Course Overview:

This two-day course prepares emergency management, human services, and partner agency personnel to establish, manage, and operate an Individual and Family Assistance Center (IFAC) following a mass-casualty, mass-fatality, or large-scale displacement incident. The curriculum bridges the gap between tactical incident management and compassionate service delivery by anchoring human services operations within the Incident Command System (ICS) framework.

Day 1: Division/Group Supervisor Fundamentals. The first day delivers an abbreviated Division/Group Supervisor (DIVS) curriculum. Operating an IFAC requires managing a complex, multi-agency footprint; this module ensures leaders can integrate the facility into the broader incident command structure.

• Command & Control: ICS structural integration, maintaining span of control, and fulfilling DIVS roles and responsibilities.
• Tactical Management: Requesting and allocating resources, drafting and executing the ICS-204 (Assignment List), and coordinating directly with the Operations Section Chief.
• Operational Tempo: Managing interagency partners and maintaining situational awareness in high-stress, rapidly evolving environments.

Day 2: Individual and Family Assistance Center Operations. The second day shifts focus to the unique logistical and operational challenges of the IFAC, applying Day 1's ICS principles directly to human services delivery.

• Activation & Logistics: Facility selection criteria, initial site setup, access control, and transitioning operations as the incident scales.
• Core Service Delivery: Managing the reunification process, conducting family briefings, and coordinating behavioral health and spiritual care.
• Multi-Agency Coordination: Integrating NGO partners, local human services, law enforcement, and medical examiner/coroner personnel into a unified operational rhythm.
• Information Management: Establishing secure data sharing, protecting sensitive family information, and managing media boundaries.

Target Audience:

Emergency management professionals, public health officials, human services leaders, and NGO partners that are expected to hold supervisory or command roles within an IFAC environment.