**INSTRUCTOR:** Martha Smith

**LESSON:** The Role of Liaison Officer in the Incident Management
System

**UNIT:** 7

**COURSE:** Complex Incident Management

**OBJECTIVES:**

1.  Upon completion of this lesson, members of the IMT will demonstrate
    knowledge of how to utilize the IMT Liaison Officer to enhance team
    performance and increase coordination between external entities and
    the IMT.

2.  Students will be able to utilize the IMT Liaison Officer to quickly
    identify external problems to minimize possible negative impacts to
    the team operation.

3.  Students will be able to utilize the IMT Liaison Officer to identify
    and recruit external resources that enhance the team operation.

4.  Students will be able to utilize the IMT Liaison Officer to raise
    the confidence level of the affected citizens, news media and local
    officials in the team operations.

**[NARRATIVE]{.underline}**

Especially in the case of Multi-Jurisdictional and All-Risk Incidents,
incident management teams are not autonomous. The incident itself and
actual or perceived actions of the team can have political and community
relation consequences that can negatively affect team performance.
Concerns of the citizens need to be known and well understood by the
incident management team. The team needs to be aware of external
influences.

If a Liaison Officer is assigned, the team will have a position devoted
to the role of ambassador, trouble-shooter, and intelligence officer. If
not, the duties will fall to the Incident Commander and problems may not
be readily identified until they grow large.

**[Liaison Officer Responsibilities]{.underline}**

-   Member of Command Staff and thoroughly familiar with IMS operations
    and functions.

-   Gathers intelligence that helps Command and General Staff accomplish
    mission.

-   Identifies potential problems, internal and external to team
    operation, and options for solving.

-   Identifies potential resources.

-   Trouble-shooter/Goodwill Ambassador/Intelligence Officer.

-   Obtains briefing and assignment from Incident Commander.

-   I.C. performs duties in the absence of assigned L.O.

-   An assigned L.O. allows the I.C. to focus on managing the incident.

-   Attends Planning Meetings.

-   L.O. is not involved with operational tactics.

-   Activities will vary with magnitude of the incident.

> *See L.O.F. Reference Sheet, pg. 5*

**[Strategy Development for All-Risk incidents]{.underline}**

**Based on I.C. directive and incident objectives.** **Keep it simple.**

**Arrive with a generalized strategy plan, update and revise it as
needed**.

Use the "web" to gather info on effected community prior to arrival.

**Liaison strategies will probably be very similar from one incident to
another, even if the missions are varied.**

**Identify the people who can help the team quickly understand the
issues that could effect team operation.**

If the mission is hurricane debris removal, are all communities being
served fairly? Is the local Public Works agency involved with
identifying priorities?

**Develop and maintain a Key Contact list that can be useful to other
team members or to your eventual replacement.**

**Identify key areas of concern that need to be better explored and
understood.**

Assess the situation relative to the operational mission of the team.
Consider the perspectives of - local politics, community and public
relations. For example, what's the comfort level of local officials with
IMS operations and the presence of the team?

**Think ahead to provide information and intelligence that could be
useful to the team in achieving its mission.**

Identify individuals, organizations, agencies that can be useful to team
members in providing information and or resources.

Anticipate the activities that could affect the team in the future.

*See Strategy Example, Red Point Fire, pg. 5*

**[Examples of L.O. tactics]{.underline}**

-   Make contacts with potential players, advocates, detractants,
    resources, and affected citizens. Some of this can be done prior to
    arrival at an incident by calling ahead. You may not be able to
    reach the main person, but you can get an assistant or staff
    individual.

-   Recruit local person who can help identify key political figures,
    local government representatives/officials; record contact
    information along with anything pertinent to the incident.

-   Reference local media stories to gauge local sentiment and identify
    any possible areas of concern.

-   Attend team meetings to understand team issues and plans.

-   Make sure team members understand the role of the Liaison Officer
    and that they inform you of any possible issues of concern that they
    hear of.

-   Find out what crew members are hearing in the field.

-   Work closely with team and cooperator P.I.O.

-   Anticipate activities beyond tomorrow's Action Plan.

-   Anticipate-Anticipate-Anticipate

-   "Listen to the coyotes"

**[Documentation]{.underline}**

Record Liaison activities and contacts. Prepare Daily Reports and Key
Contact Lists.....

For future use of others

For thorough records

To brief the in-coming L.O.

Anticipate-Anticipate-Anticipate

> Important! Be careful with sensitive, potentially embarrassing info.
> Report to IC verbally.

**[Demobilization]{.underline}**

Leave useful information for replacement Liaison Officer

> Make sure cooperators are prepared for demobilization

**Example of Liaison Strategy**

Red Point Fire, Black Hills National Forest

Custer, South Dakota

Liaison Officer Strategy Development

This strategy is based on information gathered from the time of first
notification of team deployment on July 24,'03 till the conclusion of
the Agency Administrator briefing which took place at 9:00 P.M. July 27,
'03 at the Black Hills National Forest Office in Custer, South Dakota.

Gathered names &contact info. of public officials via internet before
leaving home. Called Fire Chief, District Ranger, and Sheriff to inform
them of our mission and keep them updated.

The major focus of the Liaison Officer during the first day on scene
will be to follow up on information that indicates that the large
landowners as well as homeowners in the general area of the fire have
been displeased about fire suppression tactics used on past fires and
are concerned that their issues are not being heard or considered on
this current fire.

Key contacts from the agencies on-scene have provided a few names of
local citizens with concerns. More names will be sought out and each of
these people will be contacted to find out specifically what their
concerns are and to share with them as much information as possible
about the Florida Blue Team Operational Plans. Information gathered will
be passed on the I.C. to incorporate into the planning process as
appropriate to safely and efficiently suppress the fire and address
citizens concerns.

We will establish a telephone contact number for the LOFR to pass on to
all citizens to insure that anyone with concerns can reach the Team
through the LOFR. The Great Plains Interagency Dispatch in Rapid City
has established a toll-free line that may be able to receive these calls
for later retrieval by the LOFR.

In addition to making contacts, the LOFR will continue to monitor
previous contacts for new information. Daily reports will be kept
detailing contacts.

At A.M. Briefing, the LOFR will advise crew leaders of LOFR duties and
ask them to advise LOFR of any landowner/citizen concerns that hear of.

Work closely with PIO to accurately gauge community sentiment regarding
suppression activities and maximize the opportunity to get accurate
information out to the public.

# 

# **Liaison Officer Reference Sheet**

**The Liaison Officer in the Incident Management System reports directly
to and takes instruction from the Incident Commander. Liaison Officers
must have extensive knowledge of agency policy and be highly experienced
with the I.M.S. and should have experience in working directly with
executive level and elected officials.**

**The primary purpose of the CIMC Liaison Officer is to serve as an
Ambassador, Intelligence Officer, and Trouble-shooter and gather
intelligence that helps the Incident Commander and the team accomplish
their mission. In so doing, the L. O. will help identify problems that
could interfere with accomplishing the team mission in a timely manner
and list possible solutions. This allows the I.C. to concentrate on
managing the incident.**

**Work inside the Liaison box; you are not the Incident Commander or
Operations Chief, and cannot make command or operational decisions.**

*Note: Some Federal Incident Management Teams use the LOF as the
internal contact point between the team and cooperating and assisting
crews. Those duties are [not]{.underline} normally expected of the LOF
as taught in this application.*

**[Examples of things to consider:]{.underline}**

**What is the local political climate in regards to confidence in and
support of the team mission?**

**How can it be improved?**

**Is the affected community threatened, supportive, or uncertain of the
team presence?**

**How can the team quickly earn the confidence and respect of the
community? Is there a Key Player who can help? How can the team quickly
recruit a key player who knows the land, or politics, or the best way to
reduce bureaucracy without causing undue offense?**

**In the case of large landowners affected by the incident, (who are
they and what are their concerns?**

**Do they have resources that they can commit to the incident? Are they
willing to commit? Are they familiar with the I.M.S. planning process?
What is their confidence level in the operation and how can it be
raised? Idea: Take them to a planning meeting (with I.C. approval
first). How can we get their valuable input into the operation?)**

**Make sure cooperators are brought into the team operation at an
appropriate level**

**Make sure that the team understands the real concerns of the
citizenry.**

**Stay informed of the tempo of news articles about team performance.**

**Make sure that the Incident Action Plan and Daily Reports are
circulated for local officials and others to use when they deal with the
public or the media. (The I.A.P. and 209 Status Reports are tangible
signs of competency and document results). Internet is great for this.**

**Document daily activities well. Others can make good use of it today
and down the road. Important! Be careful with sensitive, potentially
embarrassing info. Report to IC verbally.**

**Keep an on-going Key Contact List with important phone numbers.**

**Anticipate what the team will be concerned with beyond tomorrow's
Action Plan.**

**Have a phone contact number where you can be reached that never rings
unanswered.**

**Make sure all of the key players that are external to the team are
kept well informed.**

**If helpful, recruit a local assisting Liaison Officer whose knowledge
and abilities can help achieve the team objectives.**

**If your team mission is to support an agency that is not familiar with
the discipline required to make IMS work well, stay in close contact
with them and reinforce to them the importance of basics such as
check-in procedures. Put it in writing. Imagine the vast number of
agencies that would be involved in a domestic security incident. If it
is your team's job to support them, it is vital that they provide you
with accurate information such as the number of people expected and any
special requirements they may have.**