Contact the MRPC Duty Officer

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

Duty Officer Quick Reference Guide

Why Contact the Region 4AB Duty Officer?

Emergency 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 facilities 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 tropical storms, earthquakes, hurricanes, tornadoes, wildland and urban fires, floods, terrorist attacks and threats, hazardous materials spills, nuclear accidents, aircraft accidents, war-related disasters, public health and medical emergencies, infectious disease outbreaks, and other occurrences requiring an emergency response.

Situations where the MRPC Duty Officer should be notified include, but are not limited to: Mass Casualty Incidents (MCIs), Hazardous Materials (HazMat) spills, a public health emergency, an incident causing significant damage to a facility, an incident causing an interruption in healthcare services, 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 oncall MRPC Duty Officer number: (857) 239-0662.

Non-Emergency 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 regional common operating picture.

During an activation, resource requests may also be made to the MRPC Duty Officer who will coordinate with the Massachusetts Department of Public Health’s (MDPH) Office of Public Health Preparedness (OPEM).

Stakeholders may relay non-emergent information to the Duty Officer via email at mrpcdutyofficer@challiance.org. This email address will be routinely monitored, however, it 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

Receive Information & Send MRPC Alerts

The Duty Officer will work with other MRPC staff and the MRPC Executive Committee to identify if a potential or actual situation is an emergency that warrants a notification to MRPC Stakeholders. The Duty Officer can rapidly disseminate information, provide situational awareness, and send MRPC Alerts via the SendWord Now Emergency Notification System (ENS). Please email the Duty Officer if you are not currently signed up to recieve MRPC Alerts.

02

Determine MRPC Actions

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 Duty Officer will notify the MDPH OPEM Duty Officer based on the nature/needs of the incident. Additional MRPC actions can include facilitating regional resource coordination, activation of the Mutual Aid Coordinating Entities (MACE) plan, and coordination of regional response and recovery efforts.

When Do I contact the MRPC Duty Officer vs. the State (MDPH OPEM) Duty Officer?

Based on MA 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 on Code Black
  • A request to activate MassMAP is made
  • For all CMED notifications to OPEM (e.g. Mass Casualty Incident)

Per the MDPH, the MRPC Duty Officer must contact the MDPH 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 questions from the Duty Officer. If you do not recieve a call back within 15 minutes, call the pager again.
  • 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 and actions.
  • 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 and how the MRPC can support your facility.

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 any communications that are non-emergent or time-sensitive.
  • Emails will receive a reply within a reasonable timeline.
    Duty Officer emails are checked regularly and responded to as soon as possible. If you do not recieve a response within 2 buisness days, please email again.