When an emergency or disaster situation exceeds capabilities there are certain common types of assistance that are likely to be requested by the Grand Junction Emergency Manager or the Emergency Operations Center (EOC). These common types of assistance have been grouped functionally into 15 emergency support functions (ESFs).
Participating agencies, City departments and enterprises have been assigned responsibilities for implementing these functions. Assignments are made based upon the department’s programmatic or regulatory authorities and responsibilities. Emergency Function Annexes contain detailed information associated with a specific function. Participating agencies, City departments and enterprises should understand the relationship between the Grand Junction, State and the National Emergency Support Functions.
(Res. 41-15, 9-16-15)
The Emergency Support Function (ESF) Coordinator is the name given to the primary agency representative who has ongoing responsibilities throughout the prevention, preparedness, response, recovery, and mitigation phases of incident management. The role of the ESF Coordinator is carried out through a multi-agency coordination approach as agreed upon collectively by the designated primary agencies. Responsibilities of the ESF Coordinator include:
(a) 
Pre-incident planning and coordination.
(b) 
Maintaining ongoing contact with ESF primary and support agencies.
(c) 
Conducting periodic ESF meetings and conference calls.
(d) 
Coordinating efforts with corresponding private sector organizations.
(e) 
Coordinating ESF activities relating to catastrophic incident planning and critical infrastructure preparedness as appropriate.
(Res. 41-15, 9-16-15)
A local department or agency designated as an emergency support function (ESF) primary agency serves as a local executive representative to accomplish the ESF mission. When an ESF is activated, the primary agency is responsible for:
(a) 
Orchestrating local support within their functional area for an affected jurisdiction.
(b) 
Providing staff for the operations functions at fixed and field facilities.
(c) 
Notifying and requesting assistance from support agencies.
(d) 
Managing mission assignments and coordinate with support agencies.
(e) 
Working with appropriate private sector organizations to maximize use of all available resources.
(f) 
Supporting and informing other ESFs of operational priorities and activities.
(g) 
Executing contracts and procuring goods and services as needed.
(h) 
Ensuring financial and property accountability for ESF activities.
(i) 
Planning for short- and long-term incident management and recovery operations.
(j) 
Maintaining trained personnel to support interagency emergency response and support teams.
(Res. 41-15, 9-16-15)
When an emergency support function (ESF) is activated in response to an incident, support agencies are responsible for:
(a) 
Conducting operations, when requested by the primary ESF agency, using their own authorities, subject matter experts, capabilities, or resources.
(b) 
Participating in planning for short-term and long-term incident management and recovery operations and the development of supporting operational plans, SOPs, checklists, or other job aids, in concert with existing first responder standards.
(c) 
Assisting in the completion of situation assessments.
(d) 
Furnishing available personnel, equipment, or other resource support as requested by the primary ESF agency.
(e) 
Participating in training and exercises aimed at continuous improvement of prevention, response, and recovery capabilities.
(f) 
Identifying new equipment or capabilities required to prevent or respond to new or emerging threats and hazards, or to improve the ability to address existing threats.
(g) 
Providing information or intelligence regarding the agency’s area of expertise.
(Res. 41-15, 9-16-15)
In order to realize the potential of local capabilities and to integrate and apply resources, departments and support organizations are arranged into one or more of 15 emergency support functions. The City Emergency Operations Plan attempts to mirror the ESFs as they are found in the “National Response Framework” and the Mesa County “Emergency Operations Plan.”
These are:
ESF #1 – Transportation
Civil transportation support
Restoration/recovery of transportation infrastructure
Movement restrictions
Damage and impact assessment
ESF #2 – Communications
Coordination with telecommunications industry
Restoration/repair of telecommunications infrastructure
Protection and restoration of information resources
Warnings – Notifications
ESF #3 – Public Works and Engineering
Infrastructure protection and emergency repair
Infrastructure restoration
Engineering services, construction management
Critical infrastructure liaison
ESF #4 – Firefighting
Firefighting activities
Resource support
ESF #5 – Emergency Management
Coordination of incident management efforts
Management of Emergency Operations Center (EOC)
ESF #6 – Mass Care, Housing, and Human Services
Mass care
Disaster housing
Human services
Sheltering
Volunteer and donations management
ESF #7 – Resource Support
Resource support (facility space, office equipment, supplies, contracting services, etc.)
Financial management
ESF #8 – Public Health and Medical
Public health
Medical (EMS and hospital)
Mental health
Mass fatality and mortuary services
ESF #9 – Search and Rescue
Life-saving assistance
ESF #10 – Oil and Hazardous Materials Response
Hazardous materials response (CBRNE)
Environmental safety and short- and long-term cleanup
ESF #11 – Agriculture
Nutrition assistance
Animal and plant disease/pest response
Food safety and security
ESF #12 – Energy and Public Utilities
Energy infrastructure assessment, repair and restoration
Energy industry utilities coordination
ESF #13 – Public Safety and Security
Facility and resource security
Security planning, technical and resource assistance
Public safety/security support
Support to access, traffic, and crowd control
ESF #14 – Long-Term Community
Recovery and mitigation social and economic community impact assessment
Long-term community recovery assistance to local governments and the private sector
Mitigation analysis and program implementation
ESF #15 – External Affairs
Emergency public information and protective action guidance
Media and community relations
Support to on-scene incident management
Management of Joint Information Center (JIC)
(Res. 41-15, 9-16-15)