This paper will discuss the Oklahoma City (OKC) Multiagency Coordination Center (MACC), the history of the facility, organizational structure of the Office of Emergency Management, and various components and attributes the MACC possesses. The information presented in this paper was gathered from an in-person interview with Oklahoma City Emergency Manager, Police Captain Frank N. Barnes, a tour of the MACC, and the 2018 City of Oklahoma City Emergency Operations Plan.
The City of Oklahoma City covers an area of 622.5 square miles and extends into the four counties of Oklahoma, Canadian, Cleveland, and Pottowatomie and has an approximate population of 1,373,211, making it the 41st Metropolitan Statistical Area in the US. The City of Oklahoma City is only responsible for emergency response and management activities within the Oklahoma City corporate boundaries (OKCEM, 2018). Oklahoma City is vulnerable to a wide variety of disasters and hazards like many United States cities. These range from flooding, drought, wildfires, winter weather, extreme heat and lightning.
However, the City’s position within the area known as “Tornado Alley” brings about the risk of tornadoes, both in the Spring and the Fall. Recently, the risk of earthquakes in Oklahoma have been linked with wastewater injection wells from the oil and gas industry. “A major study by the University of Bristol and involving the University of Southampton, Delft University of Technology and Resources for the Future, published [February 1, 2018] in the journal Science, shows conclusively that Oklahoma’s seismicity is strongly linked to fluid injection depth” (University of Bristol, 2018, para. 6). Earthquakes, tornadoes, wildfires along with the other hazards mentioned are rated as high risk for the City of Oklahoma City presenting a challenge to Oklahoma City’s emergency management office.
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As a centralized location for the city to address imminent threats, hazards, incidents or disasters, Oklahoma City maintains the MACC. MACC is interchangeable with an emergency operations center (EOC), but for historical and practical reasons, Oklahoma City uses the MACC terminology. The Oklahoma City MACC can be physical or virtual. Virtually, operations are conducted over electronic means from homes and/or offices. Physically, the MACC is located within the Regional Multiagency Coordination Center (RMACC). The MACC facility is an underground bunker built during the Cold War from 1963 to 1965 as the EOC for Oklahoma City in the event of a nuclear attack. This was typical for cities to do during the Cold War. The MACC is a controlled access location with a single entry and exit parking lot gate secured with a pin or keycard entry and the same security is implemented for the front door.
From the front door, a ramp leads to the blast doors and into the main area of the bunker. It still has the decontamination shower which is now a storage closest. It was built with the idea of submarine technology. It is protected from technological hazards by a large uninterrupted power supply and an emergency generator. Upgrades to heating, air and lighting systems are recent. On the top of the facility is a telecommunication tower with a microwave point-to-point system for redundant network connection.
In the bowels of the facility, is the mechanical room, housing many of the power and air conditioning systems, there are obsolete items still installed as they are too big to be taken out the front door. These items were placed within prior to the bunker roof being built and covered over. While this is a downside, being built underground and on high terrain, the MACC is protected from all known natural hazards which makes it a great location for the Oklahoma City Office of Emergency Management. However, if the MACC is compromised, there are two backup locations. The alternate locations are the Oklahoma City Police and Fire Department Training Center and the Oklahoma City County Health Department.
Having tornado season twice a year in Oklahoma, the Oklahoma City MACC is the secondary responsible for siren activation with the primary being 911. Next to the siren switch sits a red phone. Typically, this would be thought as a direct line to the governor or president, but it is simply a conversation piece according to Police Captain Frank Barnes. The Oklahoma City Multiagency Coordination Center enjoys a hefty budget, despite its budget being part of the Oklahoma City Police Department budget. For fiscal year 2019, the MACC has a budget of $579,897.27, with $70,000 provided by federal grants and the rest is paid from the City’s general fund. This budget covers new equipment, maintenance of current equipment, personnel salary, and other expenditures and needs throughout the fiscal year.
The Oklahoma City MACC uses minimal staffing to reduce City Department’s operations and is designed to operate an organizational structure that is simple, scalable, and flexible. The Oklahoma City MACC is intended to coordinate and integrate all the pieces needed to efficiently and effectively respond to and recover from an incident or disaster. “The purpose of the OKC MACC is to consolidate and exchange information, support decision making, coordinate resources, and communicate with personnel on scene and at other EOCs/MACCs” (OKCEM, 2018). Along with this, the MACC may support another EOC/MACC, support scene personnel, share the load of some operations, or host incident command or area command.
The Oklahoma City Multiagency Coordination Center houses not only the OKC Office of Emergency Management, but also the Oklahoma County Emergency Management office, the Medical Emergency Response Center (MERC) for their day-to-day operations and 911 has an office for backup operations. When not activated for a disaster or incident, the Office of Emergency Management provides support and coordination. The Oklahoma City Office of Emergency Management is staffed by the Emergency Manager and police, fire, and public works liaisons on a day-to-day basis. The Oklahoma City MACC is only activated during a major emergency in a large or city-wide area. Otherwise, an isolated incident or an incident where a specific site is solely involved would be handled by Oklahoma City Emergency Management at the Incident Command Post.
Consistent with National Incident Management System (NIMS) guidance, the MACC has three operational levels. Normal operations or steady-state is the day-to-day activities and there is no immediate threat. Partial Activation or enhanced steady-state is when a credible threat, risk, or hazard exists. During this level, the threat, risk or hazard is monitored, notification and coordination of preparedness actions occurs, the common operating picture is developed, and updates to response and recovery partners is made with the increase of incident intensity. The common operating picture provides an overview of the emergency incident in turn providing information and intelligence that drives effective, timely and consistent decisions from response agencies and stakeholders. A Full Activation is when an emergency or disaster has occurred.
The common operating picture is developed, response is coordinated and supported, and impact assessments and situation reports are provided. Upon an activation, personnel have 30 minutes to report to the MACC during normal business hours, but 60 minutes to report after hours or on weekends. It is assumed that a third of the Agency Representatives (AREPs) at any given time will be unavailable. Therefore, the other two-thirds are split into two groups to form two shifts, one on-duty, and one resting to relieve the on-duty shift. For a partial activation, 11 personnel are mandatory to report with all others optional.
For a full activation, 33 personnel are mandatory with Agency Representatives from nongovernmental organizations, Oklahoma Gas and Electric (OGE), Oklahoma Natural Gas (ONG), Oklahoma Electric Cooperative (OEC), AT&T, and Cox Communications remaining optional for reporting. The Oklahoma City MACC implements a MACC Action Plan (MACC AP), which is like an Incident Command System (ICS) Incident Action Plan but is focused on support and coordination. It provides work assignments and organizational structure for the MACC. A specific MACC AP is developed for planned events, but for no-notice events, a generic MACC AP is utilized.
During an activation, the MACC utilizes a hybrid organizational structure. This organizational structure consists of core positions and functional teams. The core positions include the MACC Manager, the MACC Support Unit, Communications Unit, Situation Unit, Planning Support Unit, Resource Support Unit, and the Finance and Administration Support Unit. All the team leaders of these units work under MACC Manager supervision. The MACC Manager is filled by the emergency manager or their designee and enables the mission, goals, and MACC direction. The MACC manager provides MACC function expertise, supervises positions as needed, facilitates support, decision and coordination processes, makes Policy Group recommendations and implements the decisions and strategic guidance of the Policy Group.
The MACC Support Unit has the responsibility for logistical services and support for operations. The MACC Support Unit orders and procures supplies, personnel, equipment and materials for MACC operations, handles physical security and access to the facility, arranges for food, snacks, and beverages for personnel and increased housekeeping and janitorial services for the MACC during an activation, and provides office administration.
The Communications Unit is responsible for communication between incident commands, dispatch, other MACCs/EOCs and the MACC. The Unit is also responsible for maintenance and repair and can even relieve 911 dispatch of the burden of incident dispatch functions allowing 911 to resume standard operations. Information gathering and monitoring is the responsibility of the Situation Unit. Analysis and synthesizing of gathered information provides a common operating picture. They maintain situational awareness, maintain logs, and prepare situation reports. The Planning Support Unit develops a MACC Action Plan (MAP), an Advance Plan for the next 36 to 72 hours of incident response and recovery, collects documents and reviews status reports, action plans, and other relevant documents. They are also responsible for determining the possible future cascading events and impacts of the incident, with special attention given to issues that could modify MACC or emergency operations.
Resource Support Unit tracks and obtains resources needed for Incident Command. The Unit maintains a critical resources summary that are committed to the response and recovery, tracks and monitors those needs, and functions as an expanded dispatch to support the disaster response and recovery efforts. The Resource Support Unit also handles intrastate mutual aid requests, interstate mutual aid requests from the Oklahoma State EOC and requests for direct federal assistance. The Finance and Administration Support Unit administers all financial matters involving vendor contracts and leases regarding incident command, coordinates with City departments for documentation of personnel and equipment utilized for incident response and recovery. They further track damage to city owned equipment and employee injuries and accidents.
The functional teams are organized under the Operations Coordination Group. This group consists of Agency Representatives (AREPs) from public safety (police, fire, EMS, and animal welfare), public works and utilities (public works, utilities, parks and recreation, and private sector utility), transportation (airport, public works, and public transit), and human services (American Red Cross, United Way and other organizations). The AREPs in the Operations Coordination Group coordinates interagency and multiagency response and recovery operations and provides incident commands coordinated support. Technical specialists also provide expertise as needed. The Municipal Counselor’s Office, a member of the Policy Group, provides legal guidance on matters pertaining to emergencies and public safety.
For communications, the Oklahoma City MACC has a variety of systems. For telecommunications there are multiple landlines available and Voice Over Internet Protocol (VOIP) telephones. The MACC also employs computer and other electronic means of communication with partner agencies. There are five kinds of radios available. These include city-wide radio devices, state radio devices and amateur radios. The primary means of communication for disaster or emergency operations is radios. Within Oklahoma City is the City’s city-wide radio which is an 800-megahertz radio system enabling all city departments and mutual aid partners full interoperability. City-wide radios and statewide radios are digital and keyed using a computer system. For the city radio system, it is organized into four talk groups, with each group containing an unlimited number of banks, and each bank contains 16 channels for the various agencies such as police, fire, public works, etc. The amateur radios are typically operated by the Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) volunteers. Radios are tested weekly and a monthly statewide radio test occurs to test the full range of radio capabilities.
In the event that communications are overloaded, interrupted, or fail, personnel have a few avenues as backups. Cell phones can be utilized. “Subscribers to Government Telecommunication System (GETS) may use the emergency priority system to gain access and priority over everyone else trying to use the cell phone system” (OKCEM, 2018). If a complete failure of telecommunications occurs, CERT amateur radios can be placed at strategic locations around the city to facilitate communications. Runners can be utilized to disperse written or verbal messages as well with written messages being favored to eliminate misunderstandings. With any communication method utilized, it is imperative for Oklahoma City agencies to use plain language and common terminology to avoid misunderstandings or miscommunication errors in emergency situations.
The Oklahoma City MACC is exercised twice a year. In the Spring it is activated for the annual Oklahoma City Memorial Marathon in remembrance of the 1995 Oklahoma City Alfred P. Murrah building bombing. During this exercise, CERT volunteers use amateur radios from the MACC and golf carts to assist in aiding runners that are injured or are unable to continue the marathon and taking them to the medical tents. The MACC has implemented a program that personnel input the various incidents such as downed runners, missing runners, or road closures during the marathon and displays it on a map that is projected on a screen for everyone to see. This allows the various agency representatives to have a visual depiction of what is going on and apply it to resource needs and requirements. While this program is used during exercises, it can be applied to real world events as well.
In the Fall, the MACC is activated for the Earth, Wind, and Fire exercise testing MACC functions during a major disaster. Real world activations are dependent upon events that occur and if it meets the activation parameters set forth in the Oklahoma City Emergency Operations Plan. If an event meets some parameters but does not meet the full activation parameters and based on event impact, the Oklahoma City MACC may be activated as a virtual emergency management center. In April 2018, a raging wildfire in rural Oklahoma near Woodward, Oklahoma was overwhelming resources for the small towns impacted.
In an effort of mutual aid, Oklahoma City sent resources to help including deploying Emergency Manager Police Captain Frank Barnes to the incident to provide aid. He was deployed for approximately 2 weeks and helped with the paperwork of various resources in use to fight the fire and evacuate residents. In a more recent activation for mutual aid response on a larger scale, the Oklahoma City MACC provided support to the City of Moore Emergency Management office during the 2013 EF5 tornado that devastated Moore, a suburb of Oklahoma City. Support included communications, personnel, and search and rescue equipment.
With an area of 622.5 square miles, extending into the four counties and an approximate population of 1.3 million people, emergency response and management activities within the Oklahoma City corporate boundaries is the responsibility of the City of Oklahoma City. Oklahoma City is vulnerable to a wide variety of disasters and hazards. Earthquakes, tornadoes, wildfires and other hazards that are high risk rated for the City of Oklahoma City present a challenge to Oklahoma City’s emergency management office. Oklahoma City maintains the MACC, both virtual and physical, as a centralized location for the city to address imminent threats, hazards, incidents or disasters. The Oklahoma City MACC is built underground on high terrain, protecting the facility from all known natural hazards and security measures protect from man-made hazards.
There are two alternate locations placing it ahead of the curve compared to those EOC/MACCs that do not have a backup location. Being scalable and flexible, the MACC may support another EOC/MACC, support scene personnel, share the load of some operations, or host incident command or area command. All of this allows the OKC MACC to fulfill its mission to coordinate and integrate all the pieces involved in disaster response and recovery. The Oklahoma City Office of Emergency Management’s day-to-day staff is small and the MACC only activates during a major emergency in a large or city-wide area. Consistent with NIMS guidance, the MACC has three operational levels and implements a MACC Action Plan that is focused on support and coordination. During an activation, the MACC utilizes a hybrid organizational structure consisting of core positions and an Operations Coordination Group made up of agency representatives. The MACC has a variety of communications systems, both digital and analog. Its exercises twice a year prepare the Oklahoma City MACC and its personnel for any real-world activations and requests for mutual aid resources.
