Emergency Support Functions

ESF #1: Transportation

ESF Coordinator: Department of Transportation

Coordinates the support of management of transportation systems and infrastructure, the regulation of transportation, management of the Nation’s airspace, and ensuring the safety and security of the national transportation system. Functions include but are not limited to:

  • Transportation modes management and control;
  • Transportation safety;
  • Stabilization and reestablishment of transportation infrastructure;
  • Movement restrictions; and
  • Damage and impact assessment.

ESF #2: Communications

ESF Coordinator: DHS/National Communications System

Coordinates the reestablishment of the critical communications infrastructure, facilitates the stabilization of systems and applications from cyber attacks, and coordinates communications support to response efforts. Functions include but are not limited to:

  • Coordination with telecommunications and information technology industries;
  • Reestablishment and repair of telecommunications infrastructure
  • Protection, reestablishment, and sustainment of national cyber and information technology resources; and
  • Oversight of communications within the Federal response structures.

ESF #3: Public Works & Engineering

ESF Coordinator: Department of Defense/U.S. Army Corps of Engineers

Coordinates the capabilities and resources to facilitate the delivery of services, technical assistance, engineering expertise, construction management, and other support to prepare for, respond to, and/or recover from a disaster or an incident. Functions include but are not limited to:

  • Infrastructure protection and emergency repair;
  • Critical infrastructure reestablishment;
  • Engineering services and construction management; and
  • Emergency contracting support for lifesaving and life-sustaining services.

ESF #4: Firefighting

ESF Coordinator: Department of Agriculture/U.S. Forest Service and DHS/FEMA/U.S. Fire Administration

Coordinates the support for the detection and suppression of fires. Functions include but are not limited to supporting wildland, rural, and urban firefighting operations.

ESF #5: Information and Planning ESF

Coordinator: DHS/FEMA Supports and facilitates multiagency planning and coordination for operations involving incidents requiring Federal coordination. Functions include but are not limited to:

  • Incident action planning; and
  • Information collection, analysis, and dissemination.

ESF #6: Mass Care, Emergency Assistance, Temporary Housing, & Human Services

ESF Coordinator: DHS/FEMA Coordinates the delivery of mass care and emergency assistance, including:

  • Mass care;
  • Emergency assistance;
  • Disaster housing; and Human services

ESF #7: Logistics

ESF Coordinator: General Services Administration and DHS/FEMA

Coordinates comprehensive incident resource planning, management, and sustainment capability to meet the needs of disaster survivors and responders. Functions include but are not limited to:

  • Comprehensive, national incident logistics planning, management, and sustainment capability; and
  • Resource support (e.g., facility space, office equipment and supplies, contracting services).

ESF #8: Public Health & Medical Services ESF

Coordinator: Department of Health and Human Services

Coordinates the mechanisms for assistance in response to an actual or potential public health and medical disaster or incident. Functions include but are not limited to:

  • Medical surge support including patient movement;
  • Behavioral health services; and
  • Mass fatality management.

ESF #9: Search & Rescue ESF

Coordinator: DHS/FEMA

Coordinates the rapid deployment of search and rescue resources to provide specialized lifesaving assistance. Functions include but are not limited to:

  • Structural collapse (urban) search and rescue;
  • Maritime, coastal, and waterborne search and rescue; and
  • Land search and rescue.

ESF #10: Oil & Hazardous Materials Response

ESF Coordinator: Environmental Protection Agency

Coordinates support in response to an actual or potential discharge and/or release of oil or hazardous materials. Functions include but are not limited to:

  • Environmental assessment of the nature and extent of oil and hazardous materials contamination; and
  • Environmental decontamination and cleanup.

ESF #11: Agriculture & Natural Resources

ESF Coordinator: Department of Agriculture

Coordinates a variety of functions designed to protect the Nation’s food supply, respond to plant and animal pest and disease outbreaks, and protect natural and cultural resources. Functions include but are not limited to:

  • Nutrition assistance;
  • Animal and agricultural health issue response;
  • Technical expertise, coordination, and support of animal and agricultural emergency management;
  • Meat, poultry, and processed egg products safety and defense; and
  • Natural and cultural resources and historic properties protection.

ESF #12: Energy

ESF Coordinator: Department of Energy

Facilitates the reestablishment of damaged energy systems and components and provides technical expertise during an incident involving radiological/nuclear materials. Functions include but are not limited to:

  • Energy infrastructure assessment, repair, and reestablishment;
  • Energy industry utilities coordination; and
  • Energy forecast.

ESF #13: Public Safety & Security

ESF Coordinator: Department of Justice/Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives

Coordinates the integration of public safety and security capabilities and resources to support the full range of incident management activities. Functions include but are not limited to:

  • Facility and resource security;
  • Security planning and technical resource assistance;
  • Public safety and security support; and
  • Support to access, traffic, and crowd control.

ESF #14: Cross-Sector Business and Infrastructure

ESF Coordinator: DHS/CISA

Emergency Support Function (ESF) #14 provides support to infrastructure owners and operators, businesses, and their government partners to coordinate cross-sector operations. These are actions taken by businesses and infrastructure owners and operators in one sector to assist other sectors to stabilize key supply chains and community lifelines.

Businesses and infrastructure owners and operators have primary responsibility for managing their systems in emergencies, and unequalled expertise to do so. ESF #14 supports growing efforts to enable assistance between critical infrastructure sectors and helps coordinate and sequence such operations to mitigate cascading failures between them.

ESF #14 also integrates Sector-Specific Agency (SSA) incident response operations with ESFs and other relevant public-private sector coordinating entities. SSAs have critical roles, responsibilities, and authorities in partnering with infrastructure owners and operators in their respective sectors. ESF #14 supports SSAs, other ESFs, and their partners coordinate cross-sector planning and operations to facilitate business-led, government-supported incident response for integrated public and private response operations. To this end, government will enable—where possible—business and infrastructure owners and operators who have the authorities, capabilities, and resources to stabilize community lifelines.

ESF #15: External Affairs

ESF Coordinator: DHS

Coordinates the release of accurate, coordinated, timely, and accessible public information to affected audiences, including the government, media, NGOs, and the private sector. Works closely with State and local officials to ensure outreach to the whole community. Functions include, but are not limited to:

  • Public affairs and the Joint Information Center;
  • Intergovernmental (local, State, tribal, and territorial) affairs;
  • Congressional affairs;
  • Private sector outreach; and
  • Community relations.