Urban Area Security Initiative (UASI) Tri-County &
Omaha Metropolitan Medical Response System (OMMRS)
Plume Notification Tabletop Exercise
After Action Report
Executive Summary
The UASI & OMMRS Plume Notification Exercise was developed by the Douglas County Health Department Emergency Response Coordinator with assistance from the Omaha Fire Department Special Operations Captain, Omaha Fire EMS Paramedic Shift Supervisor, Union Pacific Railroad Hazardous Materials Safety Manager and the Center for Toxicology and Environmental Health (CTEH) Chemical and Environmental Engineering Manager. The exercise was intended to provide an opportunity for participants to evaluate current response concepts, plans, and capabilities for response to a chemical tank car derailment in the Tri-County UASI and OMMRS area. The result was a 3-hour tabletop exercise conducted on September 18, 2007 and consisting of three separate modules covering incident response and notification, plume modeling, and recovery/clean-up operations. Federal Signal Codespear sent an alert to designated attendees and initiated a chat session during the first module to showcase some of its basic functionality. The plume modeling, or hazard analysis and risk assessment, module included demonstrations of two atmospheric dispersion modeling systems. Omaha Fire Department demonstrated plume mapping using Computer Aided Management of Emergency Operations (CAMEO). CTEH demonstrated plume mapping using SAFER STAR (SAFER). These demonstrations afforded participants an opportunity to learn about the systems and observe how they are used to make hazard assessments and predictions. The last module focused on restoration of community functions following incident mitigation. Financial support for the exercise was provided through UASI funding. 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 that will further preparedness of agencies and organizations in the Tri-County UASI and OMMRS areas to respond to an incident, perform a hazard assessment, promptly notify the public and implement needed public protective action measures.
Major Strength
The major strength identified during this exercise was the recognition by all agencies of the importance of communication and incident notification. Communication is vital during a disaster. Initial phases of an emergency situation are oftentimes characterized by confusion. Effective communication and information sharing between emergency response and response support personnel and public and private partner agencies is critical to ensuring a prompt and coordinated response. Several exercise participants recommended more emphasis on interdisciplinary communication.
Primary Areas for Improvement
Several opportunities for improvement were identified during the exercise. These can be broken down into the following four categories:
1. Communication to the Public – this involves how communication is disseminated to the public and by whom. Many participants were unclear about the mechanism(s) or plans currently in place or needed for doing this. They felt there wasn’t clear guidance about who is responsible to send information to the public and who exactly is the Joint Information Center Public Information Officer. Specifically, they all recognized the need for a formal public notification process and for the coordination of the information that is disseminated to the public.
2. Communication to Special Populations – this includes identifying affected special needs populations as well as how/who to communicate with them. Exercise participants unanimously identified that more attention needs to be given to address this area.
3. Communication to Hospitals – this includes initial notification of hospitals in an event to facilitate their preparation of a large influx of patients. Hospital participants requested verification in agency instructions or operating procedures about when hospitals will be notified of area emergencies.
4. Notification & Warning Systems – this includes adequacy of existing systems for alerting the public in an emergency, procedures for how they are used and implemented, and use of smart messaging systems for mass notification. In general, exercise participant recognized the need for pre-emergency public education/information about sirens and warning systems, public protective actions and family emergency plans. They also recognized the need for communications and warning systems to take into account demographics and special needs populations.
Overall, the exercise provided a unique opportunity for participants to evaluate local emergency responder notification and communication; coordination and decision making in determining and implementing public protective action measures; area capability to issue emergency instructions to the public; and performing hazard assessments using different plume modeling tools. Exchange of information and knowledge of agency roles, responsibilities and resources from within as well as outside the Tri-County UASI and OMMRS area was extremely helpful and beneficial. The exercise underscored the importance of formalizing plans, procedures and policies for coordinating, managing, and disseminating public information and warnings. The exercise also recognized the need for communications and warning systems to take into account demographics, special needs/disabilities and special populations. By refining its ability to disseminate accurate, consistent, timely and easy-to-understand information about emergency response and recovery operations, a jurisdiction can maximize public health and safety during and after an emergency.
Chapter 1: Exercise Overview
Agency/Jurisdiction: Tri-County UASI & OMMRS Areas
Exercise Name: Chemical Plume Notification Tabletop Exercise
Type of Exercise: Tabletop
Duration: 3 Hours
Exercise Date: September 18, 2007
Sponsor: Tri-County UASI & OMMRS Area
Funding Source: UASI Grant Funding
Focus: Response
Classification: For Official Use Only
Scenario: Chemical Release of Anhydrous Ammonia from Train Derailment
Location: Bellevue Fire Department Fire Training Site, Bellevue, Nebraska
Participating Organizations:
Alegent Health Immanuel Medical Center Nebraska Department of Environmental Quality
Bellevue Fire Department Nebraska Emergency Management Agency
Blair Police Department Nebraska Methodist Hospital
Boys Town Fire Department Nebraska State Patrol
Center for Toxicology and Environmental Health Offutt Air Force Base Fire Department
Children’s Hospital Omaha Airport Authority
City of Omaha Mayor’s Office Omaha Fire Department
72nd Civil Support Team Omaha Police Department
Council Bluff’s Fire Department Omaha Public Works
Douglas County Chief Administrative Officer OMMRS Media-Public Relations Committee Chair
Douglas County 911 Communications Papillion Fire Department
Douglas County Emergency Management Agency Pottawattamie County LEPC
Douglas County Engineer Ralston Police Department
Douglas County Health Center Salvation Army
Douglas County Health Department Sarpy County Emergency Management Agency
Douglas County Sheriff Sarpy County Sheriff
Douglas County Road Maintenance Sarpy/Cass Department of Health & Wellness
Douglas-Omaha Technology Commission Saunders County Emergency Management Agency
Heartland Chapter of the American Red Cross The Nebraska Medical Center
LaVista Fire Department Union Pacific Railroad
LaVista Police Department VA Nebraska/Western Iowa Healthcare System
Number of DCHD Participants:
· Participants – 61
· Recorder – 1
· Facilitators - 5
· Observers – 8
Exercise Overview: The exercise consisted of three modules of table group discussion, each followed by report-outs on discussion questions captured by the recorder and are presented here. Each module began with a situation briefing or update. Following each module briefing, players, who had been organized into four (4) groups, discussed key issues within their groups. The groups consisted of multi-jurisdictional, multi-agency representatives. The objective was to intermix agencies in order to facilitate good cross-discussion, but because there was no assigned seating, interdisciplinary table groupings were not always assured. At the conclusion of each caucus period, a group spokesperson presented a synopsis of the group’s discussion, issues and recommendations. In addition to the table group discussions, participants were treated to a demonstration of Codespear and two different atmospheric dispersion modeling systems. At the end of the exercise, a closing summary was provided and participants completed an exercise evaluation.
Exercise Evaluation: Participants and observers were given an exercise evaluation form to complete and turn in at the end of the exercise. The evaluation form asked participants to identify three (3) top issues or areas for improvement based on their table group discussions. Participants were also asked to recommend steps to address the issues they identified. The evaluation report included participant assessment of the exercise design and conduct and recommendations for improving or enhancing this or future exercises. Members of the exercise design team met informally to review the evaluations and recorder summaries. Each agreed that smaller table groups would have enhanced discussion and improved agency participation, and that more time was needed to review and discuss the module review questions.
Chapter 2: Exercise Goals and Objectives
Exercise Objective: The exercise design team developed six (6) goals during exercise design and planning and one or several objectives for each goal. The exercise design objectives were focused on improving an understanding of response operations, identifying opportunities or problems, and/or achieving a change in attitude. The purpose of the exercise was to focus on key local emergency responder communication and decision-making to develop, coordinate and disseminate alerts and emergency information to the public and to activate warning systems to notify those at-risk in order to save lives and protect public health following the derailment of an Anhydrous Ammonia railcar. The six goals and associated objectives are as follows:
· Incident Command
- Evaluate Incident Command System implementation and effective transition to Unified Command
· Initial Responder/Agency Notifications and Communications
- Demonstrate the capability to notify emergency response and response support agencies/personnel
- Test and demonstrate Codespear system for responder notification and chat session
- Determine capability for interoperable communication between agencies and two states
· Decision-Making
- Develop, coordinate and disseminate protective action decisions
· Public Information and Warning
- Activate plans, procedures and policies for coordinating, managing and disseminating public information and warnings
- Implement communication and warning systems that take into account general public and special populations
- Assess existing communication and warning system capabilities
· Public Information/Media
- Disseminate accurate and timely protective action messages to the public
- Disseminate prompt, accurate information to the public in languages and formats that take into account demographics and special needs/disabilities
- Coordinate external information programs for dissemination of information to the media
- Determine adequacy of local plans for coordination and release of information to the media
- Determine information flow for involvement of State and Federal agencies
· Hazard Assessment
- Examine and demonstrate atmospheric dispersion modeling systems available to responders to make hazard assessments and predictions
- Compare and contrast CAMEO and SAFER Modeling tools
Chapter 3: Exercise Events Synopsis
The exercise was organized into three (3) modules, each representing a different phase in response operations (initial response and notification, hazard analysis and risk assessment, and recovery and clean-up operations). Participants self-selected into work groups based on their choice of seats; therefore a variety of agencies was represented at each table. Highlights of each module are as follows:
Module 1: Incident Response and Notification
· Overview of railroad operations
· Presentation of chemical railcar derailment scenario
· Focus on initial calls to 911 and initial responders dispatched to the scene
Discussion questions at this phase focused on internal and external agency communications and notifications immediately following the first calls by the public and train crew to 911. First responders dispatched to the scene must execute immediate incident priorities including incident stabilization, life safety, and protection of property and the environment. In addition, first responders must do an incident size-up and determine how best to direct and control protection of the at-risk population.
Module 2: Hazard Analysis and Risk Assessment
· First responders recognize the need for and request additional resources at the scene
· Communications and notification are expanded from initial response
· Incident Command transitions to Unified Command
· Increasing number of calls from public are made to 911 from schools, nearby businesses, neighborhood residents, and managers of an area nursing home
· Symptomatic victims self-present to area hospitals
· Nebraska State Patrol closes down both east and westbound Interstate lanes
· Incident Commander requests HAZMAT to do plume mapping to provide estimate of chemical concentrations in affected areas
· The Incident Commander determines protective action decisions and activates plans, procedures and policies for coordination, managing and disseminating public information and warnings
Discussion questions at this phase focused on the use of plume modeling to make a hazard assessment and predictions. Critical to this part of the response operation is scene isolation and containment, defining the hazard area, coordinating protective actions for the general public and special populations, activating communication and warning systems, and coordinating and disseminating accurate, consistent, timely and easy-to-understand public emergency information.
Module 3: Recovery and Clean-Up
· Dissemination of “all clear” notification to the public
· Specialty team resources provide technical expertise, area monitoring, and site remediation
· Information delivery systems continue to provide updated information to the media and public about emergency response and recovery processes
Discussion questions at this phase focused on the flexibility of policies and resource practices that will enable responders to continue operating through the late stages of incident mitigation. Once the incident has been mitigated, the next series of actions include recovery processes and restoration of systems. This includes demobilization of emergency public information and warning, re-occupancy of affected areas, and environmental remediation as needed.
Chapter 4: Analysis of Mission Outcomes
The public expects to receive prompt, useful and reliable information regarding threats to their health, safety, and property through clear, consistent information delivery systems. The Media expects government agencies and public and private sectors to transmit coordinated, prompt, useful and reliable information to keep the public fully informed, prevent panic, and respond appropriately to the event. By receiving accurate, consistent, timely and easy-to-understand information about emergency response and recovery processes, a jurisdiction can contribute to the well-being of the community during and after an emergency.
Looking across sectors, results of this exercise suggest that most agencies and organizations are unclear about who and how information is communicated to the public. All agreed there should be plans, procedures and policies for coordinating, managing, and disseminating public information and warnings. There was strong consensus to formalize a notification process and establish procedures and protocols to expand notification from initial incident response. Adding to the complexity of public notification and dissemination of emergency public information is how to identify and communicate to special needs populations in affected areas. Information delivery systems should take into account demographics and special needs/disabilities. All recognized the need for increased public awareness and education about siren and warning systems and protective action measures. Exercise participants also recognized the need for regional evacuation planning and development of an evacuation plan. Finally responders should become better familiarized with area resources including industry responders and should look for training opportunities to promote pre-incident team building and facilitate communication.