Boulder County
Call Center History
Expanded Dispatch Control Center
Staffed primarily from BCSO and BPD records staff and a
handful of front desk staff
Trained only on WebEOC software and phones
Work contact information
Incident begins
EOC activated
ESF 15 consults with dispatch to decide if Call Center needs to be activated Call Center manager or shift manager contacts call takers and shift managers
Schedule filled for 1-2 days at a time
Call Center stays active until ESF 15 decides it’s no longer needed (schedule may be cut down)
Call Center de-activated
Fourmile Canyon Fire
Occurred on Labor Day
Prompted thousands of evacuations
National media attention
Fourmile Canyon Fire – Phone Report
Total number of phone calls answered: 11,140
Total duration of calls: +258 hrs
Calls by day:
0 500 1000 1500 2000 2500 3000 3500 4000September Floods – Phone Report
Total number of phone calls answered: 8,268
Total duration of calls: +315 hrs
Average duration of calls: 1.28 minutes
Calls by day:
0 500 1000 1500 2000 12-… 13-Sep 14-… 15-Sep 16-… 17-Sep 18-… 19-… 20-… 21-… 22-… 23-… 24-…Staff Recommendations
Have a list of dedicated local staff/volunteers that have
been trained
Have staff from a variety of offices/departments
Have dedicated and trained shift managers
Have their after-hours contact information
Establish a schedule to avoid burnout
Technical Recommendations
Create an email distribution list
ICD phone system is best, daisy chain can work
Have a dedicated space, if possible
Maps!
White boards
Laptops/iPads
Make sure you have IT support
Have the Call Center work with ESF 15 (PIO’s)
Call Center Training
Half-day class that covers:
Introductions
Emergency Management/Incident Command System WebEOC software
Trauma Response
Logistics of the Call Center Tour of EOC and Dispatch Call Center Exercise
Q & A
Call Center Schedule
6a-12p 9a-3p 12p-6p 3p-9p 6p-12a 9p-3a 12a-6a 3a-9a
Shift Manager 1 Shift Manager 2 Shift Manager 3 Shift Manager 4
Call Taker 1 Call Taker 4 Call Taker 1 Call Taker 4 Call Taker 1 Call Taker 4 Call Taker 1 Call Taker 4 Call Taker 2 Call Taker 5 Call Taker 2 Call Taker 5 Call Taker 2 Call Taker 5 Call Taker 2 Call Taker 5 Call Taker 3 Call Taker 6 Call Taker 3 Call Taker 6 Call Taker 3 Call Taker 6 Call Taker 3 Call Taker 6 Alternate Alternate Alternate Alternate Alternate Alternate Alternate Alternate
Engaging Volunteers/Staff
Topic Organization
Wildland Fire 101 Emergency Services Shelters & Services American Red Cross
Severe Weather National Weather Service Vicarious Trauma Sheriff's Office
Flooding UDFCD
Call Center Manual
Call Center Activation:
Work with ESF 15 and Communications Center to determine need of Call Center
Send email to [email protected] to begin to schedule staffing
Work with OEM & Sheriff’s Office IT staff on any needs of the Call Center room
Log into WebEOC and review “by the numbers” to get situational awareness
Start a 211 form – Personnel check-in list
Start a 214 form – Unit Log
Update the outgoing phone message
Update whiteboards with pertinent information
Brief call takers when they arrive
Get phones into “ready state”
County and City PIOs
collaborate
How does it work?
OEM staff (about 7) monitor weather conditions 24/7
Create “significant event” in WebEOC
Decide which ESFs to call in and when
When activated, begin coordinating efforts
For PIOs: Gathering information, posting to social media/website,
taking media calls, staying connected with other ESFs for updated info, writing press releases and editorials, coordinating media tours, compiling images/data and more
Maintain high level of contact, certainly during rescue
phase
Providing a necessary service
Balancing the public’s needs and the media’s needs
Collaborating to build a new website and create
content
www.BoulderCountyFlood.org
Flood Videos
Real-time interaction with constituents
Twitter (huge numbers of re-tweets/voice of
authority/accuracy checks/rumor control)
Public Warnings – Sept. 11-12
2321 hrs. Four Mile Canyon – climb to safety
2341 hrs. Anne U White - climb to safety
0025 hrs. City Of Boulder - climb to safety at mouth
of the canyon
0036 hrs. Jamestown - seek higher ground
0107 hrs. Longmont Dam Rd - seek higher ground
0110 hrs. South St Vrain – seek higher ground
0135 hrs. Jamestown – seek higher ground
@BoulderCounty (Joined Oct. 2008)
Sent 131 tweets (most sent Sept. 7 and 12) An average of 7 tweets per day
4 tweets were a retweet of someone else, remaining were
original content
99 of the tweets were retweeted by at least one other person
(The tweets were retweeted a total of 456 times)
Most retweeted tweet (42 retweets,or about 22,355 potential
views): Incident Command reports tonight that the Fourmile Canyon #boulderfire is 100 percent contained.
Most used hashtag was #boulderfire (72 times)
@BoulderOEM (started April 2010)
Sent 103 tweets (most sent Sept. 7 and 12) An average of 6 tweets per day
4 tweets were a retweet of someone else, remaining were
original content
61 of the tweets were retweeted by at least one other person
(The tweets were retweeted a total of 155 times)
Most retweeted tweet (8 times, or about 26,677 potential
views*): This is the most comprehensive list of residential areas that have been ordered to evacuate as a result of the... http://fb.me/GNjhPhSw
Most used hashtag was #boulderfire (72 times)
Twitter Sept. 10-30, 2013
@BoulderOEM
Sent 393 tweets (102 of these were sent on the 12th alone) An average of 20 tweets per day
Only 23 tweets were a retweet of someone else, remaining were
original content
384 of the tweets were retweeted by at least one other person
(The tweets were retweeted a total of 5,456 times)
Most retweeted tweet: Evacuation ordered: Mouth of Boulder
Canyon to Broadway, Pearl to Marine GO TO HIGHER GROUND immediately #boulderflood
Twitter Sept. 10-30, 2013
@BoulderCounty
Sent 387 tweets
An average of 19 tweets per day
49 tweets were a retweet of someone else, remaining were
original content
340 of the tweets were retweeted by at least one other person
(The tweets were retweeted a total of 2,718 times)
Most retweeted tweet (retweeted 133 times): Evacuation
ordered: Mouth of Boulder Canyon to Broadway, Pearl to Marine GO TO HIGHER GROUND immediately
#boulderflood
We have Now Set a Precedent
Our community expects
immediate news
The media is watching and
expects the updates
We have more control over
the message
Don’t forget the “old