Contact Duty Officer

The Duty Officer role provides 24/7/365 coverage in order to receive and disseminate emergency notifications and to augment local and regional level response efforts of Stakeholders in support of a regional common operating picture.

Download Duty Officer Quick Reference Guide

WHY CONTACT THE REGIONAL DUTY OFFICER?

Urgent/Emergent Notifications:

The MRPC Duty Officer should be notified of an emergency incident or a potential emergency incident that may have a regional impact and/or overwhelm the facility or local response capacity.

Emergency Incidents are defined by FEMA as an occurrence or event, natural or human-caused, that [may] require[s] an emergency response to protect life or property. Incidents can, for example, include major disasters, emergencies, terrorist attacks, terrorist threats, wildland and urban fires, floods, hazardous materials spills, nuclear accidents, aircraft accidents, earthquakes, hurricanes, tornadoes, tropical storms, war-related disasters, public health and medical emergencies, and other occurrences requiring an emergency response.

Examples of circumstances when the MRPC Duty Officer should be notified include, but are not limited to:  Mass Casualty Incidents, Hazardous Materials spills, a Public Health emergency, or significant damage to a facility causing an interruption of service and/or an evacuation.

MRPC Stakeholders should notify the MRPC Duty Officer of an emergency incident or potential incident by paging the MRPC Duty Officer at the dedicated MRPC Duty Officer number: (857) 239-0662.

Non-Emergent Notifications:

Aside from notifying the MRPC Duty Officer of any emergency or potential emergency incident, MRPC Stakeholders are encouraged to share information regarding any known/planned large-scale events and/or other general emergency preparedness intelligence information they may be monitoring in order to help facilitate a common operating picture.

During an activation, resource requests may also be made to the Duty Officer who will coordinate with MDPH.

Stakeholders may relay non-emergent information to the Duty Officer via email at mrpcdutyofficer@challiance.org.  This email address will be routinely monitored, however, should not be used to alert the Duty Officer of an emergency or to provide time-sensitive or urgent information.  When in doubt, page the MRPC Duty Officer.

WHAT WILL THE DUTY OFFICER DO?

All pages received by the MRPC Duty Officer will be taken seriously and recognized as an official  alert/notification.

01

Rapidly receive information and notify MRPC members of an emergency.

The Duty Officer will work with other MRPC staff and the MRPC Executive Committee to identify if a potential or actual situation warrants a notification to MRPC Stakeholders.

02

Determine if additional MRPC actions are necessary.

Beyond notifications of potential or actual situations, the Duty Officer will work with both MRPC staff and the MRPC Executive Committee to decide upon recommended courses of action by the MRPC. If indicated, the MRPC Duty Officer will notify the MDPH OPEM Duty Officer based on the nature/needs of the incident.

When Do I contact the State (MDPH OPEM) Duty Officer, and When Do I contact the MRPC Duty Officer?

Based on state policy, there are certain circumstances in which Stakeholders must notify the MDPH OPEM (State) Duty Officer prior to notifying the MRPC (Regional) Duty Officer. These circumstances include:

  • Whenever a hospital goes Code Black
  • A request to activate MassMAP
  • CMED notifications to OPEM (e.g. Mass Casualty Incident)

Per the Massachusetts Department of Public Health, the MRPC Duty Officer must contact the DPH Duty Officer in the following situations:

  • Any bridge, tunnel or structural collapse
  • Any event that could create large-scale media attention that is public health related
  • Any call that activates or requests Chempack or MCI trailers
  • Any event where there are ambulance or fire task force mobilizations
  • Any evacuation of a hospital, long-term care, or other healthcare facility
  • Any level two (2) or higher hazmat response
  • Any resource or other request that cannot be fulfilled by the region

When Paging the MRPC Duty Officer:

  • The pager service will prompt you to leave a call back number.
    Please leave a call back number where you can be reached directly, such as your direct line or cell phone, not your facility's main number.
  • Expect a call back from the Duty Officer within 15 minutes.
    Stay by the phone number you provided and be prepared to answer any questions from the Duty Officer.
  • The Duty Officer may ask that you gather further information to support your request or gain situational awareness.
    The Duty Officer will work with you to determine next steps.
  • Before you page the Duty Officer make sure you are clear on what you are requesting.
    When in doubt, you may page the Duty Officer, but be prepared to explain your specific needs and details regarding the nature of your request.

When E-mailing the MRPC Duty Officer:

  • The Duty Officer email box is monitored regularly but should not be used for urgent communications.
    You may email the Duty Officer for communications that are non-emergent.
  • Emails will receive a reply within a reasonable timeline.
    Although the Duty Officer emails are checked and responded to as soon as possible, email should not be used for emergency communication.