bucks county ares – lower bucks american red cross exercise an integrated training exercise –...
TRANSCRIPT
Bucks County ARES – Lower Bucks American Red Cross Exercise
An Integrated Training Exercise – March 12-16, 2006
Exercise Purpose
To provide supplemental communications to the Lower Bucks American Red Cross during a flood event in the Yardley area during NWS Severe Weather Exercise Week March 12 – 16, 2006. To also be able to pass weather relay weather and flooding conditions observed to SKYWARN Net control.
Exercise ObjectivesEstablish operations during NWS Severe Weather Exercise WeekTest Bucks ARES notification and activation procedures.Coordinate and assist Lower Bucks Red Cross with multi-operational and multi-agency communications.Establish communications at multiple sites within 2 hours. Demonstrate BCARES interoperability with multiple served agencies: working with Lower Bucks Red Cross, County Emergency Management; Township Emergency Management, NWS/SKYWARN and Local Hospitals as well as “out of county” emergency and public agencies.Demonstrate GPS tracking (APRS) and text messaging as a disaster assessment tool.Test the LB Red Cross UHF commercial radio equipment.Formally evaluate and assess the exercise.
IS-139 Exercise Design Considerations
Controller – Bucks EOC - Net Control StationSimulator – TBD or as planned in this presentationEvaluators – Harris Stein-E.C., BCARES Jason Bauer, Harford Drexler, Bob Nice -
BCARES Section A.E.C.’s Red Cross Liaison – Keller Taylor Training Coordinator – Chris McCormick
NarrativeSevere weather affecting the entire area.Flooding along the Delaware River.Yardley and surrounding area significantly impacted.
Lower Bucks Red Cross responding to flooding in the Yardley area with resources for community care, mass
sheltering and victim information gathering.
LBARC information post set-up at Yardley Community Center
Yardley Fire House EOC on-site emergency
operations center and staging area.
LBARC shelter set-up at Pennwood Middle School
for providing help and mass care for those victims
displaced.
Falls Township EOC on standby with additional emergency resources.
Hospital X on standby for victim injuries, trauma,
mass careand medical support.
Bucks County EMA in Ivyland has been activated
to support Township operations and pooling,
preparing additional inventoried resources for eventual deployment if
requested.
Exercise General Layout
Detailed Map - East
Detailed Map - West
LB ARC UHF Communications General Map
LB ARC UHF Communications Detailed Map
Operations – BCARES Call Out – 147.090 Repeater
1 – Net Control Station Operator2 – Operators needed at Lower Bucks ARC 1 – Operator to Yardley Community Center1 – Operator to Yardley Fire House/Local EOC1 - Operator to Falls Township EOC1 – Operator to Hospital “X” – Em. Room Area1 – Operator to Shelter Operation1 – Operator to Bucks Co. EOC - Ivyland1 – Operator-Damage Assessment (APRS/GPS)1 – Operator-Relay Station/Cross Band MobileAdditional assignments to be determined with additional manpower volunteer resources.
Operations – Lower Bucks ARC HQ
Provide communications between Red Cross HQ and Red Cross field sitesEstablish communications between Red Cross HQ and Bucks EMA, Ivyland.Test additional communication modes including voice and digital.
Operations – Yardley Establish a Cross-Band repeater at Pennwood Middle School Red Cross Shelter UHF Side for Downtown Yardley Tactical Locations
Yardley Community Center Yardley – Makefield Firehouse EOC
VHF Side for Repeater 147.090 Communications Attempt VHF side with Simplex Communications
with Lower Bucks Red Cross HQ
Utilize APRS/GPS Mobile to simulate disaster assessment team.
Yardley Cross-Band Repeater
Yardley Community Center UHF
Pennwood MS Red Cross Shelter UHF/VHF
RepeaterAlt. Simplex
Yardley – Makefield FD/EOC UHF
Lower Bucks Red Cross HQ
Levittown
Bucks County EOCIvyland
147.090 Repeater
Falls Twp EOC Fairless Hills
Repeater and Alt Simplex Relay
Alt. Simplex Relay
Alt. Simplex Direct
Priority Channel
Damage Assessment APRS/GPS Mobile UHF
Priority Channel
Hospital “X”
LB Red Cross UHF Test
Yardley Community Center LB ARC UHF
Fairless Hills UHF Commercial Repeater
Site
Yardley – Makefield FD/EOC LB ARC UHF
Lower Bucks Red Cross HQ
Levittown
Damage Assessment APRS/GPS Mobile LB
ARC UHF
Pennwood MS Red Cross Shelter LB ARC
UHF
APRS/GPS Damage Assessment
VHF Radio
Data Interface
Ham Compute
r
VHF Radio
Data Interface
Mobile DA Team
LB ARC HQ
VHF Radio
Data Interface
APRS DIGI
Graphics by - Loring Kutchins W3QA EPA Asst SEC, Digital
ARES Digital Network Management Team
Operations – Yardley FD EOC
Provide communications between the Yardley FD EOC and the Community Center (LB ARC Information Center)Provide a means of communications between the Yardley EOC and Bucks County EOCUtilize and test the LB ARC Commercial UHF equipment
Operations – Yardley Community Center
Provide communications between the Community Center (LB ARC Information Center) and LB ARC HQProvide communications between the Community Center and Yardley EOCUtilize and test the LB ARC Commercial UHF equipment
Operations – Pennwood MS Shelter
Provide cross-band capabilities between UHF (Yardley tactical locations) and VHF 147.090Be prepared to provide and effectively operate cross-band capabilities between UHF (Yardley tactical locations) and VHF Simplex Utilize Falls Township EOC for Relay on Simplex if
necessary.
Utilize and test the LB ARC Commercial UHF equipment
Operations – Falls Twp EOC
Standby for Falls Twp EMA activation due to floodingBe prepared for Simplex Relay for Yardley locations
Operations – LB Red Cross HQ
Be prepared for Simplex Relay for Yardley locationsProvide administration communications to Bucks EOCUtilize and test the LB ARC Commercial UHF equipment
Operations – Hospital “X”
Standby for any health and welfare traffic from affected area.Establish communications links between Hospital X, Emergency Management Agencies and Red Cross.
Operations – Bucks Co. EOC
Establish communications links and monitor events in Lower Bucks CountyPass information and data from Crisis Area to County EOC OfficialsMobilize additional ARES resources for possible deployment and relief. Establish tactical ARES Net – Frequency TBD Establish Digital Operations (Winlink/APRS)
Operations – APRS/GPS Damage Assessment
MobileProvide location information utilizing APRS/GPS technologyHave available voice communications to operate on Yardley tactical UHF to cross-band repeat & County net on 147.090 when requiredUtilize and test the LB ARC Commercial UHF equipment
Evaluation
The Evaluator will: Determine if each objective has been
accomplished Determine how effective each objective was
accomplished Prepare formal report
Highlight successes and suggest improvements Review with BCARES EPG and LB ARC
Present report findings at Red Cross Disaster Services Monthly Leadership Meeting
Present report findings at BCARES General Meeting