Office of Emergency Services

Emergency Operations Center (EOC)

The Office of Emergency Services establishes the Imperial County / Operational Area Emergency Operations Center (EOC) when directed by County emergency management authority. The EOC is a central location from which comprehensive emergency management is performed during major emergencies or disasters. It facilitates a coordinated response among the Director of Emergency Services, Emergency Management Staff, and representatives from community, local, state, and federal agencies assigned emergency management responsibilities.

The level of EOC staffing varies depending upon the specific situation, ranging from 4 to 75 personnel. The EOC space, located in the Heber Public Services Center, also serves as the Fire/OES administrative area and a training facility during non-emergency times. In the event of an emergency, the space can be converted into a fully operational EOC within two hours.

IC Emergency Operations Plan

This plan outlines how a community or organization will respond to and recover from various emergencies and disasters, ensuring coordinated actions and resource deployment.

Review Plan

Multi-Jurisdiction Hazard Mitigation Plan

Identifies shared risks and develops strategies to reduce future hazard impacts across multiple areas.

Review Plan

Hazardous Materials Area Plan

Outlines procedures for preventing and responding to hazardous material incidents, protecting people and the environment.

Review Plan

Disaster and Citizens Corps Council

Mission

Promote disaster preparedness through communication and education
Harness the power of every resident through education and outreach, training and volunteer service to make their families, homes and communities safer from natural and/or man-made disasters or emergencies
Report annually to the board of supervisors

Meetings

The Imperial County Fire/OES serves as staff and support to the Disaster Council and its various committees. The Council meets at least quarterly or upon the call of the director or alternate director.

Standardized Emergency Management System (SEMS)

The Standardized Emergency Management System (SEMS) is the system required by California Government Code Section 8607(a) for managing emergencies involving multiple jurisdictions and agencies and was developed as a result of the 1991 East Bay Hills Fire. All state government agencies must use SEMS when responding to multi-jurisdictional or multi-agency emergencies. All local government agencies must use SEMS in multi-jurisdictional or multi-agency emergency responses to be eligible for state reimbursement of response-related personnel costs.

SEMS has been established to provide effective management of multi-agency and Multi-jurisdictional emergencies in California. By standardizing key elements of the emergency management system, SEMS is intended to facilitate the flow of information within and between levels of the system and facilitate coordination among all responding agencies. SEMS is designed to be flexible and adaptable to the varied disasters that occur in California and to the needs of all emergency responders.

More information on SEMS can be found online at the California Emergency Management Agency.

National Incident Management System (NIMS)

The National Incident Management System (NIMS) is a nationwide standardized approach to incident management and response. Developed by the US Department of Homeland Security and released March 2004, it establishes a uniform set of processes and procedures that emergency responders at all levels of government will use to conduct response operations.

More information on NIMS can be found online at the National Incident Management System Integration Center.

Training & Exercises

Emergency Management today is a continually evolving and rapidly changing industry that requires a constant and coordinated effort in training and exercises. As history has proven, catastrophic events have had significant impacts on all services and systems that support our society. Realizing that local governments are responsible for restoring these services and systems, in the most efficient and expeditious manner, the County of Imperial has implemented an emergency staff development program. This program provides training management system that enables County employees to perform duties during times of disaster or emergency while acting in the capacity of Disaster Service Workers (DSW), Emergency Operations Center (EOC) staff, or Building Evacuation Team (BET) members. The Imperial County Office of Emergency Services (OES) manages the program with the support of the Board of supervisors, the County Executive Officer, all department heads, managers, and employees.

For more Information:

Imperial EOC Training Calendar for FY2011-2012

California Specialized Training Institute (CSTI)

FEMA’s Emergency Management Institute (EMI) Online Training