As analysis and self-reflection on the county’s pandemic response continues, the Franklin Regional Council of Governments has received a $147,855 state Efficiency and Regionalization grant to implement lessons learned from an after-action report to strengthen the region’s emergency response infrastructure.
With the grant, FRCOG plans to use the improvements laid out in the after-action report, conducted by Ardent Decision Group, and undertake an 18-month, in-house project that Emergency Preparedness Program Manager Alexander Sylvain said will bring together FRCOG staff and emergency preparedness and response officials around Franklin County to provide a regional service that “meets the needs of our member towns.”
Sylvain explained this means bringing together a wide swath of officials to update its regional response plan, drafting a new coordination plan, assessing current preparedness capacities and examining regional coordination.
“We do not anticipate hiring outside consultants, but do need the active engagement, involvement, thinking and, eventually, buy-in of our emergency preparedness and response personnel in Franklin County,” Sylvain wrote in an email. “A crucial aspect of this project is working directly with our member communities and the regional emergency planning coalitions that currently exist, to ensure regional emergency plans, processes, and infrastructure are accurate and functional.”
Ardent Decision group’s after-action report concluded “voids of service delivery and communication occurred” as the pandemic unfolded, but FRCOG, in an emergency manner, transitioned “beyond its defined authorities and responsibilities of planning to a response-oriented organization” to serve residents.
“This transition saved lives; the data and analysis support this finding,” Ardent’s report reads. “However, the FRCOG’s new role also resulted in friction from issues such as uncertain and undefined roles, responsibilities and communications flow. Nevertheless, it was clear the FRCOG should take steps to enable a defined and predictable response to a future disaster to help save lives, mitigate suffering and protect property.”
Each improvement recommended by the report was examined through five general guidelines to ensure they are “reasonable, achievable and desirable,” and are laid out as: Don’t base your plan solely on the last event; incremental change is easier to accomplish; buy-in is important; and unity of effort, not unity of command and some issues are outside your sphere of influence and not under your control.
Highlighted improvements include mapping out the role of FRCOG staff; creating standalone Emergency Management and Public Health departments; agreeing upon a coordination center, such as a multi-agency coordination center; creating a single FRCOG emergency coordination plan, and developing a new process for communication to “prevent redundant, inconsistent or conflicting information” from the organization.
Overall, Ardent’s report determined FRCOG “performed well” throughout the pandemic and recommended the organization and the communities of Franklin County reduce the “friction” of undefined authority and communication lapses by coming to “an agreement on who will perform which duties during future crises.”
Sylvain explained these are the types of emergency response infrastructure FRCOG will be analyzing and emphasized that these types of problems can sometimes only be identified once plans are put to the test when an emergency occurs.
“Each time there is a major disaster we get a real-world test of our regional planning and response infrastructure, learn something new, and create an after-action report and improvement plan based on that event, that includes recommendations for becoming better prepared,” Sylvain said, noting that when he says “we,” it means FRCOG, town governments and emergency responders.
“A lot of work has happened over the past 20 years to move emergency management forward in Franklin County, the state and the nation,” Sylvain said. “This project is a continuation of that trend and we learned a lot from COVID.”
When vaccines became available to the public, FRCOG’s staff pivoted from their normal operations to a public health response. Dipping into the organization’s reserve funds — which Sylvain said was possible due to “years of sound fiscal stewardship” — FRCOG staff, along with the county’s emergency response groups and volunteers, began the logistical and financial planning needed to set up clinics around the county.
Sylvain said this pivot was possible due to the “ongoing regional programs, services and working relationships within Franklin County that provided the framework.”
Over the next 18 months, he said they are planning in engaging with everyone involved to draft a comprehensive plan for serving Franklin County through any emergency.
“The highest priority is engaging with our member communities and other key stakeholders to ensure that the final product accurately reflects and meets the needs of the region,” Sylvain said.
Chris Larabee can be reached at clarabee@recorder.com or 413-930-4081.