CA
Office of Emergency Services
Definitions |
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RACES
| REOC | RIMS
| SEMS
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Definitions Link to CA OES |
- Mutual
Aid
Ref:
OES Reference: http://acs.oes.ca.gov/Pages/acs_definitions.html#ma
Mutual aid is the voluntary provision of services
and facilities by agencies or organizations
to assist each other when existing resources
prove to be inadequate.It is neighbor (government
to government) helping neighbor when there
is a need for additional resources, people,
equipment, etc. For fire fighting it includes
fire responders and their equipment. For law
enforcement it includes people and equipment
for law enforcement. For the field of communications
it includes people and equipment for most
types of communications.
Emergency Mutual Aid response and recovery
activities are generally conducted at the
request and under the direction of the affected
local government. The general flow of mutual
aid is from field to the city (where applicable),
to the county or special district (organized
under SEMS as part
of an Operational Area), then to the state
OES REOC, and thence
to the state operations center (SOC). However,
some emergency responses are led by designated
State agencies. Such agencies have jurisdiction
at the State level of those emergencies or
disasters. In some cases there may be joint
response, requiring a Unified Command for
coordinated response between State and local
jurisdictions: e.g., hazardous material and
nuclear power plant emergencies.
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- SEMS
- Standard Emergency Management System
Ref:
OES Reference: http://acs.oes.ca.gov/Pages/acs_definitions.html#sems
SEMS
was created by a state law enacted after the
devastating Oakland Fire Storm in the mid
l990's. Its purpose is to strengthen mutual
aid response and facilitate different units
of government in working together.
SEMS
is applicable to five jurisdictional levels:
State, Region, Operational Area, Local,
Field; and has five major elements: 1. Incident
Command System (ICS) 2. Multi-agency or
inter-agency coordination 3. The State's
Mutual Aid Program 4. Operational Areas
5. The Operational Area Satellite Information
System (OASIS)
SEMS
is required for managing response to multi-agency
and multi-jurisdiction emergencies in California.
State agencies must use SEMS. Local governments
must use SEMS to be eligible for state funding
of certain response-related personnel costs.
When
an Operational Area (OA) activates its Emergency
Operations Center (EOC) in response to an
emergency to any of its Cities, Districts
or the County, so must the State (via its
Regions).
An
Emergency Operations Center (or Incident
Command Post in the field) must have its
staff organized by the five functions of
the Incident Command System.
Other
impacts and requirements of include incorporation
of SEMS into all plans, training and exercises,
and documentation of the use of SEMS in
planning, training, exercises and actual
emergencies. SEMS also led to the development
of the Response Information Management System
(RIMS).
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- RIMS
- Response Information Management System
Ref:
OES Reference:
http://acs.oes.ca.gov/Pages/acs_definitions.html#rims
As a result of the SEMS legislation, California
established communications support procedures
and systems to provide information links for
elements of the California Emergency Organization;
specifically between the OA, the OES REOC,
the State Operations Center (SOC), and other
state agencies. The Response Information Management
System (RIMS) is a key element in that infrastructure.
RIMS
is a computer based system that puts essential
emergency response information on the respective
deks of each key person in an OA EOC and state
OES REOC. This includes standardized Event
or Incident Reports, including the need for
mutual aid. Other items include Situation
Reports, Status Reports, Incident Damage Estimate
Reports, Response Plans, Operational Objectives,
Levees Incident Status Reports, After Action
Reports.
Knowledge
of RIMS is critical to the ability of an ACS
or RACES unit to draw or supply volunteer
communications mutual aid. RIMS has replaced
prior systems for ACS Mutual Aid. All units
need to follow ICS procedures as well as being
thoroughly familiar with RIMS formats and
forms as they have become the statewide in-use
standard between OA's and REOC's.
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Disaster
Know No Boundaries |
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