EMERGENCY SUPPORT FUNCTION 6 MASS CARE & EMERGENCY
ASSISTANCE
“Your Role at the
State Emergency
Operations Center”
A Self Study
Course
State of Florida
Emergency Support Function 6
1
Course Modules




Module
Module
Module
Module
1
2
3
4
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–
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State of Florida
Emergency Support Function 6
ESF 6 in the State Plan
ESF 6 procedures
Position Task Books
Online tutorial
2
Module 2
ESF 6 procedures
Reference: ESF 6 Standard Operating
Guidelines (SOG)
State of Florida
Emergency Support Function 6
3
ESF 6
CEMP
Annex
The ESF 6 CEMP Annex describes “the framework through which a jurisdiction’s departments
and agencies, the private sector, not-for-profit and voluntary organizations, and other NGOs
coordinate and execute the common emergency management strategies. The actions
described in the Support Annexes apply to nearly every type of emergency. Each Support
Annex identifies a coordinating agency and cooperating agencies. In some instances, two
departments or agencies share coordinating agency responsibilities.” Source: CPG 101
ESF 6
SOG
“Standard operating procedures or operating manuals are
complete reference documents that provide the purpose,
authorities, duration, and details for the preferred method for
performing a single function or a number of interrelated functions
in a uniform manner.” Source: CPG 101
ESF 6
Position
Task Books
Comprehensive
Preparedness Guide
(CPG) 101 - Developing
and maintaining State,
Territorial, Tribal and
Local emergency plans,
March 2009, FEMA
Position Task Books describe and
identify all the basic tasks a person
holding the position should be able
to perform properly. Source: NIMS
Qualifications Process Guide
ESF 6
Job Aids
“Job aids are checklists
or other materials that
help users perform a
task.” Source: CPG 101
State Emergency
Operations Center (EOC)
State of Florida
Emergency Support Function 6
5
State Coordinating
Officer (SCO)
SERT Chain
of Command
State Emergency Response
Team (SERT) Chief
Human Services
Branch
Emergency Support Function #6
(Mass Care & Emergency Assistance)
Emergency Support Function #11
(Food & Water)
Emergency Support Function #15
(Volunteers & Donations)
Emergency Support Function #17
(Agriculture & Animal Issues)
State ESF 6
Organization
Human Services
Branch
ESF 6 Supervisor
(DBPR)
Deputy for Recovery
(Children & Families)
Information
Unit Leader
Operations/Plans
Unit Leader
Information Unit
Manager
Operations/Plans
Manager
You will be assigned to work
in one of these two positions
Deputy for Response
(Business & Prof Reg)
Voluntary
Agency Liaisons
Multi-Agency
Feeding
Task Force
State Agencies
Red Cross
Agency for
Workforce
Innovation
Salvation Army
Elder Affairs
Florida Baptists
Education
Agency for
Persons with
Disabilities
Operations Plan Unit

Operations/Plans
Unit Leader
Operations/Plans
Manager
State of Florida
Emergency Support Function 6
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An Operation/Plans Unit Leader
is designated for each shift
when required and is
responsible to the Emergency
Support Function #6
Supervisor. The
Operation/Plans Unit Leader
prepares the daily Incident
Action Plan, monitors and
updates assigned missions,
orders resources, updates the
shelter database and maintains
the status of resources
deployed to field kitchens in the
disaster area. When required,
the Operation/Plans Unit
Leader is assigned an
Operations/Plans Unit manager
to assist in completion of
required tasks.
Information Unit

Information
Unit Leader
Information Unit Manager
State of Florida
Emergency Support Function 6
9
An Information Unit Leader is
designated for each shift when
required and is responsible to
the Emergency Support
Function #6 Supervisor. The
Information Unit Leader
prepares required situation
reports, briefing slides, meal
count reports, comfort station
reports and shower reports, as
well as the dissemination of
information to ESF 6 support
agencies and others as needed.
The Information Unit Leader is
also responsible for updating
the State Resource
Management Network. When
required, the Information Unit
Leader is assigned an
Information Unit manager to
assist in completion of required
tasks.
Role of ESF 6
 COORDINATE
actions of:
 Supporting
Voluntary agencies
 Supporting State
agencies
 Counties
 REPORT on:
 Status of Shelters
 Meal Counts
 Feeding sites
State of Florida
Emergency Support Function 6
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ESF 6 Functional Areas
 Mission Tracking
 Shelter
Management
 Reporting
 Liaisons
State of Florida
Emergency Support Function 6
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Mission Tracking
 Objective - respond to all missions
assigned to ESF 6
 Monitor mission tracking software
 Refer assigned missions to appropriate
agency
 Enter responses to assigned missions
 Make coordination necessary to
complete the mission
State of Florida
Emergency Support Function 6
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Shelter Management function
 Objective - collect
and report
information on:
 Number of open
shelters
 Shelter population,
by county
 Maintain shelter
database
State of Florida
Emergency Support Function 6
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ESF 6 liaisons
 American Red Cross
 Salvation Army
 Southern Baptist
Conference
 Department of
Education
 Department of Elder
Affairs
 Agency for Workforce
innovation
 State Disability
Coordinator
State of Florida
Emergency Support Function 6
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Reporting function
State of Florida
Emergency Support Function 6
 ESF 6 Situation
report
 Meal Count report
 Shelter information
 Comfort Station &
fixed feeding
report
 Kitchen Status
report
 Shower Status
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Report
Tracking Shower Requests
State of Florida
Emergency Support Function 6
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Tracking Kitchen Resources
State of Florida
Emergency Support Function 6
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ESF 6 logistics support
 Field Kitchens
 Comfort Stations
 ARC & TSA direct
support
 Shower units
State of Florida
Emergency Support Function 6
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ESF #6 Incident Action Plan
 The Emergency Support Function #6
Incident Action Plan is posted and updated
daily on the whiteboard in the Emergency
Support Function #6 room. The plan shows
incident staffing, objectives, meeting
schedules and other relevant operational
information for the day. Everyone at the
State Emergency Operations Center
working within or in support of Emergency
Support Function #6 should read the Plan
upon arrival.
State of Florida
Emergency Support Function 6
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Incident Action Plan
State of Florida
Emergency Support Function 6
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EOC Activation Levels
 Level 1: Full scale activation of State
Emergency Response Team. In a fullscale activation, all primary and
support agencies under the state plan
are notified.
 Level 2: Partial activation of State
Emergency Response Team. This is a
limited agency activation.
 Level 3: Monitoring.
State of Florida
Emergency Support Function 6
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ESF 6 Coordination Activities
 State Emergency Response Team Briefings
- The State Emergency Operations Center
when activated to Level one conducts a
morning and afternoon brief.
 Human Services Branch - Coordination by
Emergency Support Function #6 with the
State Emergency Response Team is
normally done through the Human Services
Branch.
State of Florida
Emergency Support Function 6
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ESF 6 Coordination Activities (cont)
 Meetings – Meetings are an important
process of coordination within the State
Emergency Operations Center. The
Supervisor will designate in the Incident
Action Plan which meetings to attend and
who from Emergency Support Function #6
will attend.
 Conference calls - Conference calls are an
important process for coordination with
stakeholders outside the State Emergency
Operations Center.
State of Florida
Emergency Support Function 6
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ESF 6 Coordination Activities (cont)
 State Agency representatives – Agency
representatives attend the twice daily State
Emergency Response Team briefings and
remain in the State Emergency Operations
Center if required to actively coordinate
missions assigned to their respective
agency.
 Non-governmental Agency Liaisons – The
non-governmental agencies provide the
bulk of the resources for Emergency
Support Function #6 activities during a
disaster.
State of Florida
Emergency Support Function 6
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ESF 6 Coordination Activities (cont)
 Federal Agency representatives – During
disasters that may require federal
assistance representatives from the Federal
Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)
and other federal agencies are assigned to
the State Emergency Operations Center to
work alongside their state counterparts.
 Vendor Coordination. – Private vendors
providing significant resources for the
disaster normally provide representatives
at the State Emergency Operations Center.
State of Florida
Emergency Support Function 6
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EOC staffing
 Emergency Support Function #6 is
staffed with a morning and afternoon
shift.
 Shift hours depend on whether the
Emergency Support Function is fully
or partially staffed:
 Fully staffed – Morning shift from 0700-1330.
Afternoon shift from 1300-1900.
 Partially staffed – Morning shift from 08001300. Afternoon shift from 1200-1700.
State of Florida
Emergency Support Function 6
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Module 2 Summary
 ESF 6 plays a specific role at the
State EOC:
 Coordination
 Reporting
 You will serve at the EOC in one of
two positions:
 Operations/Plans Unit Manager
 Information unit Manager
State of Florida
Emergency Support Function 6
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Go on to Module 3




Module
Module
Module
Module
1
2
3
4
–
–
–
–
State of Florida
Emergency Support Function 6
ESF 6 in the State Plan
ESF 6 procedures
Position Task Books
Online tutorial
28