# Presentation: 721960

## Painting the Common Operating Picture

- Pamera Hairston, Esq.
- Federal Communications Commission
- Pamera.Hairston@fcc.gov
- 202-418-1165

## INCIDENT

- ESF-2

- FEMA advance team

- RRCC

- State EOC

- FECC and
-  ESF-2 team
-  go to

- JFO

## Communications Assessment:Painting the Common Operating Picture

- Provides “situational awareness” for operations managers and policy makers at the highest levels from those closest to the incident or event
- Gives the background and context for decision making

## Communications Assessment:Painting the Common Operating Picture

-  Gathering Information or “Assessing the Incident”
-  Reporting the Information or “Completing the 	Common Operating Picture”

**Communications Assessment:****Painting the Common Operating Picture**

## Communications Assessment:Gathering Information

- NCS/NCC

- JFO

**Outages**
**Priorities**
**Offers**

**Fuel**
**Security**
**Access**
**Public Safety Systems**
**Power Grid**
**Broadcasters**
**Satellite**
**Others**

**Communications Assessment:****Gathering Information**

## To and From NCS/NCC/JTRB
Opportunity to learn priorities
Opportunity to learn what issues need follow up action (“run to ground”)
Opportunity to report status of follow up actions on subsequent calls

- Opportunity to learn priorities
- Opportunity to learn what issues need follow up action (“run to ground”)
- Opportunity to report status of follow up actions on subsequent calls

**Gathering Information:****Conference Calls**

## “Getting There From Here” 

- Visits to:
- 		Local EOC
- 		Local Communications Officer
- 		Commercial Industry at Sites
- Visits via:
- 	Car
- 	Boat
-  	Air

**Gathering Information:****Local Site Visit**

## JFO

**JFO**
**State EOC**

**Gathering Information:****Other ESFs**

## Initial Assessment—Generally describes the immediate state of communications following an incident

Subsequent Assessments— Reports that provide more detailed information with specific needs and recommendations based on interviews with state/  local officials, ESF counterparts at the state EOC and JFO, and on-site industry representatives

**Subsequent Assessments**— Reports that provide more detailed information with specific needs and recommendations based on interviews with state/  local officials, ESF counterparts at the state EOC and JFO, and on-site industry representatives

**Gathering Information:****Assessing the Incident**

## 
Whether as a part of the FEMA Advance Team or as part of the team arriving at the JFO, the ESF-2 team should initiate contacts as soon as the boots hit the ground   
Face-to-Face is PREFERRED

- Whether as a part of the FEMA Advance Team or as part of the team arriving at the JFO, the ESF-2 team should initiate contacts as soon as the boots hit the ground
- Face-to-Face is PREFERRED

**Gathering Information:****Assessing the Incident**

## Information should be:

Timely
Relevant
Correctly Annotated
Comprehensive

- Timely
- Relevant
- Correctly Annotated
- Comprehensive

**Gathering Information:****Assessing the Incident**

## Contact the following for initial assessment:

ESF-2 Counterpart at the state EOC
ESF-3 (Public Works and Engineering) in the state EOC and JFO
ESF-12 (Energy) in the state EOC and JFO
ESF-13 (Public Safety and Security) in the state EOC and JFO
Wireline Service Providers
Wireless Service Providers
State Broadcasters Association Representative

- Contact the following for initial assessment:
- ESF-2 Counterpart at the state EOC
- ESF-3 (Public Works and Engineering) in the state EOC and JFO
- ESF-12 (Energy) in the state EOC and JFO
- ESF-13 (Public Safety and Security) in the state EOC and JFO
- Wireline Service Providers
- Wireless Service Providers
- State Broadcasters Association Representative

## With every POC you meet, always get:

Contact Information: Name, Cell/Fax/Sat Phone and E-mail
Issues Unique to POC’s Systems/Services
Status of Systems/Services 
Proposed Recovery Efforts and Time-Frame 
	(if known)
Immediate Needs

- Contact Information: Name, Cell/Fax/Sat Phone and E-mail
- Issues Unique to POC’s Systems/Services
- Status of Systems/Services
- Proposed Recovery Efforts and Time-Frame
- 	(if known)
- Immediate Needs

**Gathering Information:****Assessing the Incident**

## Issues unique to system/services

ESF-3 (Public Works and Engineering)
ESF-12 ( Energy)
ESF-13 (Public Safety and Security)
Wireline Service Providers
Wireless Service Providers
Broadcasters
PSAP/LMR Systems

- ESF-3 (Public Works and Engineering)
- ESF-12 ( Energy)
- ESF-13 (Public Safety and Security)
- Wireline Service Providers
- Wireless Service Providers
- Broadcasters
- PSAP/LMR Systems

**Gathering Information:****Assessing the Incident**

## 
Title may be official or unofficial
Knows about the public safety services in the area of the incident, the maintenance of those services and the people to contact

- Title may be official or unofficial
- Knows about the public safety services in the area of the incident, the maintenance of those services and the people to contact

**Gathering Information:****Assessing the Incident**

- The local Communications Officer is the* “keeper” *of critical communications services information

## “Grueling grammar Batman, it’s interrogatives”

Who?
What?
When?
Where?
Why?
How?

- Who?
- What?
- When?
- Where?
- Why?
- How?

**Gathering Information:****Assessing the Incident**

## For example:

Interview with ESF-2 Comms POC
WHO: the person’s name, cell/fax/blackberry number  
WHAT: services were provided to the area pre- hurricane/event 
WHAT: state of services now in the disaster area
	Go through each system one at a time, letting the EOC Comms person describe:
WHAT: systems are used 
WHERE:  each system is located
HOW: long the community has owned/used the system
WHO: services the system (Name/Number)
WHO: runs the system (state, local, co-shared)
WHEN: did the system go down
HOW: much of the system is down (neighborhoods, parishes, city/county quadrants, percentage, number of switches, etc.) 

**Interview with ESF-2 Comms POC**
**WHO: **the person’s name, cell/fax/blackberry number
**WHAT**: services were provided to the area pre- hurricane/event
**WHAT:** state of services now in the disaster area
- 	**Go through each system one at a time, letting the EOC Comms person describe:**
**WHAT: **systems are used
**WHERE:**  each system is located
**HOW: **long the community has owned/used the system
**WHO: **services the system (Name/Number)
**WHO:** runs the system (state, local, co-shared)
**WHEN:** did the system go down
**HOW:** much of the system is down (neighborhoods, parishes, city/county quadrants, percentage, number of switches, etc.)

**Gathering Information:****Assessing the Incident**

## That policy makers and project managers use to make informed decisions within the context of the event (NCS/PFO/FCO)
That reflects what has been run to ground or needs to be run to ground
That provides a consistent reporting format

- That reflects what has been run to ground or needs to be run to ground
- That provides a consistent reporting format

**Reporting the Information:****Completing the Common Operating Picture**

- Based on the information gathered, the Situation Report (SitRep) paints the picture:

## 	Format
Issues
Solutions
Success/Results
Field Needs/ Follow up Action

- Issues
- Solutions
- Success/Results
- Field Needs/ Follow up Action

**Reporting the Information:****Situation Report (SitRep)**

## All reports include:

Your name, location, contact information, date of report
Names/contact information of persons who contributed information
Locations visited

- Your name, location, contact information, date of report
- Names/contact information of persons who contributed information
- Locations visited

**Reporting the Information:****Situation Report (SitRep)**

## All reports:

Indicate whether the information is anecdotal; otherwise it is presumed factual
Avoid clichés and vague phrases
Keep ESF-2 Mission foremost in your mind and your report writing

- Indicate whether the information is anecdotal; otherwise it is presumed factual
- Avoid clichés and vague phrases
- Keep ESF-2 Mission foremost in your mind and your report writing

**Reporting the Information:****Situation Report (SitRep)**

## Be Consistent in:

Spelling
Abbreviations/Acronyms	     http://www.fema.gov/pdf/plan/prepare/faatlist03_05.pdf
Writing style 
	- sentences or bullets
	- dates

- Spelling
- Abbreviations/Acronyms	     _[http://www.fema.gov/pdf/plan/prepare/faatlist03_05.pdf](http://www.fema.gov/pdf/plan/prepare/faatlist03_05.pdf)_
- Writing style
- 	- sentences or bullets
- 	- dates

**Reporting the Information:****Situation Report (SitRep)**

## “Those that fail to plan, plan to fail”

DEADLINES

Check your time zone
Check location when/where report is due
Check time allotted for writing report

**DEADLINES**
- Check your time zone
- Check location when/where report is due
- Check time allotted for writing report

**Reporting the Information:****Situation Report (SitRep)**

## Classroom Role Plays