| JIC is a collocated group of
representatives from agencies and organizations
involved in an event that are designated to
handle public information needs. The JIC structure
is designed to work equally well for large
or small situations and can expand or contract
to meet the needs of the incident. Under the
ICS/UCS, the JIC is led by the Information
Officer (IO) who has three primary responsibilities: |
| 1) |
To gather incident
data. This involves understanding how an ICS/UCS
operates and developing an effective method
for obtaining up-to-date information from appropriate
ICS/UCS Sections. |
| 2) |
To analyze public perceptions
of the response. This involves employing techniques
for obtaining community feedback to provide
response agencies with insight into community
information needs, their expectations for the
role to be played by the response agencies,
and the lessons to be learned from specific
response efforts. |
| 3) |
To inform the public. That is,
to serve as the source of accurate and comprehensive
information about the incident and the response
to a specific set of audiences.
|
When
multiple public or private agencies and organizations
come together to respond
to an emergency or manage an event, efficient
information flow is critical
to effectively carrying out these IO responsibilities
and meeting the expectations
of various publics. A JIC is a centralized “communication
hub” that serves to achieve that information flow. |
| Establishing a JIC, developing
processes and procedures, and training staff
on how to
operate a JIC effectively allow response organizations
to be more proactive
in responding to the information needs of responders,
the public, federal, state and local governments, foreign
governments, and industry. |
| Different agencies (including
state, local, and other entities) involved
in a response
can work in a cohesive manner, enabling them
to “speak with one
voice.” By
maintaining a centralized communication facility,
resources can be
better managed and duplication of effort
is minimized.
Finally, the use of a JIC
allows for tracking and maintaining records
and information
more accurately—therefore,
improving the ability to conduct post-incident
assessments that can be used to improve crisis
communication
and general
response activities during future incidents
JIC
personnel should wear either identifying clothing
or badges so they are
readily identifiable by responders and members
of the media and the public. |
J I C
- HARRIS COUNTY JOINT INFORMATION CENTER
