EMC251 Mutual Aid 2000 1/5
To:   Emergency Communications Units - Information Bulletin
To:   Emergency Management Agencies via Internet and Radio
By:   Auxiliary Communications Service (ACS) of the
      California Governor's Office of Emergency Services  

EMC251 Mutual Aid 2000 1/5           For Release 8/21/00 

Continuation of a series on activation, which covered:
   A: Unit Activation and Authority to Activate (248); 
   B: When Does DSW (insurance) Coverage Begin (249)
   C: Investigation of potential involvement (249)
   D: How Many to Activate or Involve (250) and now: 
 
E: MUTUAL AID TO OR FROM ANOTHER GOVERNMENT EMCOMM UNIT

Mutual aid is a term used in government operations and Incident
Command System to describe needed resources when a jurisdiction
has depleted, or is nearing depletion of its own resources. 
Mutual aid can be fire engines, law support, communicators, and
other assets or needed resource in a disaster, emergency or 
potential emergency.

This series is for communications mutual aid to, from, and for
government units such as ACS, RACES, ARES or clubs w/MOU as the
RACES. This EXCLUDES resources for organizations and agencies
that have a discipline specific system, such as USFS, CDF VIP,
American Red Cross, Salvation Army, ARES "mutual assistance"
for ARES operations.

Several states now have laws that directly affect Mutual Aid. An
example was referenced in a 1993 article by Bill Ozment, W6LSW,
titled "The Essentials of Emergency Voice Communications":
   "Mutual aid: In the case of the CDF VIP and RACES, you CANNOT
   go mutual aid to another agency without the specific direction
   of the AGENCY YOU REPRESENT!  Without their specific knowledge
   and direction you will not be under their Workers Compensation
   protection should something happen to you." (Editor: it also
   applies to RECEIVING mutual aid from another unit. Since l993
   the protocol for mutual aid in California has changed.)

Following the 1991 devastating East Bay Hills Fire Storm the CA
Legislature created the Standardized Emergency Management System
(SEMS). The purpose was to standardize the means of supplying and
obtaining emergency resources (mutual aid) across a state with
_thousands_ of jurisdictions. Just one county can have several
hundred jurisdictions. That one county, made up of all those
agencies, cities and districts is, in California, described as an
"Operational Area" (OA). Within this setting SEMS improved the
situation, even if elsewhere SEMS may seem too complex.

SEMS requires that State OES must activate an EOC when any OA
activates its EOC. In order to do that OES setup 3 Region EOC.
Each responds to OA groups with common geographical or other
aspects, i.e; 11 (Southern), 16 (Coastal) or 30 (Inland). The
REOC provides primary mutual aid responsibility once an OA EOC
is activated and the OA requests resource assistance.  

The responsibility of a REOC is complex, for a SINGLE OA (San
Bernardino for example) may be larger and more diverse than 5
other STATES combined; that is, terrain, population and area is
such that REOC responsibility can equal an entire section of the
country in some parts of the US.

The result is a standard process for mutual aid that applies to
all resources, including ACS, RACES, and units with a MOU to
serve as RACES. For how that works, see next bulletin.
                           ---
Bulletins are on the ACS Web page: http://acs.oes.ca.gov  -and a
Landline BBS: 916-262-0856 (graphical & standard interface)
EOM