Strategic Incident Management Team Emergency Response:
Transitioning from NOW to NEXT.
Effective Planning for Sustained Incident Management
Introduction
Due to the nature of their work, first responders are primarily trained to be reactive and focused on the NOW, with secondary training emphasizing proactive measures outside emergency situations. However, when a No-Notice emergency incident begins, the most challenging transition for first responders often involves shifting from a reactive hyper-focus on executing current “boots on the ground” to directing adequate attention to the proactive needs of the NEXT future operations planning process. To accurately assess this during incidents or events, take a moment to ask:
Am I working in the NOW (reactive) or the NEXT (proactive) or both?
Where are we in the emergency planning timeline? Left of Boom or Right of Boom?
What are we not thinking of NOW that will impact us if we do not anticipate and properly plan for the longer term NEXT as well?
Understanding NOW and NEXT
NOW describes the period when personnel are active on-site in the Hot Zone (Operations Section), tasked with immediate life safety and incident stabilization tasks. In the early moments and hours of an unfolding incident, response assets normally arrive on readily deployable “code-3 capable” mobile platforms, including initial attack first responders, specialty vehicles, command vehicles, and resupply units. These platforms are a clear indicator that you are part of Reactive Response, the NOW.
Operational life safety priorities are the highest priority focus at the beginning of every emergency; therefore, focusing on NOW is not just important, it's imperative. However, any ongoing incident that is not immediately stabilized or cleared within a few hours will require primary, secondary, and possibly tertiary responsibilities. To do this well, leaders must proactively lean forward and forecast a practical, coordinated, actionable strategy into the NEXT operational period(s).
Challenges of Transition from NOW to NEXT
During extended attack situations, this requires Planning Section personnel, including EOC and emergency management coordination and support teams, together proactively advancing the planning process to manage the whole incident rather than purely reacting to the operational incident factors. Shifting the planning process from the initial response phase to longer term planning phase(s) represents a crucial transitional moment where NOW and NEXT intersect each other and awkwardly overlap for a period. At this stage, the development of formal Leaders Intent, Incident Priorities, Management and Control Objectives comes together to create moderate to long term Strategy, later followed by Tactics, and then Tasks, all resulting in a comprehensive forward-looking Incident Action Plan (IAP).
Key Considerations for NEXT
The NEXT phase involves multiple considerations that are critical for sustained incident management, including:
Responder rehabilitation and logistical support of personnel
Replenishment of equipment and supplies
Ordering technical specialists
Coordinating proper work-rest cycles
Coordinating complex on-site shift changes to include operational briefings
Financial tracking and inter-agency cost share coordination
These needs are critically significant, although they are often delayed and overlooked because they distract the Operations Section from the NOW. One solution to address this gap is the assignment of a Planning-Ops or planning-focused Deputy-Ops position, which intimately collaborates with the Field-Operations Section about the NOW while forecasting and collaborating with the Planning Section towards the NEXToperational period(s).
Summary
The transition and implementation from NOW to NEXT in emergency response operations is a critical juncture that requires precise, proactive planning and coordination. While immediate life safety and incident stabilization are paramount during the initial response phases, it is equally important to anticipate and prepare for potential subsequent operational periods. This ensures a well-coordinated approach that balances reactive demands of NOW with the proactive requirements of NEXT, resulting in more effective and efficient incident management.