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Roles and Responsibilities for island biosecurity pest incursions
Coordinated Incident Management System
DOC uses New Zealand’s Coordinated Incident Management System (CIMS) to operate effectively
and efficiently in a large event or emergency.
CIMS is modular and scalable allowing for a consistent response at any level, from a small local
incident, to a large multi-agency response. It is the common doctrine that DOC uses for event or
response management. CIMS establishes common structures, functions and terminology.
However, CIMS will not guarantee effective incursion response management by itself. A successful
response rests in the understanding of CIMS concepts, roles and responsibilities and the application
thereof.
For Island Biosecurity an incursion incident is any occurrence that requires a response from one or
more agencies. This is for any actual or potential negative impacts that could occur due to an
invasive species reaching an island. CIMS is applied during a Response and therefore must be
factored into Readiness. Responses aim to manage the consequence of threats
Using CIMS effectively for island incursions will:
• Increase the likelihood of eliminating invading pests
• Reduce the time an incursion response continues
• Ensure efficient use of DOC, and other agency, resources
• More effectively record and track resources used, decisions made, actions undertaken, and
money spent
• Improve Incursion reporting and the ability to learn from incidents
The following pages provide clarity for the various roles and responsibility during an island incursion
incident.
For a complete description of CIMS refer to The New Zealand Management System (CIMS), 2nd
edition (New Zealand Government 2014). Some information is also taken from the Coordinated
Incident Management Systems (CIMS) Position Checklists to be used for rural and vegetation fires,
Version 2, January 2014.
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Overview of roles and responsibilities
All the CIMS functions need to be considered in an island incursion incident, whether they are
carried out by a single person in charge of a small incident, or by teams during a major response.
An Incident Management Team (IMT) assists the Controller by providing advice and specialist
knowledge and handling detailed work across various functions. The responsibilities for each
function are summarised in the table below. Detailed descriptions are given in the following pages.
Function
Responsibilities
Control
Sets the response objectives. Coordinates and controls the response.
Planning and
Collects and analyse information and intelligence related to context,
Intelligence
impact and consequences; also distributes intelligence outputs.
Leads action planning, contingency planning and coordinating input into
the plans from the different functional units.
Operations
Provides direction, coordination and supervision of incursion response
elements on behalf of the control function.
For incursion responses the operations function often includes quarantine,
field activities, dog handler teams and boating.
Logistics
Provides personnel, equipment, supplies, facilities and services to support
response activities.
Information and
Develops and delivers messages to the public, directly and through the
Media
media, and liaises with the community and stakeholders if required.
Safety
Develops and recommends measures for assuring personal safety.
Assesses and anticipates hazardous and unsafe situations.
Liaison
Responsible to the Incident Controller as the contact for the personnel
assigned to the incident by assisting or cooperating agencies
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Safety
Incident Controller
Information & Media
Technical Experts
Liaison
Planning &
Operations
Logistics
Intelligence
Quarantine
Island Field Team
Dog Handlers
Boats/transport
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Control
Information
Incident
TAG
Safety
Controller
Liaison
Planning/
Operations
Logistics
Intel
The Incident Controller is responsible for:
• Setting objectives
• Providing a plan that describes how the objectives will be achieved
• Directing the response
• Obtaining advice and intelligence regarding the incursion and making decisions on tactics
and resource allocation
• Ensuring the safety of people involved in the response, including the public
• Controlling personnel and equipment, and all subsidiary response elements
• Determining critical resources and managing their use
• Briefing Governance
• Establishing and maintaining communications with other agencies, stakeholders and the
community.
• Ensuring the response stays within the prescribed resource and budget limits
• Acting as a spokesperson if a dedicated spokesperson has not been appointed.
The Controller needs to:
➢ Balance the need for accurate advice and information against the need for timely decisions
➢ Document key decisions and their rationale, as they are made
➢ Follow the intentions of Governance
➢ Focus on the actions for the incursion response
➢ Be aware of the decisions for other incursions or events that will impact the response
➢ Hand back the island biosecurity function to the Approving Manager at the end of the
response.
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Planning and Intelligence
Incident
Controller
Planning &
Intelligence
Action
Contingency
Information
Situation
Forecasting
GIS
Planning
Planning
For island incursions the Planning and Intelligence functions are most often combined rather than
separate. Planning is responsible for overseeing the development of Action Plans whereas
Intelligence is the function for the collection and analysis of response information. Note that the
TAG is a specialist group of technical specialists reporting separately to the IC that is not part of the
Planning and Intelligence team.
The Planning and Intelligence responsibilities are to:
• Gather, collate, and analyse response information
• Develop and distribute processed intelligence as situation reports, situation maps and other
material (e.g. photos or video)
• Provide context for the incident including: existing plans, hazards, species at risk, cultural
factors, terrain, infrastructure, climate and weather
• Gain, develop and distribute intelligence as to how the incident may develop
• Manage information
• Establish a planning process and planning cycle
• Obtain input from other functions into the development of plans
• Convening and conducting planning meetings
• Create and distribute Action Plans on behalf of the Incident Controller
• Maintain a log of all planning and intelligence functions, actions taken, and decisions made
• Create contingency plans for things that haven’t yet occurred but may.
• Involvement in post incident debrief
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Operations
Incident
Controller
Operations
Island Field
Conservation
Quarantine
Boats
Team
Dogs
Operations are responsible for field operations, detailed taskings, and implementation of the Action
Plan.
Operations main responsibilities are:
• Coordinating the day-to-day response activities on behalf of the controller
• Ensuring strict quarantine procedures so that no further incursions occur because of the
response activities
• Contributing to the development of the Action Plan
• Implementing actions as specified by the incident controller or in the action plan
• Planning response tasks in detail
• Recommending to the Incident Controller which resources are critical
• Keeping the Incident Controller, and other functions of the response, informed about the
response
• Managing Conservation dog/handler team/s day to day taskings as part of the response
• Providing information back to the Incident Management Team about dog team coverage,
indications or dog information pertinent to the incident
• Providing spatial (GPS) information to the incident team for control and detection devices,
hazards and other pertinent information
• Maintaining a response log to record tasks received, operational actions undertaken,
decisions made, safety considerations and as an official record of the functions actions.
• Involvement in post incident debrief
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Logistics
Incident
Controller
Logistics
Finance
Supply
Comms
Personnel
Catering
Admin
Logistics is responsible for providing and tracking resources to support the response, and providing
logistics advice to the other CIMS functions. Logistics actions generally precede those of other
functions, so must be completed promptly to allow other functions to operate effectively.
Generally, an effective Logistics unit comprises people that have good awareness of what incursion
response resources are available and the DOC processes to acquire resource and track finance.
The Logistics main responsibilities are:
• Acquiring a copy of relevant existing Biosecurity Plans indicating resources available, pre-
identified personnel and suppliers
• Receiving resource requests and procuring the resources
• Receiving, storing, maintaining, issuing and distributing resources
• Working with the Quarantine function of Operations to ensure no supplies pose a risk of
further incursions
• Developing a communications plan
• Participating in the development of the Action Plan
• Tracking resource use
• Tracking financial expenditure
• Provide record keeping and administration support
• Collating and matching offers of assistance
• Advising the Incident Controller and other functions of logistical issues and resource levels
• Maintaining a log of requests received, decisions made, requests actioned and reporting on
logistics.
• Involvement in post incident debrief
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Technical Advisory Group
Incident
Controller
Technical
Advisory Group
(TAG) Lead
Detection and
Experienced
Specialist
Pest biology
control tools
practitioner
species advice
The Technical Advisory Group (TAG) is a team of people providing technical expertise directly to the
Incident controller. For incursions the make-up of a TAG should comprise biological expertise of the
invading pest, sound technical knowledge of detection and control tools, an experienced
practitioner, and, if required, specialist species knowledge. A TAG is normally made up of 3-4
people.
The TAG is separate to the Planning and Intelligence team although the TAG will provide information
relevant for situational reporting and action plans.
The role of the TAG is to:
• Provide specialist advice to the incident controller for the response
• Review data and situational information
• Provide input for the development of Action Plans
• Recommend detection and control tactics
• Access and interpret specific specialist information if required (e.g. DNA analysis)
• Maintain a record of decisions made and advice given for the response
• Recommend if, when and what rodenticides should be used
• Prepare the application form for using rodenticides for island incursions
• Involvement in the post response debrief
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Information and Media (Public Information Management)
Incident
Controller
Information
& Media
Information
Community
Spokesperson
Media
and warnings
Liaison
The Information unit, which is sometimes referred to as the Public Information Unit (PIM), is
responsible for informing the public and stakeholders about the incident and the response, media
liaison and community liaison. At the Incident Controllers direction, the Information unit will also
issue warnings and advisories.
The Information unit’s main responsibilities are:
• Acquiring Situational Information for the Planning and Intelligence team and other incursion
response functions
• Preparing and sharing information directly to the public or stakeholders
• Monitoring public and media reactions
• Preparing spokespeople for interviews or media
• Carries out two-way liaison with the affected community
• Produce information materials such as newsletters or pamphlets
• Working with media
• Ensuring all response units and personnel have current public information key messages
• Participating in the development of the Action Plan
• Advising the controller on Information Issues
• Maintain a unit log including a record of all requests for information and information
provided
• Provide information or involvement in the post response debrief
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Safety Advisor
Incident
Controller
Safety
Advisor
The Safety Advisor is directly responsible to the Incident Controller and is to develop and
recommend measures for assuring personal safety, and to assess and or anticipate hazardous or
unsafe situations. The Safety Advisor will correct unsafe acts or conditions through the regular line
of authority although the Safety Advisor will exercise emergency authority to stop or prevent unsafe
acts when immediate action is required.
The Safety Advisor’s responsibilities include:
• Obtaining a briefing from the Incident Controller
• Monitor safety conditions and analyse the safety and risks
• Identify known hazards associated with the incident (often working with the intelligence
team)
• Develop safety, medical and emergency plans and provide these to the incident team
• Review the action plan for safety implications
• Develop measures to ensure safety to all personnel
• Evaluate operating procedures and modify if necessary to meet safety needs
• Notify the Incident Controller of any potential issues
• Investigate and report on that occur as part of the incident
• Participate in planning meetings
• Present safety briefings and communicate known hazards
• Maintain a log of decisions, actions and other activities
• Provide information or participate in the incident debrief
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Liaison Officer
Incident
Controller
Liaison
Officer
The Liaison Officer is directly responsible to the Incident Controller as the contact for the personnel
assigned to the incident by assisting or cooperating agencies. These are personnel other than those
on direct tactical assignment.
The Safety Advisor’s responsibilities include:
• Obtaining a briefing from the Incident Controller
• Being the primary contact point for interagency representatives
• Assisting in establishing and coordinating interagency contacts
• Maintaining a list of assisting and cooperating agencies, and agency representatives
• Establish communication with other agencies
• Keeping other agencies fully informed about the incident
• Monitor incident operations to identify current and potential interagency problems
• Keep the Incident Controller and Incident Management Team informed of pertinent liaison
issues
• Maintain a log of decisions, actions and other activities
• Provide information or participate in the incident debrief
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Technical Support
Technical support is not a function of a CIMS response to incursion management. However,
technical support personnel, most specifically from the Threats team, may be utilised to assist
Logistics and Planning & Intelligence functions. This often occurs during the detection and decision
phase and initial response phase of an incursion incident.
Technical staff may also become part of the incident response as part of one or more specific
functional units noted above. This often occurs when one or a few people are performing multiple
functions for the incident.
Normal tasks that Technical Support staff may be involved with are:
• Providing initial advice and recommending whether a response is required
• Providing an initial assessment of data and information
• Providing advice or recommendations to an Approving Manager or Governance Group
• Suggesting to the Logistics team what resources may be available
• Assisting in establishing a TAG and brokering with potential TAG members and relevant
managers about involvement in a TAG
• Providing relevant material or examples to the Planning and Intelligence or TAG teams.
Technical support staff will normally receive information from the incident and receive the debrief
report. If deemed necessary, the Technical Support staff may call for a Review of the incident once a
debrief has been completed.
Technical Support staff that regularly advise/support incursion incidents are: Euan Kennedy, Pete
Corson, Keith Broome, Karen Vincent, Fin Buchannan, Elaine Murphy, Craig Gillies, Kerry Brown and
Chris Green.
Island Eradication Advisory Group (IEAG)
The Island Eradication Advisory Group is a group of individuals that normally advise on eradication
design, planning, operations and monitoring. The IEAG is a group of individuals from across the
Department of Conservation. The IEAG will not normally have a role in biosecurity incursion events.
However, individual members of the IEAG may have various roles in specific incident management
team functions or as Technical Support.
The IEAG may become involved if biosecurity or the incursion response fails to stop a breeding
population of the pest establishing and an eradication operation is considered.
Current IEAG members are: Keith Broome, Pete Corson, James Reardon, Chris Golding, Kerry Brown
and Stephen Horn
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