Coordinating Disaster Response in the Gulf

CONCORD, Calif., July 21 /PRNewswire/ -- Incident commanders coordinating the oil spill response in the Gulf of Mexico face overwhelming logistical challenges. The Coordinated NIMS Incident Planner, or CNIP, has been identified as the ideal software to manage efforts in the disaster zone.

Captain John Sholey, Manager of Tech Services for Johnson County Fire District 2 in Kansas, works as an independent contractor directing two sections responding to the oil spill, including Special Projects and a Decon Branch, which is in charge of decontaminating all boats entering Captain Sholey's geographic area of responsibility. He chose CNIP to coordinate and manage the huge effort under his control.

Managing such an enormous effort requires a sophisticated system of planning. "I organize myself based on my resources and how I am aligned," says Captain Sholey. "I use CNIP to create incident plans for my branches. I enter the incident command into the software for my resources, which includes multiple branches and task forces. The software works inside the existing command system. With this capability, I can quickly evaluate what type of management to apply."

The software's ability to quickly change plans as an incident scales up or down is especially important for the Gulf response. "It's like Ground Hog Day," says Captain Sholey, referring to the popular movie. "Responsibility changes regularly for this type of event. It happens every day."

CNIP's fully flexible platform creates and manages Incident Action Plans, including the establishment of the management structure and personnel, collection of all costs as they are incurred, and compliance with all FEMA requirements. The software also standardizes ICS terminology and ensures complete interoperability between differing command units.

For added security, Captain Sholey operates CNIP from an IronKey Flash Drive, an encrypted, high-level storage device created specifically for the military and others with top security issues. The CNIP / IronKey combination means IAPs are mobile and secure and always ready for operational changes. It also allows users in remote locations to access plans directly from a laptop without use of the Internet. No other emergency response system has this stand-alone capability.

"Organizing a coordinated response to such a colossal disaster is a nightmare," says Dan Linehan, CNIP Co-Developer. "The key is to have a written plan for everyone to follow. The fundamental keys for success are to define your mission, set objectives, identify personnel, and, finally, set the plan in motion. CNIP was created to support these efforts by eliminating the paperwork burden of completing individual ICS forms. We are proud that Captain Sholey is using CNIP to achieve his success."

Captain Sholey first began using CNIP to plan civic events and incident responses for his fire department in Kansas. He uses the software to create IAPs from scratch and to set up templates for future use. "CNIP is simple to use and it's intuitive," he says. "It can also be used to train. Many still use paper to teach. Why not use a software program?"

Developed by Emergency Services Interactive Systems, CNIP simplifies the response planning process and allows for centralized management of emergency response procedures. CNIP meets all NIMS and ICS standards and criteria as mandated by Presidential Homeland Security Directive 5.

Although CNIP is used in the Gulf as an incident management tool, CNIP can also develop Incident Action Plans that connect with different agencies -- something that has never before been available.

For more information about CNIP or Emergency Services Interactive Systems, visit http://www.esis-systems.com, call (925) 825-5979, or e-mail Dan Linehan at [email protected].

This press release was issued through eReleases(R).  For more information, visit eReleases Press Release Distribution at http://www.ereleases.com.

SOURCE Emergency Services Interactive Systems