CIM PROCEDURE

• Write everything down. Do not try to remember!

• Ask the caller to speak slowly so that you can take proper notes. Tell them that you will be going through a short list of questions to make sure all the key info is captured.

• Ask these questions (5Ws):

  • Who exactly is involved (both IFRC staff and others)? Get full names and spelling if needed.

  • What happened? What actions have you taken? What are the extent of the injuries?

  • Where did it happen?

  • When did it happen? When was the exact time of the incident, and what time did the caller know about the incident?

  • Why did it happen? This might not be known, but it does not hurt to ask.

• Agree on a time to speak again (preferably within next 30 min) and tell them to keep their phone ON (ringer/alerts on).

• Determine if anyone is at immediate risk. If needed, take action to protect life, prevent further harm and get assistance to the injured.

• Gather (just) enough information to assess the scope of the problem (What do I know / What do you need to know / What has been done / What do I need to do)

• Decide whether to activate the CIMT. If in doubt, always activate the CIMT.

• Organize your notes (from step 1 and 2) before making the call.

• Call your Senior Manager (e.g. your Head of Delegation)

  • Brief them on the incident details (who, what, where, when…)

  • Tell them that you will contact the Global Security Unit next.

• Call the Global Security Unit in Geneva (for IFRC operations). After your call, the Global Security Unit will contact Country and Regional Management to determine if additional CIMTs (at the Regional and HQ level) are required to support the response.

• Alert the CIMT members (who should be listed in your CIM plan) and tell them to be on standby for CIMT meeting. Ask them to confirm that they received the message.

• Start a log to record new information and actions/decisions taken.

• Prepare the CIM meeting room (if applicable)

Taking a few minutes to prepare is important because the CIMT meetings must be well organized, short, and highly productive - right from the start.

• Prepare to brief the team on the incident.

• Review the CIM meeting agenda.

• Determine which roles are needed and who will cover each role (referring to your CIM plan). Some members may need to be assigned dual roles until more resources arrive.

• Determine the CIMT’s primary objectives. Normally the objective of the first meeting is to identify actions that will help clarify the situation, prevent further harm, and mobilize assistance to affected staff.

The person chairing the CIM meeting should use the CIM meeting agenda and ensure that each member speaks in turn.

The CIM meeting agenda steps are:

1. Initial Instructions (agenda and meeting rules)

2. Situation Update (what do we know so far?)

3. Action Update (what have we done so far?)

4. Next Actions (what should we do next?)

5. Decision and Tasking (members are assigned tasks)

6. Final Instructions (reminders and time of next meeting)

See the CIM meeting agenda for details on what to do at each step.

• Brief Up: After each meeting, the TL (or designated person) should brief management (GSU, Upper Management etc).

• Brief Across: CIMT members should brief their teams on the updated situation and on their new assigned tasks.

• Communicate Internally: After each meeting, new internal communication messages should be drafted and issued (after review by TL and relevant managers).

• Communicate Externally: After each meeting, new external communication messages should be drafted and issued (after review by TL and relevant managers).