IM1 - Incident Management Teams

Purpose

To ensure that all vital management and information functions are adequately performed and that an incident is dealt with in the most effective manner.

Incident Management Controller

In an Emergency the owner or operator of an Aquatic Facility should nominate an Incident Controller to establish an Incident Management Team (IMT) in accordance with the Emergency Plan.

In the majority of circumstances (smaller and more frequent incidents) the Lifeguard would assume the role of the Incident Controller and would be the only persons within an IMT.

Through more serious incidents a Duty Manager (or similar) may assume the position of Incident Controller with others within the IMT.

In larger and rare emergencies (i.e. Level 3 type emergencies) all or some functions of the IMT may be in place comprising of an Incident Controller, Operations Officer, Planning Officer, Finance Officer, Intelligence Officer and Logistics Officer. The team of people now share the burden of controlling the incident.

Incident Management Team

The IMT should meet as determined by the Incident Controller, to assist the incident controller to ensure that control of the incident is being:

• Properly planned;
• Adequately resourced within the constraints;
• Suitably implemented;
• Provides for the safety and welfare of people involved in controlling the incident;
• Minimises impact on the community on the environment; and
• Is effective and efficient.

Authority

The authority of the Incident Controller and IMT should be established within the Emergency Plan. During emergencies, instructions given by the Incident Controller and IMT should take precedence over the normal management structure of the Aquatic Facility. N.B. This is not intended to over right the legal responsibility of the owners or operator of aquatic facilities however authority within the Emergency Plan should be given by the owners or operators of the Aquatic Facility.

Indemnity

The owner or operator of an aquatic facility should have in place the appropriate level of indemnity for Incident Controllers and IMT. Incident Controllers and IMT should be aware of this level of cover as part of their initial training and/or induction.

Structure

The structure of an IMT should be determined by the Incident Controller in line with the allocated areas of responsibility involved in managing an emergency at the aquatic facility. The functions nominated for the aquatic facility should be listed in the Emergency Plan, together with the associated roles, responsibilities and duties of personnel assigned to these functions, and arrangements for appropriate backup.

The functions should address the areas of responsibility required to manage the emergency. The specific manner of translating areas of responsibilities into functions will depend on the size and the resources of a facility.

The roles, responsibilities, functions and needs of all key stakeholders (e.g. industry, the community, and external agencies such as the Police and Fire services) should be clearly identified. These definitions will be derived through extensive consultation. The plan should identify the phases when consultation is necessary, such as when the plan is being updated.

Procedures

Incident Management procedures should be developed by the Emergency planning Committee for how an Incident Management Team will operate in the event of being activated for an emergency at the aquatic facility.

Identification of the Incident Management Team

The people acting in a position within the IMT, or conducting certain emergency functions, should have clear methods of identification. The use of coloured apparel with the wearer’s title should be at least one of the following:

• Helmets
• Caps
• Hats
• Vests (front and back)
• Tabards (front and back)

Where uniform are to be worn for persons with a responsibility for in an emergency the following colour is used as follows:

Incident Management Facilities

Emergency Operations Centre

The Emergency Planning Committee should nominate the location of the Emergency Operation Centre (EOC) and an alternative site (if and when required).

The EOC should be readily accessible and appropriately resourced with communications equipment and essential documents, including the emergency plan, emergency procedures, SDS and other relevant safety information.

Location maps and site layout plans, as well as information relating to the relevant hazards and emergency equipment available, should be available in the EOC and distributed to the emergency services.

A dedicated EOC is not necessary for smaller to medium size aquatic facilities. The use of existing office amenities should be made sufficient.

Ideally, the EOC should be located outside a potential impact zone. If the impact zone envelops the centre during an emergency, control operations should proceed to an alternative control centre identified in the plan.

Other Management Facilities

The Emergency Planning Committee should also identify other locations that may be used in larger scale emergencies to assist the management of the emergency. This may include such locations as:

• Dedicated Meals / Refreshment Rooms
• Other Emergency Service Teams
• Media / Family / VIP Liaison

References

• Australasian Fire Authorities Council – Australasian Interagency Incident Management System
• Safe Work Australia Guide for Major Hazard Facilities: Emergency Plans
• Emergency Management Australia – Emergency Planning (Manual Series)