediction, or an earthquake or other conditions, other than conditions resulting from a labor controversy.

Emergency Alert System: A system that enables the President and Federal, State, and local governments to communicate through commercial radio and television broadcast stations with the general public in the event of a disaster.

Emergency Management: The provision of overall operational control and/or coordination of health services related emergency operations, whether it be the actual direction of field forces or the coordination of joint efforts of Department of Public Health divisions in supporting such operations.

Emergency Medical Services: Treatment of casualties necessary to maintain their vital signs prior to treatment at a medical center.

Emergency Medical Services Authority (EMSA): The State Emergency Medical Services Authority “coordinates the state’s medical response to major disasters” and is “responsible for prompt delivery of disaster medical resources to local governments in support of their disaster medical response.”

Emergency Operations: Those actions taken during the emergency period to protect life and property, care for the people affected, and temporarily restore essential community services.

Emergency Operations Center (EOC): At the County level. A location from which centralized emergency management can be performed. The EOC is established by the County Office of Emergency Services to coordinate the overall agency or jurisdictional response and support to an emergency.

Emergency Operations Plan: The plan that each jurisdiction has and maintains for responding to appropriate hazards.

Emergency Period: A period which begins with the recognition of an existing, developing, or impending situation that poses a potential threat to a community. It includes the impact phase and continues until immediate and ensuing effects of the disaster no longer constitute a hazard to life or threat to property.

Emergency Plans: Those official and approved documents which describe principles, policies, concepts of operations, methods and procedures to be applied in carrying out emergency operations or rendering mutual aid during emergencies.

Emergency Public Information (EPI): Information disseminated to the public by official sources during an emergency, using broadcast and print media. EPI includes: (1) instructions on survival and health preservation actions to take (what to do, what not to do, evacuation procedures, etc.), (2) status information on the disaster situation (number of deaths, injuries, property damage, etc.), and (3) other useful information (State/Federal assistance available).

Emergency Public Information System: The network of information officers and their staffs who operate from EPICs (Centers) at all levels of government within the State. The system also includes the news media through which emergency information is released to the public.

Emergency Response Agency: Any organization responding to an emergency, whether in the field, at the scene of an incident, or to a EOC/DOC, in response to an emergency, or providing mutual aid support to such an organization.

Emergency Response Personnel: Personnel involved with an agency’s response to an emergency.

Essential Facilities: Facilities that are essential for maintaining the health, safety, and overall well-being of the public following a disaster (e.g., hospitals, police and fire department buildings, utility facilities, etc.). May also include buildings that have been designated for use as mass care facilities (e.g., schools, churches, etc.).

Exercise: Maneuver or simulated emergency condition involving planning, preparation, and execution; carried out for the purpose of testing, evaluating, planning, developing, training, and/or demonstrating emergency management systems and individual components and capabilities, to identify areas of strength and weakness for improvement of an emergency operations plan.

Facilities Unit: Functional unit within the Support Branch of the Logistics Section at the SEMS Department of Public Health Level that provides fixed facilities for the incident. The Facilities Unit coordinates damage assessment and recovery for Department of Public Health buildings.

Federal Disaster Assistance: Provides in-kind and monetary assistance to disaster victims, State, or local government by Federal agencies under the provision of the Federal Disaster Relief Act and other statutory authorities of Federal agencies.

Federal Disaster Relief Act: Public Law 93-288, as amended, that gives the President broad powers to supplement the efforts and available resources of State and local governments in carrying out their responsibilities to alleviate suffering and damage resulting from major (peacetime) disasters.

Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA): This agency was created in 1979 to provide a single point of accountability for all Federal activities related to disaster mitigation and emergency preparedness, response, and recovery.

FEMA-State Agreement: A formal legal document between FEMA and the affected State stating the understandings, commitments, and binding conditions for assistance applicable as the result of the major disaster or emergency declared by the President. It is signed by the FEMA Regional director, or designee, and the Governor.

Field Coordination Center: A temporary facility established by the Office of Emergency Services within or adjacent to areas affected by a disaster. It functions under the operational control of the OES mutual aid regional manager and is supported by mobile communications and personnel provided by OES and other State agencies.

Field Treatment Sites: Sites predesignated by county officials which are used for the assembly, triage (sorting), medical and austere medical treatment, relatively long-term holding, and subsequent evacuation of casualties.

Finance Section: One of the five primary functions found at all SEMS levels which is responsible for all costs and financial considerations. The Section can include the Time Unit, Claims Unit and Cost Unit.

Food and Nutrition Services Officer: Functional unit within the Service Branch of the Logistics Section responsible for providing meals for various County and Health Services sites, DOC personnel, and the Meals on Wheels program.

General Staff: The group of management personnel reporting to the DOC Director. They may each have an assistant, as needed. The General Staff consists of:

Operations Section Chief

Planning/Intelligence Section Chief

Logistics Section Chief

Finance Section Chief

Generic ICS: Refers to the description of ICS that is generally applicable to any kind of incident or event.

Hazard: Any source of danger or element of risk to people or property.

Hazard Area: A geographically defined area in which a specific hazard presents a potential threat to life and property.

Hazardous Material: A substance or combination of substances which, because of quantity, concentration, physical chemical, radiological, explosive, or infectious characteristics, poses a substantial presents or potential danger to humans or the environment. Generally, such materials are classed as explosives and blasting agents, flammable and nonflammable gases, combustible liquids, flammable liquids and solids, oxidizers, poisons, disease-causing agents, radioactive materials, corrosive materials, and other materials including hazardous wastes.

Hazardous Material Incident (Stationary): Any uncontrolled release of material capable of posing a risk to health, safety, and property. Areas at risk include facilities that produce, process, or store hazardous materials well as all sites that treat, store, and dispose of hazardous material.

Hazardous Material Incident (Transportation): Any spill during transport of material that is potentially a risk to health and safety

Hazard Mitigation: An cost effective measure that will reduce the potential for damage to a facility from a disaster event.

Hazard Mitigation Plan: The plan resulting from a systematic evaluation of the nature and extent of vulnerability to the effects of natural hazards present in society that includes the actions needed to minimize future vulnerability to hazards.

Hierarchy of Command: (See Chain of Command)

Hospital Functionality:

· Fully Functional – Facility may have minor reductions in patient services but is still able to carry out majority of normal operational functions.

· Partially Functional – Facility is experiencing moderate to significant reductions in patient services (e.g., significant building damage, significant loss of major utilities, inadequate emergency power, overwhelming influx of patients).

· Non-functional – Facility is critically damaged or affected and unable to continue any services (e.g., severe building damage requiring partial or full evacuation).

Incident: An occurrence or event, either human-caused or by natural phenomena, that requires action by emergency response personnel to prevent or minimize loss of life or damage to property and/or natural resources.

Incident Command System (ICS): The nationally recognized standardized on-scene emergency management concept specifically designed to allow its user(s) to adopt an integrated organizational structure equal to the complexity and demands of single or multiple incidents without being hindered by jurisdictional boundaries. ICS is the combination of facilities, equipment, personnel, procedures, and communications operating within a common organizational structure, with responsibility for the management of resources to effectively accomplish stated objectives pertinent to an incident.

Incident Objectives: Statements of guidance and direction necessary for the selection of appropriate strategy(s) and the tactical direction of resources. Incident objectives are based on realistic expectations of what can be accomplished when all allocated resources have been effectively deployed. Incident objectives must be achievable and measurable, yet flexible enough to allow for strategic and tactical alternatives.

Information Officer: A member of the Management Staff responsible for interfacing with the public and media or with other agencies requiring information directly from the incident. There is only one Information Officer per incident. This position is also referred to as Public Affairs or Public Information Officer in some disciplines. The individual at DOC level that has been delegated the authority to prepare public information releases and to interact with the media.

Jurisdiction: The range or sphere of authority. Public agencies have jurisdiction at an incident related to their legal responsibilities and authority for incident mitigation. Jurisdictional authority at an incident can be political/geographical (e.g., special district city, county, State or Federal boundary lines), or functional (e.g., police department, health department, etc.)

Jurisdictional Agency: The agency having jurisdiction and responsibility for a specific geographical area, or a mandated function.

Leader: The ICS title for an individual responsible for a functional unit.

Liaison Officer: A member of the Management Staff responsible for coordinating with representatives from cooperating and assisting agencies. The function may be done by a Coordinator and/or within a Section reporting directly to the DOC Director.

Lifelines: A general term including all systems for storing, treating, and distributing fuel, communications, water, sewage, and electricity.

Life-Safety: Refers to the joint consideration of both the life and physical well-being of individuals.

Local Emergency: The duly proclaimed existence of conditions of disaster or of extreme peril to the safety of persons and property within the territorial limits of a county, city and county, or city, caused by such conditions as air pollution, fire, flood, storm, epidemic, riot, or earthquake or other conditions, other than conditions resulting from a labor controversy, which conditions are or are likely to be beyond the control of the services, personnel, equipment, and facilities of that political subdivision and required the combined forces of political subdivisions to combat.

Local Emergency Medical Services Agency: The county or regional agency tasked with coordinating and ensuring emergency medical services.

Local Government: Means local agencies defined in Government Code 8680.2 and special district as defined in California Code of Regulations, Title 19 Division 2, Chapter 5, NDAA,2900(y).

Logistics Section: One of the five primary functions found at all SEMS levels. The Section responsible for providing facilities, services and materials for the incident or at the EOC/DOC.

Long-Term Earthquake Potential: No specific time frame. Can refer to decades, centuries or millennia.

Long-Term Prediction: A prediction of an earthquake that is expected within a few years up to a few decades.

Major Disaster: Any hurricane, tornado, storm, flood, high-water, wind-driven water, tidal wave, tsunami, earthquake, volcanic eruption, landslide, mudslide, snowstorm,, drought, fire, explosions, or other catastrophe in any part of the United States which, in the determination of the President, causes damage of sufficient severity and magnitude to warrant major disaster assistance under the Federal Disaster Relief Act, above and beyond emergency services by the Federal Government, to supplement the efforts and available resources of States, local governments, and disaster relief organizations in alleviating the damage, loss, hardship, or suffering caused thereby.

Management by Objectives: In the SEMS and EOC/DOC level, this is a top-down management activity which involves a three-step process to achieve the desired goal. The steps are: establishing the objectives, selection of appropriate strategy(s) to achieve the objectives; and the direction or assignments associated with the selected strategy.

Management Staff: The Management Staff at the SEMS EOC/DOC level consists of the Information Officer, Safety Officer, Liaison Officer, and Medical Officer. They report directly to the EOC/DOC Director.

Mass Care Facility: A location where temporary services are provided to disaster victims during an emergency which may include lodging, food, clothing, registration, welfare inquiry, first aid, and essential social services.

Master Mutual Aid Agreement: An agreement entered into by and between the State of California, its various departments and agencies, and the various political subdivision, municipal corporations, and other public agencies of the State of California to assist each other by providing resources during an emergency. Mutual aid occurs when two or more parties agree to furnish resources and facilities and to render services to each other to prevent and combat any type of disaster or emergency.

Materials and Supplies Officer: Functional unit within the Support Branch of the Logistics Section responsible for ordering equipment and supplies required for incident operations.

Media: All means of providing information and instructions to the public, including radio, television, and newspapers.

Medical/Health Operational Area Coordinator (M/H OAC): The Operational Area Coordinator is responsible for all medical and health operations and is located in the County EOC.

Message Unit: The Message Unit is part of the DOC Planning Section is collocated or placed adjacent to it. It receives, records, and routes information to appropriate locations within the DOC.

Mission Number, OES: Mission number provided by OES that authorizes expenditure or acquisition of resources. It is used to document and report disaster expenditures to state and federal agencies for reimbursement.

Mitigation: Pre-event planning and actions which aim to lessen the effects of potential disaster.

Mobilization: The process and procedures used by all organizations Federal, State and local for activating, assembling, and transporting all resources that have been requested to respond to or support an incident.

Mobilization Center: An off-incident location at which emergency service personnel and equipment area temporarily located pending assignment to incidents, release, or reassignment.

Multi-Division Coordination: The functions and activities of representatives of involved divisions who make decisions regarding the prioritizing of incidents and the sharing and allocations of critical resources.

Multi-Division Incident: An incident where one or more Health Services divisions are involved. The incident may be managed under single or unified command.

Mutual Aid Agreement: Written agreement between agencies and/or jurisdictions in which they agree to assist one another upon request, by furnishing personnel and equipment.

Mutual Aid Coordinator: An individual at local government, operational area, region or State level that is responsible to coordinate the process of requesting, obtaining, processing and using mutual aid resources. Mutual Aid Coordinator duties will vary depending upon the mutual aid system.

Mutual Aid Region: A mutual aid region is a subdivision of State OES established to assist in the coordination of mutual aid and other emergency operations within a geographical area of the State, consisting of two or more county (operational) areas.

Mutual Aid Staging Area: A temporary facility established by the State Office of Emergency Services within, or adjacent to, affected areas. It may be supported by mobile communications and personnel provided by field or headquarters staff from State agencies, as well as personnel from local jurisdictions throughout the State.

National Warning System: The Federal portion of the civil defense warning system, used to disseminate warning and other emergency information from the warning centers or regions to warning points in each State.

National Weather Service Issuances:

TYPES OF ISSUANCES

· Outlook - For events possible to develop in the extended period(extended definition depends on the type of event).

· Advisory - For events that are occurring or are forecast to develop in the short term (generally within the next 6 hours)

· Watch - For the possibility of an event happening within the short term (generally refers to the next 6 to 12 hours)

· Warning - The most serious issuance. For life threatening events occurring or forecast to develop within the short term ( generally within the next 6 hours)

· Statements (or Updates) - Issued as updates to the above products

· Flash Flooding

· Flash Flooding Warning - Flash Flooding is occurring or imminent.

· Urban and Small Stream Flood Advisory - Flooding is occurring or is imminent, but not life threatening. (Nuisance flooding). This may be upgraded to a Flash Flood Warning if conditions worsen.

· Flash Flood Watch - There is a good possibility of Flash Flooding, but it is neither occurring nor imminent (generally means the possibility exists within the next 24 hours).

· Flash Flood Statement - Updates to any of the above three issuances.

Nuclear Incident (Fixed Facility): Any occurrence at a nuclear power plant resulting in a potential or actual release of radioactive material in sufficient quantity which threatens the health and safety of nearby populations.

Office of Emergency Services (OES): For the purposes of this document, OES refers to the El Dorado County Sheriff’s Office of Emergency Services (County OES). However, at other levels, OES may refer to the Governor’s Office of Emergency Services.

One Hundred (100)-Year Flood: The flood elevation that has a one-percent chance of being equaled or exceeded in any given year. It is also known as the base flood elevation.

Operational Area: An intermediate level of the State emergency organization, consisting of a county and all political subdivisions within the county area.

Operational Area Coordinator: The individual within the operational area responsible for a specific function such as medical/health services, law enforcement, coroner’s services, or fire services.

Operational Area Disaster Medical Health Coordinator (OADMHC): (obsolete) See Medical/Health Operational Area Coordinator.

Operational Area Satellite Information System (OASIS): A statewide emergency management system based on the operational area concept. An operational area is defined in law (Section 8559, California Government Code) as an organization ( not a jurisdiction) whose boundaries are those of a county. This organization is not necessarily a county government; it could be several cities, or a city and a county, a county government or several county governments, willing to undertake to coordinate the flow of mutual aid and information within the defined area. The operational area concept is the backbone of the statewide emergency management system.

Operational Period: The period of time scheduled for execution of a given set of operation actions as specified in the EOC/DOC Action Plan. Operational Periods can be of various lengths, although usually not over 24 hours.

Operations Section: One of the five primary functions found at all SEMS levels. The Section responsible for all tactical operations at the incident, or for the coordination of operational activities at the DOC. The Operations Section at the Department of Public Health DOC Level includes Units.

Out-of-Service Resources: Resources assigned to an incident but unable to respond for mechanical, rest, or personnel reasons.

Plan: As used by OES, a document which describes the broad, overall jurisdictional response to potential extraordinary emergencies or disasters.

Planning Meeting: A meeting held as needed throughout the duration of an incident to select specific strategies and tactics for incident control operations and for service and support planning. On larger incidents, the planning meeting is a major element in the development of the Incident Action Plan. Planning meetings are also an essential activity at all SEMS EOC/DOC levels.

Planning Section (Also referred to as Planning/Intelligence): One of the five primary functions found at all SEMS levels. Responsible for the collection, evaluation, and dissemination of information related to the incident or an emergency, and for the preparation and documentation of EOC/DOC Action Plans. The section also maintains information on the current and forecast situation, and on the status of resources assigned to the incident. The Section typically includes Situation, Resource, Documentation, Emergency Medical Services, Message, and Action Plan Units.

Radio Amateur Civil Emergency Services (RACES): An emergency services designed to make efficient use of skilled radio amateurs throughout the State in accordance with approved civil defense communications plans. Operators are registered with an OES agency to provide emergency communications support.

Radiological Protection: The organized effort, through warning, detection, and preventive and remedial measures, to minimize the effect of nuclear radiation on people and resources.

Recorders: Individuals within EOC/DOC organizational units who are responsible for recording information. Recorders may be found in Planning, Logistics and Finance Units.

Recovery: Activities traditionally associated with providing Federal supplemental disaster recovery assistance under a Presidential major disaster declaration. These activities usually begin within days after the event and continue after the response activities cease. Recovery includes individual and public assistance programs which provide temporary housing assistance, grants and loans to eligible individuals and government entities to recovery from the effects of a disaster.

Regional Disaster Medical Health Coordinator (RDMHC): The Regional Disaster Medical Health Coordinator acts as an agent for the State EMSA (or for DHS or Governor’s OES), upon their request, to coordinate the acquisition of medical and health mutual aid in support of a state medical/health response to a major disaster not affecting the Region.

Regional Emergency Operations Center (REOC): Facilities found at State OES Administrative Regions. REOCS are used to coordinate information and resources among operational areas and between the operational areas and the State level.

Resources: Personnel and equipment available, or potentially available, for assignment to the field or the EOC/DOC.

Resources, Initial: Resources automatically dispatched to meet needs created by emergency.

Resources, Immediate: Resources for which there are no delays in dispatching or ordering.

Resources, Planned: Resources for which ordering or dispatch will be hours to days in the future.

Resources Unit: Functional unit within the Planning Section responsible for recording the status of resources committed to the incident. The Unit also evaluates resources currently committed to the incident, the impact that additional responding resources will have on the incident, and anticipated resources needs.

Response: Activities to address the immediate and short-term effects of an emergency or disaster Response includes immediate actions to save lives, protect property and meet basic human needs.

Safety Officer: A member of the Management Staff within the EOC/DOC responsible for monitoring and assessing safety hazards or unsafe situations, and for developing measures for ensuring personnel safety.

Section: That organization level with responsibility for a major functional area at the EOC/DOC, e.g., Operations, Planning, Logistics, Finance.

Section Chief: The ICS title for individuals responsible for command of functional sections: Operations, Planning, Logistics and Finance.

Service: An organization assigned to perform a specific function during an emergency. It may be one department or agency if only that organization is assigned to perform the function, or it may be comprised of two or more normally independent organizations grouped together to increase operational control and efficiency during the emergency.

Service Unit: A Branch within the Logistics Section responsible for service activities. Includes the Communications, Health Information Technology and Food and Nutrition Services Officers.

Shelter Manager: An individual who provides for the internal organization, administration, and operation of a shelter facility.

Short-Term Prediction: A prediction of an earthquake that is expected within a few hours to a few weeks. The short-term-prediction can be further described as follows:

Alert--Three days to a few weeks

Imminent Alert--Now to three days

Situation Status Unit: Functional unit within the Planning Section responsible for the collection, organization and analysis of incident status information, and for analysis of the situation as it progresses. Reports to the Planning Section Chief.

Span of Control: The supervisory ratio maintained within an ICS or EOC/DOC organization. A span of control of five-positions reporting to one supervisor is considered optimum.

Special District: A unit of local government (other than a city, county, or city and county) with authority or responsibility to own, operate or maintain a project (as defined in California Code of Regulations 2900(s) for purposes of natural disaster assistance. This may include a joint powers authority established under section 6500 et seq. of the Code.

Stafford Act: Robert T. Stafford disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act, PL 100-707, signed into law November 23, 1988; amended the Disaster Relief Act of 1974, PL 93-288.

Staging Areas: Staging Areas are locations set up at an incident where resources can be placed while awaiting a tactical assignment. The Operations Section manages Staging Areas.

Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs): A set of instructions having the force of a directive, covering those features of operations which lend themselves to a definite or standardized procedure. Standard operating procedures support an annex by indicating in detail how a particular task will be carried out.

Standardized Emergency Management System (SEMS): As defined in Section 2401 of Title 19 of the California Code of Regulations - A system for managing response to multi-agency and multi-jurisdiction emergencies in California.

SEMS consists of five organizational levels which are activated as necessary: Field Response, Local Government, Operation Area, Region, State:

· Field Response Level: The level where emergency response personnel and resources carry out tactical decisions and activities in direct response to an incident or threat.

· Local Government Level: Cities, counties and special districts. Local governments manage and coordinate the overall emergency response and recovery in their jurisdictions.

· State Level: The state level manages state resources in response to needs of other levels; coordinates the mutual aid program; and serves as coordination and communication link with the federal disaster response system.

State Emergency Organization: The agencies, board, and commissions of the executive branch of State government and affiliated private sector organizations.

State Emergency Plan: The State of California Emergency Plan as approved by the Governor.

State of Emergency: The duly proclaimed existence of conditions of disaster or of extreme peril to the safety of persons and property within the State caused by such conditions as air pollution, fire, flood, storm, epidemic, riot, or earthquake or other conditions, other than conditions, resulting from a labor controversy, or conditions causing a "State of War Emergency", which conditions by reason of magnitude, are or are likely to be beyond the control of the services, personnel, equipment, and facilities of any single county, city and county, or city and require the combined forces of a mutual aid region or regions to combat.

State of War Emergency: The condition which exists immediately, with or without a proclamation thereof by the Governor, whenever the State or nation is directly attacked by an enemy of the United States, or upon the receipt by the State of a warning from the Federal government that such an enemy attack is probable or imminent.

State Operations Center (SOC): An EOC facility operated by the Governor’s Office of Emergency Services at the State level in SEMS.

Support Unit: A Unit within the Logistics Section responsible for providing personnel, equipment and supplies to support incident operations. Includes the Human Resources, Facilities, Materials & Supplies, and Transportation Officers.

Support Resources: Non-tactical resources under the supervision of the Logistics, Planning, Finance Sections or the Management Staff.

Supporting Materials: Refers to the several Exhibits that may be included with an Incident Action Plan, e.g., communications plan, map, safety plan, traffic plan, and medical plan.

Task Force: A combination of single resources assembled for a particular tactical need with common communications and a leader.

Technical Specialists: Personnel with special skills that can be used anywhere within the ICS or EOC/DOC organization.

Technological Hazard: Includes a range of hazards emanating from the manufacture, transportation, and use of such substances as radioactive materials, chemicals, explosives, flammables, agricultural pesticides, herbicides and disease agents; oil spills on land, coastal waters or inland water systems; and debris from space.

The Petris Bill #1841: As a result of the lessons learned from the disasters in Northern California, the State of California passed into law in September of 1992 the Petris Bill. This legislation directs the Office of Emergency Services to implement the use of the ICS and Multi-Agency Coordinating System throughout the State by no later than December 1, 1996.

Time Unit: Functional unit within the Finance Section responsible for recording time for incident or DOC personnel and hired equipment.

Tort: An act that harms another. It occurs when a person commits an act, without right and as a resu