After Action Summary Commanding Communications Exercise

ADMINISTRATIVE HANDLING INSTRUCTIONS

1.  The title of this document is The "Commanding Communications - A Hurricane Response Exercise - Brielle" After Action Summary.

2.  The information gathered in this document is classified as For Official Use Only (FOUO) and should be handled as sensitive information not to be disclosed. This document should be safeguarded, handled, transmitted, and stored in accordance with appropriate security directives.

3.  At a minimum, the attached materials will be disseminated only on a need-to-know basis and when unattended, will be stored in a locked container or area offering sufficient protection against theft, compromise, inadvertent access, and unauthorized disclosure.

4.  Points of Contact:
Municipal Emergency Management:
Mike Palmer
Brielle Borough Police Department
(Office) 732-528-5050
(E-Mail)
Exercise Director:
Chris Floyd
Disaster Resistant Communities Group LLC
(Office) 850-241-3565
(E-Mail)

CONTENTS

ADMINISTRATIVE HANDLING INSTRUCTIONS 2

CONTENTS 3

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 3

SECTION 1: EXERCISE OVERVIEW 4

Exercise Details 4

Participant Information 5

SECTION 2: EXERCISE SUMMARY 6

APPENDIX A: PARTICIPANT FEEDBACK (3 THUMBS UP – 3 THUMBS DOWN) 10

APPENDIX B: ACRONYMS 11

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

Commanding Communications - A Hurricane Response Exercise - Brielle was designed and facilitated to evaluate player actions against current response plans and capabilities for a hurricane response.

The purpose of this report is to analyze exercise results, identify strengths to be maintained and built upon, identify potential areas for further improvement, and support development of corrective actions.

SECTION 1: EXERCISE OVERVIEW

Exercise Details

Exercise Name: / Commanding Communications - A Hurricane Response Exercise - Brielle
Type of Exercise: / Tabletop
Exercise Start Date: / July 19, 2012
Duration: / Three Hours
Location: / Brielle Borough First Aid Building
Sponsor: / Brielle Borough Police Department
Program: To provide an opportunity for members of the Brielle Borough Incident Management Team to collaborate during hurricane response activities.
Purpose: The purpose of this exercise was to evaluate player actions against current response plans and capabilities for a hurricane response.
Mission: To exercise communications procedures and protocols within Brielle Borough to include:
·  Activation and notifications.
·  Collaborative operational planning in the pre-event stage (72 hours before landfall).
·  Collaborative operational planning in the response stage (72 hours after landfall).
Scenario Type: Hurricane

Participant Information

Participant / Agency / Organization
Brielle Borough Mayor
Brielle Borough Police Department
Brielle Borough Fire Department
Brielle Borough EMS
Brielle Borough Public Works Department
Monmouth County Office of Emergency Management
Number of Participants / 12

SECTION 2: EXERCISE SUMMARY

Based on the discussion’s that took place and the submissions into the ONX System, the following considerations were also observed:

1.  Use of Incident Command System (ICS).

·  The participants were aware of ICS through training.

·  ICS (including ICS forms) is not used on a day-to-day basis for managing smaller events.

·  ICS implementation is not capability based – each department knows their role, executes it and manages their own resources.

·  The Mayor is the OEM Coordinator. (Review Mayor’s identified role in ICS Structure in Brielle’s Emergency Operation Plan).

Improvement Action Items:

·  Develop an ICS Structure / Incident Management Team that is “3 Deep” for all necessary positions, including Command and General Staff.

·  All Incident Management Team members should take ICS 300, 400 and position specific training.

·  Mayor should take ICS-402 ICS for Executives.

·  ICS should be utilized for all incident responses, including day-to-day operations to build camaraderie of operations, planning and resource management (logistics, administration, mobilization / demobilization, etc.) among all departments.

2.  Hurricane Annex and Incident Action Plan (IAP) development.

·  During Hurricane Irene, an IAP was developed. (Need to review whether the IAP addressed all capabilities.)

·  ICS planning in Brielle is not capability based – each department knows their role, plans and manages their own resources mobilization and demobilization.

Improvement Action Items:

·  The Incident Management Team (IMT) should take training together on Capability Based Planning and IAP development and ICS forms.

·  Develop pre-scripted IAPs for mobilization of resources for an initial response to large scale events such as hurricanes, chemical spills, etc., as well as for the short-term and long-term recovery phases of such events.

3.  Use of Finance / Administration Section Chief.

·  Town Administrator is identified in the Emergency Operations Plan (EOP) as the Finance / Administration Section Chief. This individual did not participate in the exercise.

·  Exercise participants understood the need to track all employee time and expenditures from beginning of incident response.

Improvement Action Items:

·  Include all Command and General Staff in training and exercises.

·  Develop processes for consolidation of reporting and tracking of resources into traditional ICS structure during response and recovery phases.

·  Ensure activation of Finance / Administration Section is included in EOP in early phase of response, particularly where there has been a Presidential declaration or one is anticipated.

4.  Inclusion of Community and Faith Based Organizations.

·  Municipality has volunteer force of approximately 80 members between Volunteer Fire Department (VFD) and Emergency Medical Services (EMS).

·  Municipality had a Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) but it has fallen by the wayside due to typical reasons (keeping volunteers engaged, members had multiple volunteer affiliations, etc.).

·  Municipality has good relationship with American Red Cross which has provided shelter and feeding support in the past during localized events.

·  Outside of VFD and EMS, no other community or faith based organizations were present at exercise

Improvement Action Items:

·  Identify Community and Faith Based Organizations that can support responses in within Brielle, such as the American Red Cross, Salvation Army, United Way, 2-1-1, Catholic Charities, etc. and invite them to participate in planning and preparedness activities, including exercises.

·  Re-engage CERT concept and provide opportunities to cross-train with other agencies such as the American Red Cross.

·  Include a Liaison Officer assigned to Community and Faith Based Organizations as part of the IMT.

·  Provide support / space for Community and Faith Based Organizations within the Brielle EOC when activated.

·  Include Community and Faith Based Organizations along with their Points of Contact in Brielle EOP.

5.  Private Sector.

·  Private Sector was not represented at exercise.

·  Municipality has several large Private Sector entities that could be significantly impacted during a response such as a hurricane (Golf Course).

Improvement Action Items:

·  Identify Private Sector partners in or near Brielle that could suffer a severe economic impact from a disaster or can support responses within the borough, such as utilities, restaurants, medical providers, veterinarians and others and invite them to participate in planning and preparedness activities, including exercises.

·  Include a Liaison Officer assigned to the Private Sector as part of the IMT.

·  Provide support / space for the Private Sector within the Brielle EOC when activated.

·  Include the Private Sector along with their Points of Contact in Brielle EOP.

6.  Communication and Coordination with Monmouth County and Neighboring Communities.

·  Brielle did not have a mechanism for coordinating messaging with neighboring communities.

·  Brielle relies on the Monmouth County OEM for receiving situational awareness information.

·  Brielle relies on Monmouth County Dispatch and OEM coordination calls for resource sharing / management for incidents.

·  Brielle relies on Monmouth County for guidance on when to issue an evacuation order.

Improvement Action Items:

·  Work with neighboring municipalities to ensure preparedness, response and recovery messages are coordinated and consistent in absence of a countywide Joint Information System (JIS) or Joint Information Center (JIC).

·  When the Monmouth County JIS / JIC is stood up, ensure Brielle Public Information Officer (PIO) is included in message coordination system.

·  Consider mutual aid agreements for sharing of resources with neighboring communities outside of county coordination to aid in movement of resources before and after county coordination occurs. Resources to be shared can be outside of first responder resources.

·  Ensure the Brielle EOP has identified evacuation capability and triggers to provide for safety of community outside of a county state of emergency. Develop a Tabletop Exercise around Evacuation Triggers (All Hazards); Notification of Community and Resources; and, Activation and Mobilization of Resources.

·  Work with County OEM Planning Section to ensure Brielle Planning Section is in sync with planning timeline.

7.  Evacuation and Sheltering.

·  Brielle has experience opening small shelters for residents of Brielle with support from the American Red Cross or independently as necessary.

·  While Brielle has a solid volunteer base, providing even a small shelter requires significant resources to provide 24 hour coverage, feeding, security and medical support.

·  Monmouth County OEM is developing a sheltering plan to provide for sheltering services at county facilities for larger events. This strategy will relieve the burden on municipalities and partner organization and allow those resources to be dedicated to other purposes.

·  During a coastal storm event, there will be needs for both evacuation sheltering and post impact sheltering.

·  Brielle has some capacity to provide transportation during evacuations for people with disabilities and other functional and access needs, primarily through their EMS ambulances.

·  Brielle has a list of residents requiring assistance during evacuation.

Improvement Action Items:

·  Work with Monmouth County OEM and neighboring municipalities to ensure transportation and reception plans are in place to receive, track and transport Brielle residents needing shelter, including those with functional and access needs, in order to provide a safe haven for them and their pets prior to the storm and post-impact as necessary.

·  Brielle should conduct an analysis (possibly through an exercise) to determine the length of time it would take to evacuate residents needing assistance based on their current allocation of resources. This analysis will help determine necessary timelines for evacuation, whether current resources are appropriate or adequate to support the needs, whether additional resources would be needed, and where those resources could come from.

APPENDIX A: PARTICIPANT FEEDBACK(3 THUMBS UP – 3 THUMBS DOWN)

Thumbs Up
“Everyone” was represented, including department heads and frontline officers. County OEM was present.
Based on the realism of the scenario presented, the participants realized what challenges would be faced should a Category 2 Hurricane impact the state. Additionally, the participants were able to discuss and learn from past experiences, including winter storms and 2011’s Hurricane Irene.
The group engaged in open discussions on the roles and responsibilities that would be needed to respond to a large event.
Thumbs Down
Need a Hurricane Annex to the municipality’s Emergency Operations Plan.
Need a better implementation plan of ICS, including use of IAPs for Recovery and use of staging areas and base camps to better support resources.
Need a Communications plan that includes use of Social Media.

APPENDIX B: ACRONYMS

Acronym / Meaning
COMM / Communications
CERT / Community Emergency Response Team
CONOPS / Concept of Operations
EMS / Emergency Medical Services
EOC / Emergency Operations Center
EOP / Emergency Operations Plan
ESF / Emergency Support Function
IAP / Incident Action Plan
IC / Incident Command
ICS / Incident Command System
IMT / Incident Management Team
JIC / Joint Information Center
JIS / Joint Information System
MOA / Memorandum of Agreement
MOU / Memorandum of Understanding
NIMS / National Incident Management System
OPS / Operations
PIO / Public Information Officer
SitRep / Situation Report
SOG / Standard Operating Guideline
SOP / Standard Operating Procedure
UC / Unified Command
VFD / Volunteer Fire Department

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