Joint Field Office Activation and Operations - Federal Emergency ...

UNCLASSIFIEDincident and coordinating agency plans of action. In the “zone of coordination” between theIncident Commander(s), local EOCs, and the JFO (see figure below), logistics, situation, andplanning should drive coordination.Joint Field OfficeOperationalCoordination:Who is doing what?JFO CGPlanning Coordination:Unity of effort? Gaps &overlaps?Operational Support:Novel or controversialstrategies?OPLFLogistical Support:What do they need?ICFinancial Support:How much funding dothey need? How much isleft?OPLF1.4 Establish a Common Frame of ReferenceThe interagency environment can become complicated by differences in key terminology.The meaning of the terms “safe zone” or “operations” to one agency may have somewhatdifferent connotations to another. This misunderstanding may cause operational impacts.The semantic differences commonly experienced within a given Federal department maygrow in the interagency arena, particularly in broad interdisciplinary incident responses. JFOstaff must anticipate possible semantic mismatches and take measures to clarify and establishcommon terms with clear and specific usage.1.5 Develop Courses of Action or OptionsThese should address the problem and achieve the objectives. JFO staff should focus theirefforts on their agency’s enabling capabilities that contribute to coordination objectiveattainment and are part of the interagency plan of action. Resource-sensitive problemsrequire good options to lead to good solutions. Providing too few or clearly impracticaloptions or recommending the “middle of the road” approach merely for the sake of achievingconsensus is of little service to decision makers. The synergism of open debate within theinteragency community produces the best options.1.6 Capitalize on ExperienceReview after-action reports and lessons learned to assess proposed courses of action and toreduce the requirement to learn on the job. Though their lessons learned systems differ inscope and nature, almost all agencies have their own systems in place to capitalize onoperational experience. These should be sought and used in all cases prior to the beginningof JFO operations. Lessons learned must be captured throughout the duration of the JFO’soperation and documented in the After-Action and Lessons Learned Report described in Tab24Version 8.3Interim Approval April 28, 2006