CA
Office of Emergency Services
Definitions
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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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