The CAPCOG Homeland Security Division has enhanced WebEOC’s, an online crisis information and communication system, features to improve emergency response organizations’ use of the tool throughout the region. The upgrades will be deployed after they are reviewed and tested.
“CAPCOG’s goal is to let organizations collaborate more easily and provide a better common operating picture for local jurisdictions,” said Matt Zimmerman, CAPCOG’s crisis information systems coordinator. “For this project, a large emphasis was placed on strengthening support of the documentation process, which can be crucial during emergency response. Additional elements also were added that support the multiple phases of emergency management such as response, mitigation, recovery, and planning.”
One enhanced feature is a more robust activity log, modeled closely after FEMA’s 214 form, that can gather additional information as an incident is occurring. The project also focused on creating greater mobile device compatibility which allows information to be easily inputted and accessed from responders in the field. Other processes included situational awareness tracking for facility status, road closures, shelters, and more.
CAPCOG solicited and facilitated these WebEOC enhancements through stakeholder feedback and Homeland Security Task Force subcommittee meetings with some upgrade recommendations coming from operations such as WebEOC use to support COVID-19 response during the past two years. CAPCOG has facilitated the use of WebEOC with local governments for more than a decade. The system has been used to share information between emergency response organizations for events such as the 2021 and 2022 Winter Storms, the 2015 Memorial Day Floods, and countless planned events throughout the CAPCOG region.
