EOC Support

The Emergency Operations Center (EOC) is the critical junction of command and coordination in the event of a major disaster in Burbank or the immediate surrounding area. The EOC is run by the Burbank Fire Emergency Services Division and in the event of activation, it hosts a full Incident Command Staff, including Burbank Fire, the Burbank Police Department, the Public Service Department, Parks and Rec, the Gas Company (and all critical infrastructure), as well as representatives from surrounding municipalities and affected agencies.

In the event of activation, Fire Corps volunteers are a critical component in bringing the EOC online. Unlike many that will be responding from other agencies, volunteers are predominantly local. Combined with a heightened state of readiness, volunteers are usually able to respond faster and have the system running, ready to plug in agency reps as they trickle in after an incident.

Volunteer duties are the infrastructure of the EOC itself – they literally turn the lights on for everybody else. They will open the building, rearrange the layout from the Fire Training Center (FTC) format to the EOC format, and establish the internal stations that will be populated by the participating agencies.

Once the EOC is operational, they will be in the rotation for EOC logistics, keeping the staff fed and watered. Additionally, volunteers will staff the EOC check-in, may run EOC security, and staff the Command element for other volunteer operations that may be coordinated from the EOC, such CERT.

Training

The EOC is a sensitive facility and the position requires more than training and a Live Scan background check, it requires a trusted level with the volunteer before they can be assigned to the EOC Support staff.

Once a volunteer reaches a level of comfort and familiarity with the Program, they're eligible for EOC Support Training. This two-hour class covers the basics of EOC setup, common vendors used for logistics, plus resupply protocol. Further, the training includes ICS check-in procedures, EOC ICS protocols and volunteer ICS Training for Local Incidents.