Strategic plans

Earlier this year, SpillConsult was asked by WCMRC to draft a suite of strategic plans that clearly set out their incident management philosophy and operational capability.

The Incident Management Plan was the first document completed and it explained in detail the methodology WCMRC use to determine which resources and specialist skills to mobilise when responding to an incident.

At the heart of the plan is a thorough consideration of operational limitations, complexity drivers and the potential for escalation. The Incident Management Plan has now been formally launched across WCMRC.

This week, SpillConsult facilitated a workshop with WCMRC to introduce the concepts and methodology contained in the Incident Management Plan and to socialise the approach with the wider response organisation.

The workshop opened with a walk-through of the plan’s sections and how it reinforces the central themes of prudent over-response and responding to incident potential. In the second half, attendees worked through several scenario-based exercises to practice applying the plan and the methodology it describes, assessing and categorising incidents based on their specific circumstances rather than solely on the volume of oil observed.

All participants reported that having a clear, structured methodology for incident assessment was very useful, and the content of the Incident Management Plan received strong, positive feedback.

The workshop provided an excellent forum for personnel to discuss response requirements and how a broad range of factors should influence decision-making.

We look forward to delivering the next workshop later this month.