In the EOC Bootcamp series we’ve talked about the overall purpose of an EOC, good habits for success, and ways to build situational awareness. By now, readers might say “that’s great, but how do we know when to activate, and how big should we go with it?”

Good question!

Let’s walk through some thoughts to keep in mind when you’re activating your EOC. First and foremost, you need an activation plan. The activation process should be clearly defined in your EOC Plan or Emergency Response Plan (ERP), and should include the following:

• who has the authority to activate the EOC?
• criteria for activating the EOC
• how to determine the level of EOC activation. 

Authority to Activate Your EOC

The plan should make it clear who has the authority to activate the EOC, and it should be more than one person! An emergency can crop up at any time, and no single person will be available 24/7 forever to make the decision. Some options for activation authorities:

• People who are assigned senior roles in the EOC: Director, Ops Chief, Plans Chief
• Senior management within your organization
• Senior officials (Mayor, Chair of Board of Directors, etc.)

Activation Criteria

What kind of triggers should you pick that signal it’s time to activate? Remember the primary functions of the EOC: resource allocation, consequence management, and situational awareness. If the emergency is such that any of these things is beyond the resources of the Incident Commander (IC) to handle, then maybe it’s time for the EOC to step in. Some examples of criteria:

• The incident site needs more support
• The incident requires a large-scale, complicated response
• Significant population impact or risk
• Uncertain response conditions
• Risk of rapid escalation
• State of Emergency declared
• Information management issues need to be addressed
• Major planned event
• Potential threat that needs monitoring

EOC Activation Level

Once you’ve made the decision to activate, what level should you go with? Your EOC plan should outline an escalation plan for activation that make sense for your organization, so that the number of people you dedicate to your response is appropriate to the requirement. Emergency Management and Climate Readiness (EMCR) BC suggests 3 common levels of activation:

• Level One – a small event requiring minimal site support, usually involving one site, or the need to monitor a potential larger event. Minimum staffing requirements for a Level One activation include: EOC Director, Ops Chief, Planning Chief, Liaison Officer, and information folks.
• Level Two – a larger event that requires some site support or may involve multiple sites and likely multiple agencies. Add Logistics and Finance Section Chiefs, a Risk Management Officer, and some extra staff in Ops and Planning. The Policy Group should also be briefed.
• Level Three – a major event involving multiple sites and agencies and extensive resources. Likely includes extensive evacuations. Full EOC staffing is required for all functions and positions, as well as policy group briefings.

However you decide to set this up for your organization, make sure it’s clearly laid out in your EOC plan and communicated to all. An emergency response can easily be hampered by people getting off on the wrong foot.

This article is part of Ally’s EOC Bootcamp Series, a collection of articles originally posted on Dave Whittier’s LinkedIn. Dave is a Senior Associate at Ally, and his articles draw on decades of field experience in emergency management and EOC operations. In EOC Bootcamp, Dave shares practical tips, memorable stories, and hard-earned lessons to help organizations understand EOC roles and responsibilities, and strengthen their overall emergency response capacity.