Functional Tabletop and Worst Case Drills in 2014

Commander Katie BlanchardSector Puget Sound

&Elin Storey

Ecology Spills Program Drill Coordinator

Washington Drills in 2014• 114 drills were conducted for Ecology

credit– 57 Deployment drills (DPX)– 22 GRP deployment drills – 12 Functional Tabletop drills (TTX)-– 9 Combined functional tabletop and

deployment drills– 11 worst case scenario functional

tabletop drills (WCD)– 3 Government Initiated Unannounced

Exercises (GIUE)- USCG and EPA led

Ecology Evaluation and Self- Certification

• 84 drills evaluated by Ecology– 44 DPX– 20 GRP DPX– 2 GIUE– 5 Combined TTX-DPX– 4 TTX– 9 WCD

• 30 drills self- certified– 13 DPX– 2 GRP DPX– 1GIUE– 4 Combined TTX-

DPX– 2 out of state WCD– 8 TTX

Oregon 2014-2015 Drill Summary

2014 2015 (Projected)

Worst Case Drills 7 9

Tabletop Drills 5 9

Deployment Drills ( DEQ Observed) 11 10

Deployment Drills (Not Observed) 17 ?

GUIE’s 1 2-3

Credit Accepted from WA, CA, AK 3 3

Other Drills (railroad focused, etc.) 2 1 (completed)

Why track and report lessons learned?

• To share knowledge to improve, performance, efficiency and organizational learning throughout the entire response community

• Even the most successful drills have lessons from which we can learn

• Whether you're in Unified Command creating the objectives that drive the response or staff in a unit filling orders, there will be lessons you can learn

• An effective spill management team will analyze the lessons learned from drills and spills and apply them to future training, plans, drills and spills

The Washington State Response Community

IS:• Well prepared for drills and spills• Trained on equipment and ICS• Committed to the Federal and

State drill program• Capable of managing spills and

drills

The Oregon State Response Community

IS:• Generally prepared to work within

Incident Command System. • Dealing well with new scenarios

in their AOR.• Aware that New Petroleum

Products in the region can greatly affect tactics.

Lessons Learned from TTX and WCD

WA Lessons Learned Focus Areas

• Drill planning and design • Staffing and Training• Command Posts• ICS Process, Forms and Displays

OR Lessons Learned Focus Areas

• Continued focus on ICS• Enhanced discussions on new

Petroleum and the affect they have on tactics.

• Ensuring exercises employ and utilize the NWACP

• Effectively managing expectations and planning for Booming Strategies

Ad Hoc Strategies some worked, some didn't.

Revised strategy

New robust ad-hoc strategies with skimming components

Ecology Drill Focus Areas for 2015

• Outreach for local and community education• Tribal Involvement in Environmental Unit and

TOSC• Activation of Ecology situation room• Complete SOSC position task books for 2 staff• Complete Environmental Unit Leaders

position task books for 2 staff• Ecology Information Officer path back to

Functional Tabletops• Participate in the MTSRU and Salvage • Participate in Truth or the Simulation Cell

DEQ Focused Objectives for 2015

• Increased focus on the use of the NWACP, use more realistic scenarios, tides, and tactics

• Truth/Control Performance will be graded• Conduct another Gasoline based Scenario• Conduct Wildlife focused tabletop exercise• Conduct drill focused on waste management/demobilization• Conduct Social Media Focused Drill• Increased outreach to LOSC’s, Tribal, and other stakeholders• Dept of Energy has asked for a scenario creating a fuel

distribution crisis reducing supply by >20%. Likely to be roundtable discussion, not Tabletop Exercise.

• Proper staffing of and better communication between ICS sections/units

Federal Drill Focus Areas for 2015

• Ensure compliance with 33 CFR 154.1055• Unified command with representatives from

Local, Tribal, State, and Federal• Utilization of the ACP and Facility/Vessel plan• Timely press updates and JIC utilization• Following the prescribed ICS processes,

including agendas• Play different coordinating areas, i.e.

dispersants, ISB, MTSRU, ESA 7 consults, etc • More robust MSEL/injects to ensure exercise

objectives are met

Upcoming Drills

• Interested in the drills• Reach out to the USCG and

Ecology / DEQ • Roles in the command post• Observer and outreach• Drill calendar on the RRT website

Worst Case Drills in 2015 for Washington State drill credit

• MFSA • Paramount Petroleum • SeaRiver Maritime • Navy Region Northwest• BP West Coast Seattle Terminal • Tidewater • Polar Tankers• Alaska Tanker Company & BP

Shipping • Imperium Grays Harbor

Oregon Worst Case Drills Expected in 2015

• Arc Terminals• Columbia Pacific Bio Refinery• Coos Bay Regional Cooperative• Harley Marine Services • Kinder Morgan Willbridge and Linnton

Terminals • MFSA• NuStar Portland Terminal• Pacific Terminal Services• Tidewater Umatilla Pipeline

Questions??