Emergency operations coordination is required to direct and coordinate the implementation of public health preparedness capabilities, and is critical to public health emergency preparedness and response. Emergency Operations Centers are staffed by trained personnel who handle the ramifications of an emergency. In Vermont, Department of Health members of the Health Operations Center, specialize in handling all aspects of a public health emergency. These staff are notified of an emergency and are required to assemble at a designated location (or to an identified facility) within a short period of time. Time is often of the essence during an emergency and therefore it is important to be able to respond as quickly and safely as possible.

Being measured is the time for pre-identified staff covering activated public health agency incident management lead roles to report for immediate duty. In Vermont the identified lead roles include the following six ICS/IM roles: Incident Commander, Operations Section Chief, Planning Section Chief, Logistics Section Chief, Finance/Administrative Section Chief and Public Information Officer.

Longer response time is worse performance. The best possible time (although unobtainable) is zero minutes of response time. Department of Health staff strive for the quickest response time while responding safely.

This indicator is part of Healthy Vermonters 2020 (the State Health Assessment) that documents the health status of Vermonters at the start of the decade and the population health indicators and goals that will guide the work of public health through 2020. Click here for more information.

Vermont Department of Health

To ensure a timely and effective response to an incident, the health department demonstrates its ability to immediately assemble public health staff with senior incident management lead roles.

Start time: The date and time that a designated official began notifying staff to report for immediate duty to cover activated incident management lead roles.

Stop time: The date and time that the last staff person notified to cover an activated incident management lead role reported for immediate duty.

To count, staff assembly must be unannounced and require immediate reporting for duty.