EOP/SUPPORT ANNEX F/APPENDIX 17
EOC WEBEOC USERS GUIDE
APPENDIX 17
EOC WEBEOC USERS GUIDE
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The WebEOC is a web-based emergency management system that provides access to
real-time information, which can be simultaneously shared among emergency response
teams, decision makers, and organizations during the planning, response and recovery
phases of an emergency.
The WebEOC system runs 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year. Its
sole function is to be ready at any time to allow data tracking for any single or multiple
events that affects Chatham County. The WebEOC is a versatile system that provides
the following functions:
Access to the system anywhere there is internet access
Users can be created at any time
New boards can be created that are tailored for the event or agency specific
needs, as necessary
Creation of a time-line of history of the event(s) and allows the ability to replay
the event(s) to evaluate the capabilities and functional accuracy of the response
CEMA has sole authority regarding access to the WebEOC. Working with local
business and municipalities, State and Federal Agencies that request access, CEMA
coordinates with the Emergency Support Function (ESF) to determine if the requestor
has a functional need to access boards and what level of access the requestor
requires, be it either READ only access (ability to view data) or READ-WRITE access
(ability to add/change data).
CEMA will assume responsibility of maintenance and upkeep of the WebEOC system.
As there is no standard board to fit the functional needs of each ESF, CEMA Staff will
work with ESF that oversees the agencies that report to that particular ESF and build a
custom board(s) that suits the wants and needs of each ESF during most events.
CONNECTING TO THE WEBEOC
1. Using Internet Explorer, connect to https://eoc1.chathamcounty.org/. NOTE:
The WebEOC is designed to run in Internet Explorer, other browsers such as
Mozilla or Firefox may or may not display the boards properly.
2. Login into the Chatham County WebVPN site using the user account
Chatham County ICS created; “CEMAEOC” and corresponding password.
3. Click the WebEOC web link
a. Ensure your browser’s pop up blocker is disabled, including any
toolbar popup blocker such as Google Tool bar or Yahoo Tool bar.
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4. Type your User Name in the User box. Your user name is your FIRST and
LAST Name. Type the password you created or were given. Passwords are
CASE sensitive passwords if you created them with upper and lower letters
you will need to type the password with correct format.
5. Select the Position you are working as in the EOC and the incident.
a. By default, the current incident/event will be set to the default, but if
there are multiple incidents/events going on at the same time,
WebEOC users need to pay attention to what incident they need to be
logged into.
6. Type in the “Additional Login Information” requested.
a. This information acts as your “signature” and fills in some fields in the
WebEOC while you are logged in.
b. If information is already pre-filled, please verify that it is still current for
your location and phone number
7. After successful login, the Main Control Panel will be displayed in a separate
window.
a. If you do not get the Main Control Panel open, check your popup
blocker.
b. Also note that the user can switch between multiple incidents/events
by clicking the Event Name in the Main Control Panel and choosing a
different incident/event.
NOTE: The WebEOC is based on the flexibility to view multiple data sets
simultaneously. By selecting activation or view of a board, form or link opens a new
window. This has the potential to cause possible confusion when the user has multiple
windows activated.
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BOARDS, LINKS AND FORMS.
The main control panel allows access to the following:
Sign In/Sign Out Board
 Board to help keep track of personnel within the EOC and who is
currently working the incident using WebEOC.
ESF Boards
AAR Comments (After Action Report Comments board)
 Board to document potential issues and solutions while working in
the EOC
Mission / Task Board
 Board to track tasks “assigned” to Staff from to accomplish a goal
 A mission / task is a request for help from an EOC Staff member
that requires an additional agency’s help to complete a goal.
Official Press Release
 Location for ESF-15 to place documents that can be released
Position Log
 Board to collect any information from your position while you are
working the incident.
E.G. “took phone call from John Smith about widgets”
Resource Request Board
 Board to request resources that are not available through normal
mutual aid agreements
Significant Events Board
 Board to automatically scroll thru the issues that are marked as a
significant event for all WebEOC Staff to view
E.G. “Natural Gas leak at the corner of Whitefield & Diamond
Causeway. 75 Residents evacuated from immediate area.
Roads are closed and routed around the intersection.”
Forms
 Standard EOC Forms
 Standard FEMA Forms
 Standard ICS Forms
Tools
 Chat (Instant Messaging) – When enabled
 Checklists – When enabled
 Contacts – When enabled
 Messages – When enabled
Regional WebEOC Boards – When Available
 Georgia Emergency Management Agency Boards
 Area 5 Boards
 Any other US Regional Shared boards
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INFORMATION INDICATORS
The main control panel organizes boards by Alphabetical or Numerical Order. The
names of the boards change in color from black to red.
Black: No new information in the board since last viewed
Red: New or Updated information in the board
Once a board is opened, the board goes back to black.
If you log out of the WebEOC and log back in, all boards will become RED
again until you check all the boards.
BOARD POPULATION AND VIEWING
Boards provide real-time information or status of an event. Each status board has a
visible area where actions can be viewed. To navigate through the information
displayed, use the scroll bar on the right side of the board. Each board may be resized
to increase or decrease the viewing area.
Board Viewing – Click on the Board Name to view published information.
Board Population – Click the Blue + (Plus Symbol) Icon allows the user to publish
information. Note: If user has access to post data in that board will the + icon give them
the ability to add/modify data. Also, some boards do not have a blue plus sign on the
Main Control Panel for data input. The “New Entry” button can be on the “Display” view
link.
Users can have multiple viewing screens open. Simply open the board and resize and
position the board on your screen.
WebEOC “remembers” the on-screen position of the board and places it in the same
location the next time it is displayed for that login. This is accomplished by closing the
board by clicking the Red X in the upper right corner of the board that is currently open.
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ADDING A NEW ENTRY
To add a new entry into the board:
1. Click Blue + icon or the “New Entry” button in the “Display” window.
2. Complete the information being requested in the form. Ensure consistency of
data in forms.
3. Click Spell Check if you require spell checks.
4. Click Save to complete this process.
UPDATING AN ENTRY
To update an entry:
1. Click the board name you want to view data from
2. Click the “Edit” Button in the corresponding row or if there is not a “Edit”
Button, click any of the text in the Row
3. Update the information
4. Click Save
5. Some boards will go back to the “Display” view board on Save. Other boards
will require you to click the RED X once you click save and the board had
refreshed.
REFRESHING DATA
With each new entry posted, the board is refreshed and changes the focus of the board
to the latest entry posted at the top of the board. To temporarily “suspend” this
refreshing process, check the “Disable Board Refresh” checkbox at the bottom of the
status board. This is a very useful feature when researching data that posted in the
boards. Note: If you leave this box checked, it will NOT pull new data into the board.
Please uncheck this when you are done.
NOTE: If you force refresh the board by clicking the F5 key on your keyboard or the
browser refresh “Ctrl Key + R”, you will break the automatic refreshing of the WebEOC
to that board and it will require you to log out of the WebEOC to resolve the automatic
refresh.
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SORTING AND FILTERING
With the potential to have hundreds to thousands of postings (records) in the boards,
data must be organized in a comprehensive manner. Clicking on the Blue + icon,
whether you have writing access to the board or not, will activate the option to sort and
filter the records.
Sort – Sorting entries and setting the number of records displayed at a time
Filter – Filtering entries meeting specified criteria. Note: Only fields with dropdown lists can be used in filters.
The Sort window allows you to order and to sort the entries in a board according to
selected parameters. The default sorting criteria is by descending entry date. Only
entries that have a drop down field in the form may be sorted.
To sort a board:
1. Click Blue + icon
2. Click the sort button
3. Choose criteria in the drop down menu
4. Choose ascending or descending
5. Choose number of records to show at one time
6. Click Apply
To filter a board:
1. Click Blue + icon
2. Click the Filter button
3. Select values to filter
4. Click the apply button
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USER RESOURCES
When available, the WebEOC provides users a set of special resources complementing
the features, options and functionality available in boards and are accessed through the
main control panel:
1. Chat
2. Checklists
3. Contacts
4. Messages
CHAT FUNCTION
This basic Instant Messaging function allows WebEOC users to send instant messages
to other WebEOC users. Users can create chat groups by clicking the Add Chat Room
button.
1. Click on Chat in the main control panel display
2. Choose an existing room or create a new room
3. Type a message in the bottom text box and hit send
4. Click Leave Room button when ready to exit the Chat Room
CHECKLIST FUNCTION
The Checklist function must be created by the WebEOC Administrator.
To display checklists:
1. Click Checklist in the main control panel display
2. Choose checklist from drop-down list
3. Perform checklist
4. Click Red X to close
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CONTACT FUNCTION
The contacts function provides the ability to maintain a digital “rolodex” of EOC Staff
contacts that may be private to the user account on the WebEOC or can be viewed by
all WebEOC users.
1. Click on Contact in the main control panel
2. Scroll through the list of contacts
3. To view a Contact
a. Click on the Name, Agency or any column in the list
b. The User’s contact information will appear
c. Click on the Back Button to go back to the Contact List
4. To Add a Contact:
a. Click on the Add Contact button
b. Fill in all fields that are applicable
c. Choose Access Level:
i. Hide from Restricted Users: Only the user can see and modify
ii. Do not hide from Restricted Users: Everyone can view this user
d. Click the Save button to save this record
5. Notice the newly created contact in the list has a trash can next to it. This
means only this user (who created the contact) AND the Administrator
account can view AND delete this contact information
6. Importing/Exporting
a. Contacts can be imported and exported. Please coordinate this with a
WebEOC administrator. The correct format must be used when
creating a document to be imported into the WebEOC.
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MESSAGE FUNCTION
The message function allow users to communicate using an “internal only”
messaging system. Users can reply and forward these messages to WebEOC
users. Users are alerted to new messages by the appearance in the main
control panel with the message that pops up in the bottom, “New Message”.
The Messages “INBOX” window provides the following:
1. Compose Button – Allows users to create messages
2. From – Sender
3. Subject – Subject of the message
4. Priority – High (red), Normal (blue) or Low (green)
5. Incident – Event/Incident that the message pertains to
6. Received – Date and time received
7. Delete – Click on the trash can to delete a message
The “SENT ITEMS” window displays the history of sent messages from this user
The “DELETED ITEMS” window displays messages, which have either been read or
unread that have been deleted.
COMPOSING A NEW MESSAGE
To compose a message:
1. Click on the Compose button.
2. Select To:
a. Users: You can select single or multiple users
b. Groups: To send it to a particular group (ex. ESF2)
c. Positions: N/A at this time
3. Subject: Title of the email (be brief)
4. Priority:
a. High (red) – Critical, read and take appropriate action(s) ASAP
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b. Normal (blue) – Standard
c. Low (green) – not time sensitive
5. Body:
a. Be specific and detailed in the body of the message
6. Attachment:
a. Attach any file type by clicking browse. This will allow you to view and
determine files to attach
7. Spell Check: Checks spellings in the message
8. Send: Send message
9. Cancel: Cancels message and returns user to Message Inbox. This will
cancel the message without a warning and does not send the message.
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