Queen Anne’s County Emergency Operations Plan Review Report 2015
On August 25, 2015, the Queen Anne’s County Department of Emergency Services and members from the University of Maryland Center for Health & Homeland Security (CHHS) presented the Queen Anne’s County Emergency Operations Plan (EOP) Review Report 2015. CHHS was contracted to review the County’s Emergency Operations Plan. The primary scope of work was to review the Queen Anne’s County Emergency Operations Plan and provide written recommendations for plan improvement based on National Plan Guidance and established best practices.
Mr. Russell Strickland presented CHHS findings to the County Commissioners with the following findings and recommendations:
1. Overall – acceptable. The EOP is structured utilizing the guidelines as established within the emergency management community. The Queen Anne’s County EOP uses the emergency support function format.
2. The EOP should include an EOC Manual of Operations.
3. Reviewing the specific hazard annexes, the EOP addresses those hazards as identified in the Hazard Mitigation Plan. It does not provide annexes, outside of the general and generic approaches within the emergency support functions for the following:
a. Continuity of Operations (COOP)
b. Continuity of Government (COG)
c. Terrorism
d. Civil Unrest
e. Infectious Disease (Epidemic)
f. Nuclear Power Plant (Radiation) (NPP)
4. The plan calls for an annual review which is excellent, consistent with the emergency management community and meets or exceeds the grant guidance requirement.
Recommendations
1. Adoption of the following for the EOP development, review, refresh and revision strategy:
a. Emergency Management Accreditation Program as the overall roadmap.
b. Utilization of the national planning process as outlined in the National Planners Course.
c. Developing and Maintaining Emergency Operations Plans, CPG 101.
All of these programs have outlined the process to make sure you include all partners and whole community as well as be transparent with the process.
2. Develop a Queen Anne’s County Comprehensive Emergency Management Program Strategy, establishing reasonable and relevant outcomes with respectable measurements for success.
3. Prioritize and be reasonable.
4. Suggest a work plan that includes the follow and in this order:
a. Review of the laws, guidance that might influence and establish requirements for the EOP.
b. Develop an operations manual / procedure (operational / tactical plan) for the activation of the Queen Anne’s County Emergency Operations Center, utilizing the Queen Anne’s County Emergency Operations Plan.
i. Conduct training / review of the EOP and EOC operations manual.
ii. Exercise
iii. Review and Adjust
c. Develop a Strategic Plan for a Queen Anne’s County Comprehensive Emergency Management Program, following the requirements for the Emergency Management Accreditation Program.
d. Conduct a THIRA (grant guidance requirement).
e. Review and update the COOP and COG for the County.
f. Review and update the NIMS implementation plan, strategy, with requirements developed in FY 08, 09 and 10, per the grant guidance. The focus for FY 15 is resource management, but does not specify a requirement.
g. Develop, based upon the Calvert Cliffs NPP emergency operations plan and the State of Maryland’s plan, a NPP / Radiological Hazard Specific Annex for Queen Anne’s County.
h. Develop, based upon consultation with the Maryland Department of Health and Medical Hygiene, the Maryland Institute for Emergency Medical Services, and the Maryland Emergency Management Agency, an Infectious Disease (Epidemic) Hazard Specific Annex for Queen Anne’s County.
i. Develop a Terrorism Hazard Specific Annex for Queen Anne’s County.
j. Develop a Civil Unrest Hazard Specific Annex for Queen Anne’s County.
The Department of Emergency Services is currently working on the implementation of the findings and recommendations. The EOP will be sent to the Maryland Emergency Management Agency for a final review and the County Commissioners’ will formally adopt the EOP shortly after that review.