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

UNCLASSIFIED• Identify issues, concerns, and improvements allowing attainment ofcoordination and support objectives within targeted timeframe.• Review, consider, and prioritize requests for support for next CoordinationPeriod.• Review consolidated list of agency “trigger points” and criteria for engagingor altering operations. Review interagency information flow in view of thesecritical information requirements.• Review and identify operational gaps, seams, and overlaps in consolidatednational response to the incident.• Identify objectives for the next Coordination Period (clearly stated andattainable with the resources available, yet flexible enough to allowcoordinating agencies, Incident Commanders, and Section Chiefs to choosestrategies). Objectives will typically focus on closing gaps, eliminatingoverlaps, and smoothing transitions at seams in the response.• Review any open agenda items from initial/previous meetings.• Agency Perception of the Problem and Priorities. Solicit from each agency,department, or organization a clear definition of the role that each plays in wideareaoperations. The understanding of operating principles, legal issues, shortage ofcapabilities, points of contact, emergency management organization,Presidential/IAC direction (if applicable), and issues or tasks that cannot beundertaken may well affect mission success. An excellent starting point is toconsider what types of information would cause a given agency to change or adaptits wide-area operations/strategy in view of the incident. This information helpsbuild the information-sharing process within the JFO and clearly indicate theagency’s view of the problem.• Obstacles to Unity of Effort. Identify potential obstacles to the collective effortarising from conflicting departmental or agency priorities. Early identification ofpotential obstacles and concurrence as to solutions by all participants is the first steptoward resolution. History demonstrates that obstacles are frequently identified toolate in the process and become nearly insurmountable for the on-scene incidentcommander. Too often these obstacles are assumed to have been addressed byanother agency, department, or organization. Once identified, if the obstaclescannot be resolved at the JFO level, they must immediately be elevated forexpeditious resolution.• Gaps, Seams, and Overlaps. While there is absolutely no authority within theNRP to force or coerce any member agency in the JFO to change or adapt itspriorities or objectives, agencies typically adapt willingly when clear gaps in theoverall objectives are identified, when seams (i.e., transitions in responsibility) arefound problematic, and where overlapping objectives/priorities are apparent. Thisis the essential purpose of producing unified objectives within the coordination andsupport framework. Accordingly, the creation of JFO Coordination Group unifiedcoordination and support objectives is more than a cataloging of various agency32Version 8.3Interim Approval April 28, 2006