Fish and Wildllife Service Manual, 054 FW 1, Policy and Procedures for Reporting Serious Incidents: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

054 FW 1, Policy and Procedures for Reporting Serious Incidents

FWM#:      330 (Replaces FWM 136, 5/20/94, and FWM 284, 12/19/96)
Date:          August 7, 1998
Series:       Planning and Management
Part 054:   Serious Incidents
Originating Office: Division of Contracting and General Services

1.1 Purpose. This chapter establishes procedures and assigns responsibilities for compliance with the Departmental Emergency Notification System (ENS).

1.2 Departmental Emergency Notification System (ENS). The Departmental ENS:

A. Ensures that the Secretary and the Director are promptly and properly apprised of all serious incidents that may:

(1) Require significant response by the Secretary;

(2) Cause intensive public interest and/or potential embarrassment or residual effects on the Service; or

(3) Result in inquiries to the Offices of the Secretary or the Director.

B. Satisfies White House requirements that a system be in place to provide for the swift flow of domestic emergency information from the field to the Department and to the White House. The ENS also ensures a timely Departmental response to inquiries by the White House.

C. Specifies that each bureau designate appropriate Duty Officers, and mandates a system of immediate relay of serious incidents through bureau Duty Officers to the Departmental Duty Officers and on to the White House.

1.3 Relationship to other Reporting Requirements. While this directive is applicable Servicewide, it neither rescinds nor replaces other established reporting requirements. All Service offices must continue to comply with existing external and internal reporting requirements relating to specific programs or operations.

1.4 Responsibilities.

A. Assistant Director - Administration. The Assistant Director Administration serves as the Duty Officer and has overall responsibility for ensuring necessary and appropriate notification of the Director and the Secretary regarding serious incidents. The Assistant Director is assisted by a Deputy Duty Officer who performs specific duties as assigned. The Duty Officer will:

(1) Screen incoming reports of serious incidents for further reporting to the Departmental Duty Officer in accordance with the Departmental ENS Standard Operating Procedures.

(2) Ensure notification of the Director and other Service officials as appropriate.

(3) Assign responsibility for receipt of serious incident reports to Alternate Duty Officers to ensure 7-day, 24-hour ENS coverage by the Service.

C. Alternate Duty Officers. Alternate Duty Officers may be temporarily appointed as needed.

1.5 Reportable Incidents. The ultimate criterion for reporting an incident is whether or not the Director or Secretary should immediately know of the incident. The following types of incidents will be reported when they affect Service or Departmental interests or when they are likely to require Service or Departmental response:

A. The death of any Interior employee while on duty.

B. The hospitalization of three or more employees due to a work-related incident.

C. Major disasters, including structural fires, dam failures, floods, and storms, that cause significant injuries, resource or property damage (including environmental damage), or that severely impact visitor use of a Department of the Interior-administered area. Wildfires are excluded.

D. Actual, attempted, or planned terrorist activity, sabotage, or other hostile threats or acts against Department or Service property.

E. Major searches and/or rescues, generally defined as any operation requiring a significant call-out of interagency resources or involving large numbers of personnel.

F. Serious incidents, major events, or serious accidents involving senior political officials of State, Federal, or foreign governments and the Department.

G. Serious crimes that occur in a Department of the Interior-administered area.

H. The discharge of a weapon by an employee toward another individual or any discharge of a weapon at any Department of the Interior facility.

I. The death or life threatening injury to any law enforcement officer while in the performance of his/her duties.

J. Any use of force by a law enforcement officer that results in serious injury or death to another individual.

K. Significant law enforcement events other than planned special events that have required or will require the dispatch of specially-trained teams to augment normal enforcement capabilities.

L. Major or unusual drug seizures or drug-related arrests in which the circumstances, value, and/or the amount of the seizure could attract media or political attention.

1.6 Procedures.

A. Immediate Telephone Reports.

(1) Report all serious incidents telephonically to the Service Duty Officer/Deputy by calling 1-888-519-3606. Leave the appropriate voice notification or key in a telephone number, including area code, where the call can be returned within the next 20 minutes. The immediate telephone report to the Duty Officer/Deputy will be made within 1 hour regardless of the day of the week or the time of day.

(2) Immediately telephone reports of serious incidents to the Assistant Regional Director - Public Affairs. In the event the Assistant Regional Director - Public Affairs cannot be contacted, report the incident to the Office of the Regional Director.

B. Written Reports.

(1) Written reports of serious incidents will be submitted to the Duty Officer/Deputy and the Assistant Director - External Affairs. The fax number for the Deputy Duty Officer is 703-358-2518.

(2) The written report will identify the time and date the telephone report was made to the Duty Officer/Deputy.

(3) The report will provide the immediately available information about an actual or imminent emergency and will represent a best estimate of the situation. The key elements to be reported are identified in Exhibit 1 (Emergency Data Sheet (F054-1X1)). Exhibit 1 may be reproduced and used to submit written reports of serious incidents.

1.7 Followup. Any additional emergency response, management guidance, or follow-up written reports will follow normal management channels once initial notification has been made.

For additional information regarding this Web page, contact Krista Holloway, in the Division of Policy and Directives Management, at Krista_Holloway@fws.gov

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