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Incident Response Guides

Incident Response Guides organize recommended objectives, actions, HICS Roles, forms, and tools for anticipated incidents. Tenant Administrators can manage guides throughout their organization. Facility Administrators can manage guides for facilities they administer.

An IRG supports incident planning. It does not start an incident, establish an operational period, or automatically activate Hospital Incident Management Team positions.

Before you begin​

You must be signed in as:

  • a Tenant Administrator; or
  • a Facility Administrator for the facility whose guides you want to manage.

Only active facilities are available for IRG configuration.

Find Incident Response Guides​

  1. Open Operational command.
  2. Expand Preparedness.
  3. Select Incident Response Guides.
  4. Select the facility you want to configure when more than one facility is available.

The Incident Response Guides card lists each guide's name, status, mission summary, number of objectives, and number of response actions.

Understand guide status​

StatusMeaning
ActiveThe guide is available for an Incident Commander to select when creating a new incident for that facility.
InactiveThe guide is retained for administration and incident history but cannot be selected for a new incident.
DeletedAn unused guide was permanently removed. A guide already used by an incident cannot be deleted.

Create a guide in HICSNow​

  1. Select Create IRG.
  2. On Guide details:
    • enter the IRG name and Mission statement;
    • enter each objective on its own numbered row;
    • configure the recommended timing for each response phase; and
    • leave Available for new incidents selected to create an active guide, or clear it to save the guide as inactive.
  3. Select Next.
  4. On Response actions, enter one action per row and select the responsible HICS Role. Add actions under the applicable Immediate, Intermediate, Extended, or Recovery phase.
  5. Select Next.
  6. On Documents and tools, select the Emergency Operations Plan sections, HICS forms, tools, and references associated with the guide. Enter additional items when they are not in the standard lists.
  7. Select Next.
  8. On HIMT activation, select the HICS Roles recommended for each response phase.
  9. Select Next.
  10. On IRG Review, leave Record a review or approval with this save clear for an ordinary save. Select it only when a formal review or approval has occurred.
  11. Select Save, or select Save and record review when recording a formal review.

The saved guide appears on the Incident Response Guides card with its current status.

note

The response-phase timing and HIMT activation selections are planning guidance. They do not establish an operational period, assign personnel, or activate a HICS Role.

Import the HICSNow template​

Use the HICSNow Custom IRG Template when the guide will be prepared in Microsoft Word before it is entered in HICSNow.

  1. Select Import on the Incident Response Guides card.
  2. Select Download template.
  3. Complete the downloaded template. Keep the template structure and field labels intact so HICSNow can recognize the information.
  4. Return to the Import Incident Response Guide window.
  5. Under Completed IRG template, choose the completed DOCX file.
  6. Select Import template.
  7. Review the imported information on every Create IRG tab.
  8. Correct or complete any information that needs attention.
  9. Select Save only after the complete guide has been reviewed.

Importing opens an unsaved draft. It does not save or activate the guide. Select Available for new incidents before saving when the imported guide should be active.

Template completion requirements​

Before importing, confirm that the template includes:

  • an incident type;
  • a mission;
  • at least one objective;
  • valid response-phase timing;
  • at least one Immediate Response action;
  • a recognized HICS Role for every completed action; and
  • the intended plans, forms, tools, and HIMT activation selections.

The completed DOCX must be 5 MB or smaller. Password-protected files cannot be imported.

If the import is not accepted​

  • Confirm that you used the template downloaded from HICSNow.
  • Confirm that the file remains in DOCX format.
  • Complete all required sections and replace bracketed template instructions with the intended content.
  • Use recognized HICS Role names for completed response actions.
  • Check that each response-phase timing value is valid and follows the prior phase.
  • Import the corrected file again.

No guide is created when the import is rejected.

Edit a guide​

  1. Find the guide on the Incident Response Guides card.
  2. Select Edit.
  3. Review or change information on any of the five sections.
  4. Select Next or Back to move between sections.
  5. Continue from Documents and tools to HIMT activation, and then to IRG Review.
  6. Select Save for an ordinary edit.

An ordinary edit does not change the formal guide version. Incidents that previously selected the guide retain the guide information used for that incident.

Record a formal review or approval​

Use the IRG Review section only when a formal review or approval has occurred. Saving routine corrections does not create a review record.

  1. Open the guide and continue to IRG Review.
  2. Review Latest review and the retained Review history, when present.
  3. Select Record a review or approval with this save.
  4. Enter the required Review date and Reviewed or approved by value.
  5. Add optional Review notes.
  6. Select Save and record review.

Recording a formal review advances the guide's formal version. Existing review entries remain in the history and cannot be replaced by an ordinary edit.

Activate or deactivate a guide​

  1. Find the guide and select Edit.
  2. On Guide details, locate Available for new incidents.
  3. Select the checkbox to make the guide active, or clear it to make the guide inactive.
  4. Continue through HIMT activation to IRG Review, then select Save.

An inactive guide remains visible on the configuration card and remains connected to incidents that already used it. It is not offered when an Incident Commander creates a new incident.

Delete an unused guide​

Delete an IRG only when it was created in error and has not been used by an incident.

  1. Locate the IRG on the Incident Response Guides card.
  2. Select Edit.
  3. Select Delete in the Edit Incident Response Guide form.
  4. Review the permanent-deletion warning.
  5. Select Delete IRG to confirm, or Cancel to keep the guide.

Deletion cannot be undone. If an incident has already used the guide, HICSNow retains it for historical integrity and does not allow deletion. Select Edit, make the guide inactive, and save it instead. An inactive guide is retained in configuration and incident history but is not available for a new incident.

Use a guide for an incident​

An Incident Commander selects an active, facility-specific guide from Incident Response Guide while creating an incident. The Incident Commander can select None when no guide applies.

Selecting a guide preserves its current version with the incident. Later edits to the configuration guide do not rewrite the incident's historical guide information.

Common problems​

The facility is not listed​

Confirm that the facility is active and that you have Tenant Administrator access or Facility Administrator access for that facility.

The guide is not available when creating an incident​

Confirm that:

  • the guide belongs to the facility selected for the incident;
  • Available for new incidents is selected; and
  • the facility is active.

The guide cannot be deleted​

The guide has already been used by an incident or was changed after the delete window opened. Refresh the page and review the current guide. Make an incident-referenced guide inactive instead of deleting it.

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