Illinois Emergency Operations Plan

The Illinois Emergency Management Agency and Office of Homeland Security (IEMA-OHS) is assigned the responsibility for coordination of the overall emergency management program for the state of Illinois. 

The Illinois Emergency Operations Plan (IEOP) establishes the structure by which Illinois state government coordinates and manages response and recovery to emergencies and disasters. The IEOP provides policies, procedures and guidelines to ensure safe, efficient and timely actions to assist communities in need and incorporates supportive plans for response, recovery, continuity of operations and continuity of government. 

The IEOP is developed in cooperation with the Office of the Governor, executive departments and agencies, the Illinois Terrorism Task Force (ITTF), non-governmental, mutual aid, private sector and volunteer organizations – a whole community approach. The IEOP, in its written form, serves to document the anticipated response and recovery efforts of the state to protect public health and safety, critical infrastructure and the environment.

The IEOP describes the Illinois Disaster Management System (IDMS) utilized by the state, which conforms to the National Incident Management System (NIMS). IDMS is used by all state government agencies when the IEOP is implemented for response or recovery operations in any part of the state affected by an emergency or disaster. The IEOP and IDMS identify and assign specific areas of responsibility for performing functions in response and recovery to an emergency or disaster.

The value of the IEOP is the planning process undertaken by the emergency management professionals in all state agencies and other organizations working together to develop and integrate detailed strategies, participate in training on plan implementation and exercise the plans through simulated conditions. 

Review and updates to the IEOP occurs within a two-year planning cycle facilitated by the IEMA-OHS Inter-Agency Strategic Planning Cell (ISPC) ensuring consistency with current guidance, regulations and industry practices. 

A continuous effort is required to enhance and maintain the IEOP based on lessons learned from exercises, real world events and model practices identified nationally and internationally. As part of this ongoing preparedness effort, IEMA-OHS will incorporate and integrate enhancements due to new technology, updated methods of response and recovery, or additional capabilities as necessary to ensure the IEOP is accurate and valid. Updates to the IEOP will be provided on the IEMA-OHS website when approved and signed by IEMA-OHS Director or designee.

20 ILCS 3305 Illinois Emergency Management Agency Act assigns IEMA-OHS the responsibility for coordination of the overall emergency management program of the State and with private organizations, political subdivisions and the federal government.