Incident Action Plan [IAP] Phase 1 For this assignment, you will begin working on an Incident Action Plan (IAP), which is due in Unit VIII. There are five phases to the IAP. You will complete Phase 1 in this assignment. Refer to the FEMA Incident Action Planning Guide, specifically Phase 1. See Unit VIII assignment instructions for more details about the final requirements for the IAP. The incident action planning process will be a way for you to plan and execute operations on any incident that may occur within the community provided in the scenario. This means that incident action planning will be more than producing an IAP. It will be a set of activities in each unit that provides a consistent rhythm and structure to incident management of any type. In several units of this course, through the incident action planning process, you will begin developing a tool that will synchronize operations at the incident level to ensure that incident operations are conducted in support of incident objectives. The incident action planning process is built on the following phases: 1. understand the situation; 2. establish incident objectives; 3. develop the plan; 4. prepare and disseminate the plan; and 5. execute, evaluate, and revise the plan. During each phase, you will prepare a well-organized and thoughtful summary/narrative consisting of two sections. One section will consist of a one-to-two-page narrative for each phase of the IAP. In this assignment, your narrative will consist of your evaluation of Phase I of the IAP. Phase I covers the operational period, which is the period of time scheduled for executing a given set of operational actions as specified in the IAP. Chapter 4 of the textbook National incident management system: Principles and practice (pp. 45-46) defines the Operational Period and the specific incident mission requirements needed to begin Phase 1. The second section of your summary/narrative will consist of at least three pages in which you address the following: If or when the Finance/Administration Section should be established during an emergency incident; If the emergency incident requires a Finance/Administration section, determine when it should have pre-established agreements, contracts, and a procedural process with local vendors, suppliers, and contractors on equipment and/or supplies that could be required during the emergency; If the emergency incident does not require a Finance/Administration section, determine why it does not need preestablished agreements, contracts, and a procedural process with local vendors, suppliers, and contractors on equipment and/or supplies that could be required during the emergency; and Explain the importance of a budget for fire and emergency medical services (EMS) administration in preparation for emergency incidents For Phase 1, retrieve ICS Form 201: Incident Briefing from the IAP Assignment Documents folder in the course menu on Blackboard and begin entering the data from the background information documents and the scenario you choose. This information and other resources will enable you to complete Phase I of the IAP. Check with your instructor if you are having difficulty with any section of the form. You will choose one event from the different incident scenarios that could occur on Little Columbia Southern Island. Please click here to view the scenarios. The background information will be the same for all five events; however, the emergency event will be different. The five incident scenarios are: fire-related emergency, storm-related emergency, public health-related emergency, environmental-related emergency, and mass shooter incident. In addition, you are provided photos of various places on Little Columbia Southern Island to help you evaluate the conditions for the scenario you choose. MSE 5201, Advanced Fire Administration 3 Click here for access to bay homes photos. Click here for a map of the island. Click here for northern side of island photos. Click here for middle of island home photos. Click here for south side of island photos. Click here for unimproved roads photos. Refer to these documents for this assignment as well as all other assignments when completing the IAP. Use any available resource that your community has available as if it were Columbia County. For instance, if your county has 23 fire apparatus equipment, then make them available if needed for Columbia County, or if your county has a mobile medical clinic and it is part of your plan then list it on the form. These resources will be listed on ICS Form 201. The purpose of this assignment is for you to apply the concepts and knowledge you learned in this unit to begin writing the IAP. Also, this assignment provides you with the opportunity to use your skills, expertise, and experience to enrich your response. To supplement your discussion and support your writing, you may use information from reputable, reliable journal articles, case studies, scholarly papers, and other sources that you feel are pertinent. You should use at least three sources that can include one or both of your textbooks. All sources used, including the textbook(s), must be referenced; paraphrased and quoted material must have accompanying citations in proper APA style. Both the summary/narrative and the completed ICS Form 202 should be uploaded into the assignment area in Blackboard
Public Health-Related Emergency Scenario Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) One of the island residents returned to the island after being overseas and volunteering in several rural hospitals. During this time, the person was unknowingly carrying Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS). The man spoke at several island events during a seven day period and at neighboring humanitarian events throughout Columbia County. He even spoke at a July 4th event on the island where just under a thousand visitors made contact with him during the two-day event to raise money for another humanitarian trip. The next day, he suddenly became ill with shortness of breath, flu-like symptoms, gastrointestinal discomfort, muscle ache, and a cough. Over a two-day period, several more people on the island began  complaining of similar symptoms to include lethargy and a sore throat. There was a small red tide outbreak that causes the same symptoms in many patients. Paramedics from Little Columbia Southern Island Fire Department responded to the emergency and a patient was transported via boat to the closest hospital. As a result of the red tide bloom, many patients believed the symptoms were just that. The local hospital misdiagnosed SARs as the side effects of the red tide bloom and released the patient to return to the island. As a result, the disease spread rapidly throughout the tight-knit community with a total of 12 deaths. M
Background and Scenarios for Incident Action Plan Project Little Columbia Southern Island Physical Attributes and Infrastructure Little Columbia Southern Island is a bridgeless barrier island located off the Southwest Coast of the United States. The nearest municipality is a one hour drive from the Columbia Coastal Marina, which then takes 45 minutes to reach the island by ferry or boat. The water between the mainland and the island is designated as a protected wildlife zone by the U. S. Fish and Game Commission. All boat traffic is limited to 15 mph per hour. The island is approximately seven miles in length and varies between 1/8 and 3/8 miles wide. The length and width of the island changes as currents erode and deposit sand along the shoreline. The only vehicles/equipment on the island are electric golf carts used by the residents, one 1930 jeep used to grade the main road, a Coastal Power & Light truck, one sea plane, and fire department apparatus. There are no commercial stores or facilities on the island, which includes food or other amenities. The governing body of the island is an Advisory Board with one person elected from each district of the island representing 2,724 residents. The island is divided equally into five different districts. The advisory board communicates concerns, problems or issues to the Columbia County Commissioner who represents the island. All Advisory Board and community meetings are held in the Coastal Chapel on the island. Rarely do the island residents attend any of the County Commission meetings due to the time and distance to the meetings held on the mainland. The Advisory Board provides a summary list of the issues and considerations for their County Commissioner to present at various hearings and meetings. The island is divided into three distinct mindsets. The northern end of the island will not utilize any governmental agency and refuses to have potable water connected to their homes. The middle of the island is made up of rental properties along the coast and bay. The southern part of the island is made up of residents who have a vision for change by developing the infrastructure to include water and sewer from the mainland. The majority of the island is single-family homes with two condominium developments; combined, both condominiums have 300 units. The condominiums on the bay are protected by a sprinkler system that is supplied from a fire pump connected to the island’s only pond. The island has no public use or facilities for public access. The road system consists of unimproved paths and dirt roads which are maintained by the residents. Many of the unimproved paths and dirt roads only allow vehicular access that is limited to the width of a golf cart. The main roadway system that runs the length of the island will accommodate fire apparatus and the island’s utility truck. Residents that live on the bay side have privately owned docks that extend out past the shallow flats for access to their home. Many of those homes are only accessible from the dock and water. There is only one dock that will accommodate the ferry and fire boat from Columbia County Emergency Services. The ferry is mainly used for transporting people and household garbage from the island to the Columbia Coastal Marina. The infrastructure is very limited with Coastal Power & Light providing electricity and the Coastal Telephone Company providing phone services. Cellular phone coverage is limited due to a lack of cellular towers within close range. Potable water is provided by a privately-owned water company (owned by one of the island residents). The privately-owned water company has a deep well that provides water to 10% of the island residents through a 3-inch water main with 1 ½ inch branches. The four fire hydrants located in the southern part of the island are fed from the fire pump. All the homes in the northern section of the island have individual cisterns that rely on rain as their source of water. Some homes have shallow wells and a reverse osmosis desalinization plant that provides water to 38% of the residents and condominiums. Single-family homes are on septic tanks and drain field systems, except the condominiums which has a wastewater treatment system. All parcels of the island are privately owned by the residents and there are 745 platted lots ranging in various sizes from one tenth of an acre to five acres. The majority of the homes and structures have  native vegetation within five feet and no fuel reduction buffers. Several of the residents have pushed for community awareness regarding Firewise principles and a defensible space, keeping wildfire away from homes and structures, but it has been met with resistance. They want the native vegetation to remain in place to have the old coastal look. Part of the concern from those aware of the fire danger are weather patterns and available firefighting resources that would influence the ability to control the fire quickly. Emergency Services Emergency medical services are provided by the Little Columbia Southern Island Fire Department. The fire department has two fulltime career personnel which includes the fire chief and a firefighter/paramedic. Four volunteers from the community provide assistance to the fire department on emergency incidents. The fire department is funded through a non-ad valorem assessment levied on each property and contributions from island residents and visitors during special events held on the island. Law enforcement is provided by the Columbia County Sheriff’s Department. The Little Columbia Southern Island Fire Department was formed after a fatal fire that killed four island residents. The delayed response from Columbia County Emergency Services to the fire occurred after the 9-1-1 call was dropped. The fire was so intense that fire investigators from the State could not determine the cause. Following that fire incident, the island’s Advisory Board met and demanded fire protection. After several meetings with their County Commissioner a solution was proposed to provide limited fire protection and emergency services from the county. The Little Columbia Southern Island Fire Department was able to maintain on-duty status of at least one or more persons 24 hours per day, 7 days a week. In addition, the fire department had to initiate measures to control the emergency while the county provided a full response to the incident, if needed. The Little Columbia Southern Island Fire Department had to also submit a proposed budget for approval during the budgetary process beginning each October 1st. The island’s Advisory Board also serves as the Fire Board with oversight for the fire department. The total budget for the fire department is $220,057.78. Twenty thousand dollars is raised by the volunteers and Advisory Board from the sale of tee-shirts and hats during special events on the island. The fire department is temporarily using one of the rental homes on the island as their station. The station has a small generator which provides power to the radio, refrigerator, and some emergency lights during power outages. Most emergency calls are received by a cellular phone which is carried by the on-duty person at the fire station. Many residents do not trust the Columbia County 9-1-1 Public Address System (PAS) since the communications center dropped the emergency call that resulted in the fatal fire. The fire department utilizes two all-wheel drive pickup trucks converted to fire apparatus and two all-terrain vehicles (ATVs) to access the beach and remote areas of the island. Environmental-Related Emergency Scenario Red Tide Along the coastal area of Little Columbia Southern Island, the largest red tide bloom in more than five decades occurred, killing thousands of fish. Long-term island residents have never seen such a magnitude of devastation to the fish and marine organisms as is occurring with this bloom. As the dead fish and marine organisms begin to wash ashore, many of the residents have begun to develop health issues. According to the Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, the Department of Environmental Protection,
and the Columbia Marine Laboratory, this red tide bloom threat is expected to last for three months. A researcher with the Ocean Technology program at the Columbia Marine Laboratory suggested that the phenomenon of red tide blooms has existed for centuries and many times the bloom remains offshore. However, this bloom is impacting the health and safety of residents and commercial fishing for the entire coastal area. The Department of Environmental Protection obtained a sample of the red tide bloom and discovered the bloom is the harmful algal bloom (HAB). As a result, multiple manatees, sea turtles, and bottlenose dolphins are being washed up on the northern side of the island. Columbia County health officials, the Department of Environmental Protection, and the Columbia Marine Laboratory have issued warnings of brevetoxin exposure from the HAB. However, each agency’s warning does not exactly contain the same information. Nonetheless, they all agree that inhalation of aerosolized toxins or the consumption of any fish or marine life in the area may be dangerous to one’s health. They stated clinical symptom signs are respiratory illnesses followed by lethargy and muscle weakness including death. They have ordered a voluntary evacuation; however, residents of the island refuse to leave. The Department of Environmental Protection and health officials began monitoring the potable water from the reverse osmosis desalinization system and found HAB have penetrated the purification semipermeable membrane, allowing the toxin to be disseminated into the potable water. In fact, several residents had complained that the potable water tasted salty at times and county officials refused to investigate the complaints because of it being a private system. Within a week after the red tide bloom began to occur, 45 deaths resulted from people drinking the water and eating shellfish from the bay.