Field Operations Bureau

The Field Operations Bureau (Field Ops) is the operational arm of the Disaster Services Branch (DSB), working closely with all 58 Operational Areas (OAs) and Tribal Nations across California to enhance disaster preparedness, response, and recovery efforts.

Field Ops is comprised of four specialized units that work together to coordinate disaster response efforts both within California and nationally. These units are designed to ensure the efficient allocation of resources, including personnel, equipment, and supplies, to support mass care and shelter operations as well as other disaster response needs.

The three regional units – Inland, Coastal, and Southern – work directly with Operational Areas (OAs) and Tribal Nations across California, providing tailored support in the Preparedness, Response, and Recovery phases. Each region focuses on local needs and ensures effective coordination of resources and services.

The National Coordination Unit expands the reach of Field Ops by working with partners outside of California. This unit helps develop national-level policies and training programs, manages cross-border mass care agreements, and provides specialized expertise to enhance the effectiveness of national mass care response efforts. It plays a key role in coordinating interstate evacuations, providing resources to other states and territories, and supporting nationwide disaster response initiatives. The unit also participates in large-scale national exercises to ensure readiness across state lines.

Together, these four units form the backbone of Field Ops' operations, ensuring that California’s disaster response efforts are comprehensive, coordinated, and scalable, while also contributing to national-level preparedness and response efforts.

Preparedness

Field Ops personnel provide support to Mass Care Coordinators in OAs and Tribal Nations to build mass care capabilities and increase community resilience by:

• Providing technical assistance in reviewing plans, Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs), shelter assessment checklists, and other critical documents.
• Recommending process improvements for better interagency coordination.
• Participating in the planning and implementation of exercises and training programs.
• Facilitating quarterly Regional Mass Care Meetings to improve coordination, communication, collaboration, and cooperation with and amongst counties within a region.
• Sharing best practices and lessons learned from counties across the state.
• Increasing the awareness around non-profit organizations that can augment existing mass care capacity within a jurisdiction.
• Developing and maintaining memorandums of understanding with non-profit partners to support wraparound services during disaster responses.

The National Coordination Unit collaborates with U.S. states and territories to strengthen nationwide preparedness by:

• Evaluating national-level mass care and shelter plans and SOPs for states, territories, and federal partners.
• Engaging in the planning and implementation of nationwide exercises and training programs to optimize mass care responses.
• Facilitating bi-monthly National Mass Care Coordinator Calls to enhance collaboration and share best practices among states, territories, and federal agencies.
• Developing and maintaining cross-border mass care and shelter support agreements with sister states to ensure coordinated responses when survivors are evacuated across state borders.
• Providing internal coordination and support for the Emergency Management Assistance Compact (EMAC). response.

Response

In the Response phase, Field Ops staff provide critical support to OAs and Tribal Nations by:

• Linking OAs and Tribal Nations to state resources and support.
• Deploying Bureau members to work in the State Operations Center (SOC), local Emergency Operations Centers (EOCs), or other areas as needed.
• Ensuring unmet needs are being met through effective and timely communication.
• Representing the California Emergency Support Function 6 (CA-ESF 6) for mass care and shelter during response efforts.

The National Coordination team provides nationwide response support by:

• Coordinating cross-border evacuations ensuring resource needs are met.
• Providing virtual and in-person resource and personnel support to U.S. states and territories.
• Tracking and monitoring incidents across the country

Recovery

Although most of Field Ops’ work takes place during the Preparedness and Response phases, the team also plays a supportive role in Recovery by:

• Working with OA and Tribal Mass Care Coordinators to address and resolve any challenges or roadblocks during recovery.
• Coordinating with state and federal partners to ensure that all available recovery programs and resources are brought to bear for impacted communities and survivors.
• Working with non-profit and local health and human services agency partners to ensure casework and any follow-on services can be implemented in a timely manner.

National Coordination assists in recovery efforts by:

• Sharing strategies for ensuring recovery services are accessible to diverse populations, considering cultural and language differences.
• Supporting efforts to secure federal funding and assistance for disaster-stricken states and territories.

Meet the Field Operations Staff