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City staff report EOP and continuity updates after Tropical Storm Helen
Summary
Assistant Fire Chief Jeremy Knight told the Asheville City Public Safety Committee the Emergency Operations Plan has been updated to reflect lessons from Tropical Storm Helen, department annexes are being revised and the after-action review work plan is about 58% complete; staff emphasized training, institutionalizing processes and next steps to brief elected officials.
Assistant Fire Chief Jeremy Knight presented updates to Asheville's Emergency Operations Plan (EOP) and the city's continuity of operations effort at the May 28 Public Safety Committee meeting.
Knight said the EOP has been revised to reflect lessons from Tropical Storm Helen and that department-level annexes are being updated as part of an after-action review. "We are about 58% completed with the after-action review work plan from Tropical Storm Helen," he said, and emphasized that emergency management must be treated as a citywide operating system rather than a single-function response.
Key updates cited by Knight include clarifying organizational complexity and departmental interfaces with the Departmental Operations Center, improving resource management and documentation of procurement actions taken during the storm, and maintaining a consistent "battle rhythm" within the emergency operations center to manage expectations and stabilize lifelines. Knight described a "pace model" that sets primary, alternate and tertiary plans so operations have contingencies beyond a single plan.
Knight also stressed continuity planning: identifying essential functions, minimum staffing expectations, lines of succession and integrating employee support (lodging, feeding) into plans so staff can sustain operations during extended incidents. He said recent trainings included an ICS-style 0305 class and finance staff training to improve documentation and cost capture during incidents.
Next steps include finalizing the continuity of operations plan, completing the training plan for FY26, exercising the plans next year and updating the elected officials guide with briefings and one-on-one training for council members. "Once the EOP and continuity plan are done, we'll be getting on your calendars as elected officials to update your guide as well as doing the one-on-one training," Knight said.
Council members thanked Knight and his team and noted interest in continued engagement and training. No formal committee action was taken on the EOP update during the meeting.
