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10 pages/≈2750 words
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Subject:
Management
Type:
Essay
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English (U.S.)
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Topic:

Emergency Operations Center Manager Interview and Site Visit

Essay Instructions:

In lieu of the term paper, for this class you will visit an emergency management professional and conduct a site visit to an emergency operations center or equivalent. You will have the end of week 7 to complete this in order to accommodate scheduling difficulties you may encounter in arranging your visit-however, don’t procrastinate. YOU MAY NOT SUBSTITUTE INTERNET RESEARCH, PHONE CALLS, EMAILS, etc. for the interview. You must visit an EOC and talk with an emergency manager.
It is best to select a county, state, or military base emergency manager to interview. Select someone who has more breadths of responsibility than a police or fire chief, and more technical knowledge of emergency management than a mayor or city councilman. Make an appointment to interview him or her in person, and request a visit to the emergency operations center.
Interview topics to consider would include the mission, the structure of emergency operations, the communication system, the budget, etc. Ask for an interview of the last time the system was exercised, either real-word or stimulation. Allow the interview to range freely until you have a full understanding of the operation and can explain it in detail.
For the site visit, observe the structure and communication infrastructure of the operations center. Is it protected? Is there a backup? Is the equipment current technology? What are the apparent shortcomings?
It is important that you explain to them that you are a student at American military university or American Public University and this is an assignment for your Master’s Degree program. If you require a letter from the university to validate your assignment requirement, use the one enclosed below.
Reading: View the TED talk in the lessons as you prepare to conduct your interview.
Donohue, D.(2016,May). The care and feeding of the EOC. Fire Engineering. Retrieved from http://www(dot)fireengineering(dot)com/articles/print/volume-169/issue-5/features/the-care-and-feeding-of-the-emergency-operations-center.html
Furey, B. (2009, September). Emergency operations centers: The ultimate command posts. Firehouse. https:www(dot)firehouse(dot)com/home/article/10470014/as-emergency-response-agencies-realize-the-efficiencies-of-the-incident-management-system-ims-more-emphasis-is-being-placed-on-the-tools-required-to-effectively-manage-emergency-operations-centers-eocs-are-nothing-new-in-fact-they-date-back m-to-the
Meyer,C. (2016,July) A winning strategy: Building a permanent EOC at UCF. Security Magazine. Retrieved from http://digital(dot)bnpmedia(dot)com/publication/?
I=317568&article_id=2525115&view=articleBrowser&ver=html5#
{%22issue_id%22:317568,22view.%22articleBrowser%22,%article_id%22:%222525115%22}
Shouldis, W. (2010, May). The emergency operations center: A vital preparedness tool. Fire Engineering.
Retrieved from http://www(dot)fireengineering(dot)com/articles/print/volume-163/issue-5/Features/the-emergency-operations-center-a-vital-preparedness-tool.html
Assignment: Write a minimum 10-pages relating your interview and site visit results. Ensure there is a summary of what you have learned, how it relates to the class material, and that it contains a strong recommendation section with recommendations that would improve operational effectiveness. Be sure to provide this and all papers in proper APA format.

Essay Sample Content Preview:

EOC Manager Interview and Site Visit
Author’s Name
Institutional Affiliation
Course Code and Name
Professor’s Name
Date

EOC Manager Interview and Site Visit
An Emergency Operations Center (EOC) refers to a command and control center that facilitates disaster response, mitigation, and planning. Notably, disasters are inevitable, and every state should be ready to address them when they occur. The EOC can be activated when responding to natural disasters, emergencies, and severe weather events since it serves as the central center of operations. Indeed, it collaborates with other departments, federal, state, and local emergency agencies. William Shouldis defines the EOC as a generic tool that promotes coordination of disaster on-scene operations when high-risk and low-frequency incidents occur (Shouldis, 2010). Every community, regardless of its size, must remain well-prepared to solve emergency events. The EOC plays a significant role in mobilizing individuals and equipment to handle disasters that a single agency cannot control. When it captures vital incident-related information, the EOC manager and other officials set strategic directions, allocate resources, declare disasters, and establish priorities. The interview with Amy Dawson, Louisiana’s EOC Manager, will provide relevant information about the mission of the EOC, budget, coordination of activities during disaster response, the communication system, and the structure of emergency operations. Louisiana’s EOC visit is crucial since it will show the structure and communication infrastructure, the technology, and possible shortcomings of the tools used. Additionally, there will be a discussion of a summary of the critical lessons learned, how they relate to class materials, and the recommendations that would improve the operational effectiveness of Louisiana’s EOC.
Interview with Dawson, Louisiana's EOC Manager
My interview with Dawson took place on 19th July 2021 at Baton Rouge, Louisiana's EOC. In particular, reaching out to Dawson was challenging at first. However, one of my relatives, who is her friend, made it possible, particularly when he heard that it was an essential part of my master's degree program. Dawson gave me 30 minutes of her time since she was busy, and here are some of the questions and answers that I recorded:
i. What is the primary mission of Louisiana's EOC, and what drives it toward achieving it?
Louisiana's EOC intervenes during disasters to help the communities affected. Our motivation is to promote public safety.
ii. What are the functions of the EOC?
Louisiana's EOC's main functions are planning, maintaining situational awareness, assessing damages, providing required resources, evacuating affected communities, and accounting for public safety. The most significant things are to save people's lives, protect further damage of properties, and help them overcome the effects of disasters.
iii. Is there a structure followed in emergency operations? If yes, which is it?
Yes, and the structure depends on the emergency situation at hand. In most cases, the Incident Command System (ICS) structure is the best since it increases the interaction of emergency agencies and raises situati...
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