A call for AMOPS Plan Activation will lead to immediate mass-messaging sent through a Mass Notification System (i.e. Everbridge). Everbridge is a mass notification internet based program that will send and receive time-sensitive messages to a home, business, cell phone, email, hearing impaired devices or by text message.
Response Messaging
Pre-populated emergency templates will be maintained at the RCC and in the Mass Notification System, so the dispatcher will only be required to enter specific location and asset request information to the messages before sending them out. To ensure that notifications are both timely and accurate, there may be a need to send multiple messages. Messages may fall into three categories:
Three phases of notification:
1. Incident Report (characteristics, location, severity)
2. Resource Request (number and type required); may be repeated 3. Incident Update (situational awareness, resource status)
Incident Report notification
The initial notification will be brief, informative and will provide situational awareness to individuals throughout the region. The message can be developed using information provided by the responder on-scene and contains a description about what type of incident has occurred, where it occurred, and approximately how many immediate and delayed patients are present. The initial message serves as an alert to agencies throughout the region and gives leadership a chance to gauge readiness levels while the need for specific resources becomes apparent. The message will instruct recipients to stand by for additional messages containing specific resource requests.
The Incident Report may be sent to all agencies in the CMOC Region, regardless of whether they will be required to respond. In addition to fire and EMS agencies, message recipients may include Emergency Management personnel, CMOC command representatives, RACS Q and R and other partners that could participate in an expanding incident and response.
At the time of initial notification, an RCC representative may create an incident in WebEOC if one has not already been created by the jurisdiction affected.
Resource Request notification(s)
The second notification sent should contain specific information about what resources are needed for incident response. RCC staff member(s) sending Resource Needs notification should work with local Incident Command and AMOPS Command to ensure that resource types and quantities are requested clearly and appropriately.
The RCC will utilize the mass notification polling function to identify the availability for assets. Upon receipt of the message, agencies can respond both affirmatively or negatively with their ability to send resources to the incident. Polling results will determine the need for additional mass notification requests.
If the incident has occurred in a limited area, messaging may go to responder agencies located in nearby jurisdictions that can send personnel quickly. Ideally, agencies responding to the incident will come from jurisdictions proximal but not immediately adjacent to the incident site, as the incident may cross their borders and require a local response. Agency participation will vary, however, depending on staffing levels and response activity occurring in their jurisdictions.
Response to Resource Request notifications
When agencies respond to a mass notification indicating that they can provide an asset, they receive an automated confirmation accepting their offer. If more than one agency responds affirmatively to the same resource request, the system will give priority to the first respondent. The agency whose asset is not needed will receive a message stating that the request has been fulfilled. The decision of when to inform and request EMS personnel for regional response lies with individual response agencies. Some may choose to notify staff immediately, while others await confirmation of the exact quantity of personnel and equipment required.
Targeted messaging
In addition to pre-written message templates, the Mass Notification System contains pre- determined correspondence groups, which contain contact information for Fire and EMS providers throughout the 25-county CMOC region. Agencies have been pre-assigned to one of 14 AMOPS Strike Teams, groups organized based on their deployable group assets, including ambulances, emergency trailers and personnel, as well as according to their geographical location.
AMOPS Strike Teams were developed by regional planners in coordination with local responder agencies that agreed to participate in regional no-notice mass casualty response. Each Strike Team should be able to provide a minimum of five ambulances (including drivers) and Supervisor at any given time. Additional assets (i.e. AmBus vehicles, trailers, etc.) would vary dependent upon location/ownership and availability. These additional assets will be identified in the mass notification program as pre-established correspondence groups per quadrant.
All Strike Teams include more than one responder agency, though Strike Teams containing large, well-resourced services have fewer members than those comprised of smaller companies. Each AMOPS Strike Team is assigned to one of the following five quadrants: northern, southern, western, eastern and central portions of the CMOC region. Resource lists should be updated annually and when Strike Team member agencies have inventory or organizational changes. A comprehensive list of Strike Team members is located in Appendix F of this document. Depending upon the scale of the incident, Resource Needs notifications may be sent exclusively to the quadrant, in which the incident occurs, or to the affected quadrant and to one adjacent quadrant. If the response is satisfactory, messaging notifications may cease until more resource needs become apparent. If Strike Teams are unable to participate, however, Resource Needs notifications may be sent to additional quadrants.
Regardless of the level of response to resource requests, RCC staff should also send an additional message to all agencies that received the initial Incident Report notification.
Incident Update notification
The Incident Update notification provides a brief summary of developments that have occurred since the initial notification, and may include clarifying facts or situational awareness relevant to first responders throughout the region. Additionally, the Incident Update should include a report on resource needs and the level to which requests have been fulfilled. After reading the Incident Update, recipients should have an indication of whether or not to stay on standby for potential mobilization and deployment.
Conference Call
After sending the Incident Report and Resource Request notifications, the RCC will initiate a conference call with representatives from all agencies that have agreed to participate in the incident response. Conference Call information will be sent to Command Staff or appropriate representatives that have been pre-designated and assigned to a Correspondence Group in the Mass Notification System.
Conference call participants may include the following:
Representative(s) from the affected jurisdiction (including the individual who requested AMOPS Plan activation, along with any EMS Command or emergency management representatives that may have become involved since the start of the incident)
RCC staff
SETRAC / CMOC Command Staff
Leadership from agencies responding to the incident
The Conference Call will provide participants the opportunity to gain further knowledge of the mass casualty incident and to legitimize the need for mobilization and deployment to the scene. The conference call should be led by the AMOPS Chief, who will coordinate regional
mobilization and work with local Incident Command to ensure that the appropriate amount of resources arrive to the appropriate location in the least amount of time required.
The decision about when to mobilize resources to the incident site is made within each responder agency. Agencies may put staff members on standby immediately upon receiving notification but delay sending resources to the field until the conference call has occurred.
Mobilizing prematurely may be a wasted effort if information learned on the conference call results in a reduction or cancellation of resources. If the conference call is delayed, however, waiting until the call is complete may result in delayed deployment and further loss of life.
Table 4: Summary of Critical Tasks for Notification
Tasks Agency
Send Incident Report to all EMS agencies, Emergency Management Coordinators and response partners in H-GAC region
RCC Send Resource Request notification to targeted
correspondence groups (Strike Teams, quadrants, etc.)
RCC Upon receipt of Resource Request, evaluate
agency levels and respond with availability Local EMS agencies Confirm positive and negative responses to
Resource Requests; send additional requests as needed
RCC Upon receiving positive confirmation, notify
personnel and prepare equipment to be mobilized
Local EMS agencies Send Conference Call information to potential
participants RCC
Participate in mobilization conference call
Incident representatives, RCC, AMOPS Command, responding EMS agencies, CMOC, RACS
The activation of RCC and AMOPS Command and notification of regional response agencies leads to the third step of AMOPS operations – mobilization.