Joint Information System
Within Adams County, the Joint Information System (JIS) and Joint Information Center (JIC) are both housed within the Communications Department. The Joint Information System is the professional network of PIOs and other communication professionals within Adams County, elected official offices, municipalities, and special function districts. Collectivelely these individuals meet, strategize, and coordinate on information sharing. In alignment with NIMS guidance, the Adams County JIS is the multi-agency professional network of communications personnel that routinely meet and collectively establish the methods, processes, messages that are all apart of crisis communications. By working in conjunction with the Adams County EOC, the Adams County JIS develops, verifies, and disseminates critical information to our partners, residents, and the general public in times of disaster.
The Adams County Joint Information Center (JIC) is the facility where JIS operations occur. For the majority of disaster incidents, the JIC is housed at the Adams County Government Center. Depending on the needs of the incident, the JIC can be activated to various levels and can be completely in-person, hybrid, or completely virtual. Regardless of the level of activation or location of the JIC, its fundamental purpose remains the same. The JIC may have field components with on-site PIOs and may arrange for press and media briefings depending on the needs of the incident and the needs of county leadership.
The Adams County JIS and JIC are multi-agency and multi-disciplinary in their nature and are flexible to appropriately scale up or down depending on incident severity. The Adams County JIS can also easily integrate with our state and federal partners if needed and the Adams County JIS/JIC can easily integrate with the DHSEM Strategic Communications team if needed.