Hessisches Ministerium des Innern und für Sport, 2009 Translated into English by E.Polster, Wiesbaden, September 2009 1
Why do we have a crisis management team within the State Government, and what is its purpose? Since 11. September 2001 the question has not been whether to have a crisis management team, but rather how quickly and where. A central point of coordination and decision-making at the highest level of government is essential for disaster control. 2
This diagram gives an overview of the concept and structure of the crisis management team. Solid theoretical background, but with an innovative approach: -> For incidents of statewide significance, parallel and uncoordinated activity by the police, fire and catastrophe protection, press and government departments is now a thing of the past. -> All participating forces are integrated within the team. 3
The crisis management team connects the typical information paths within hazard prevention. Numerous parallel strands connect with the government. Rather than a single common operational picture, there is a danger that numerous individual pictures can arise, each with a different situational awareness based on its own point of view. In the case of a crisis of statewide significance, all information flows into the crisis management centre where it is centrally managed, evaluated, resolved and forwarded. On the 18.04.2005 the State Government of Hesse passed a resolution to found the crisis management team and build the crisis management centre. Project Leader: Wolfgang Sedlak 4
Planning and architechtural concept The offices and workstations were designed in May 2005 in accordance with the planned business processes. All information is recorded within the IT and Communications centre and forwarded to operations management where it is assessed and processed. Specialised questions can be referred to the operations centre or an appropriate ministry/expert the results then flow back into operations management. Finally, a common operational picture is presented to the leadership team who use it as a basis for decision-making. Leadership team decisions are implemented by operations management with assistance from the IT and communications centre. 5
The Crisis Management Team consists of 150 people from the state chancellery and all ministries. They are permanently accessible via telephone. In the case of a crisis, the team is called together. During working hours the crisis management team can be ready for operation within 10 minutes. All members of the team, from all portfolios, are managed by the Minister for the Interior. The Minister for the Interior has ultimate authority. All information is recorded within the IT and Communications centre and forwarded to operations management where it is prepared, assessed and processed. Specialised questions can be referred to operative control centre or an appropriate ministry or expert for processing the results then flow back into operations management. No longer do we have an isolated picture for each of the individual areas of responsibility (Catastrophe Protection, Police, Press, Environment, Health ). Instead all experts are at the one table together to generate an integrated picture of operations. Finally, a common operational picture is presented to the leadership team who use it as a basis for decision-making. Leadership team decisions are implemented by operations management with assistance from the IT and communications centre. The crisis management centre (completed after seven months on 08.12.05, building costs 2,3 Mio., 400 m², 58 Workstations) is kept permanently ready for operation and is available for use within two minutes. The crisis management team is convened at an alternate location if the crisis management centre is not usable. 6
IT and Communications centre The crisis management team can stay fully informed about the current situation using a variety of technical facilities (receiving antenna, emergency services radio communication, Fax, E-Mail, 30 priority phone lines, video-conferencing, telephone conferencing). There are seven workstations for information receipt and delivery. It is possible to listen in to the radio communications of the locally deployed forces as well as their command units. It is also possible to actively participate in the communication. Images are transmitted digitally from the police helicopter EC 145 A Document repository records all communication. 7
Operations Management The crisis management team leadership has access to an operations management group made up of representatives from the Fire Department, Catastrophe Protection, Police, relevant Portfolios and Press speakers. This group carries out information-gathering, communication, consultation, implementation and various other tasks. The operations management group is characterised by a single leadership as well representation from Operations, Logistics, Personnel and Legal Affairs (staff members from fire and catastrophe protection, the police and the relevant portfolios work directly together). The administration of the state crisis management team is incumbent on the Fire and Catastrophe Protection Department, Defence, Crisis Management of the Ministry for the Interior and Sport. 8
Operations centre The operations centre is used as a back office by operations management. As an example, the operational map in digital format - can be created here. 9
Individual work stations All portfolios or external experts have access to their own data and/or required specialist software. From here it is possible to access the Animal plague message system and the infection database. It is possible to withdraw and work undisturbed. 10
Top Level The leadership team under the chairmanship of Minister Bouffier consists of the Secretary of State (State Secretary Rhein) the leadership of the Departments of Fire and Catastrophe Protection, Defence and Crisis Management the leadership of the state police department all of whom belong to the Ministry for the Interior and Sport. The team also contains representatives from the state chancellors office and ministries (minimum level: department manager). 11
Alarm System Members of the crisis management team are alerted via a Server. Three people per function are nominated and permanently recorded. The operations centre triggers the alarm under instruction from the Minister for the Interior The announcement text varies according to the situation. Members are alerted via Phone/Mobile using all recorded numbers within 8 minutes this information is logged. 12
Crisis Management Team in Action On the 14th and 15th December 2005 1 week after completion the state crisis management team passed its first test during the 2. interstate crisis management drill 2005 (LÜKEX 2005) for public sector senior management 13
Information flow and documentation ILIAS-HE is an information and documentation system for complex situations It has been in use by the Hessian Police Force since November 2004. The work of the crisis management team is no longer paper-based, but solely electronic - using ILIAS-HE. The system consolidates all information within the team on a timely and efficient basis. All team members can view and modify the information via a browser-based interface. The log is acceptable in a court of law. 14
Exercises and ongoing education Exercises: 2005 LÜKEX 2006 Avian flu virus 2007 Havarie 2008/2009 Influenza pandemic Ongoing education: ILIAS-HE Working in operations management for the crisis management team Staffing regulations 2009 control processes Alert exercises/-tests 15
Public Relations, Communication in a crisis The state cannot be silent during a statewide crisis. It must stay in contact with the people, provide information about the situation, communicate decisions, accept questions and provide answers. In this way public confidence can be maintained. During a crisis: Public- and Press information from a single source. The press centre, internet and citizen s helpline can aid this. 16
Press centre The conference centre in the Interior Ministry can be set up as a press centre within 2 hours. Videocasts from the crisis management centre are possible. 17
Crisis Information Platform The website www.akut.hessen.de has been accessible via the Internet since June 2007. The crisis management centre can update the site with customised versions of preprepared pages for the following potential crisis situations: Flood Nuclear Accident Hurricane Forest Fire Accident with dangerous substances Warnings to the population Catastrophe Alarm Plagues Terrorist attacks Updated information is available within 15 minutes. 18
Citizen s Helpline Between one and nine callcentres with up to 75 agents can be activated within the Hessian Police (since October 2008) These are used by the crisis management team as a Citizen s Helpline. They are centrally administered. They are manned by on-duty staff. They are ready for use within 15 minutes. They have access to a central database. They are accessible via the statewide tollfree number 0800 110 3333. 19
Technology guarantees (failure-) security Stable, proven systems Logged access to crisis management centre Fixed network access points Federal level access via the Testa-D Network (GMLZ) ILIAS-HE as legally binding eletronic protocol for staff work Data and document capture in the IT and communications centre. Emergency power supply (USV/NEA) Radio relay link for telephone Satellite phones Secure state network (via the Hessen Corporate Network (HCN) of the Hessian Dataprocessing centre (HZD)) 20
Alternate location for the crisis management team An alternative centre is located at the hessian state fire department school in Kassel 180 km away from the Rhine-Main Region. Pre-prepared rooms are available for use within two hours. The members of the crisis management team can be permanently housed. The centre has the same functionality as the main crisis management centre. 21
Model for Rumania Following visits to Wiesbaden, Tel Aviv and New York in 2007, the Rumanian Ministry for the Interior opted to implement a crisis management team and crisis management centre using the hessian model. The management of the hessian crisis management team provided consultancy during the set-up period. A combined three day workshop took place in Bucharest in November 2007. The Rumanian national crisis management centre was ready for use in April 2008 prior to the Nato-Summit there. 22
www.hmdi.hessen.de Sicherheit Krisenstab http://www.hmdi.hessen.de/irj/hmdi_internet?cid=6562de85b2cd337c22ee47c4f9942f28 [i.e. www.hmdi.hessen.de -> Security -> Crisis Management Team] www.egovernment.hessen.de Mediathek akut.hessen.de http://www.egovernment.hessen.de/irj/egovernment_internet?cid=c8d69daa4f6ca6cc7ec9cf1512d55f39 Hessian Ministry of the Interior and for Sport Wolfgang Sedlak Director, State Government Crisis Management Team Deputy Manager, Department of Fire and Catastrophe Protection, Defence, Crisis Management Friedrich-Ebert-Allee 12 65185 Wiesbaden Tel.: +49 (611) 353-1427 Fax: +49 (611) 353-1426 E-Mail: Wolfgang.Sedlak@HMDIS.hessen.de 23