After Action Report / Improvement Plan

Transcription

1 After Action Report Improvement Plan PSAP Paralysis A 911 Center COOP Drill June 24, 2015 Holmes County Emergency Management Department 1 Page

2 ADMINISTRATIVE HANDLING INSTRUCTIONS 1. The title of this document is The "PSAP Paralysis - A 911 Center COOP Drill" After Action Report. 2. The information gathered in this AAR/IP 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: County Emergency Management: Laurie Carley Holmes County Emergency Management Department (Office) ( ) emdirector@holmescountyem.com Exercise Director: Chris Floyd Disaster Resistant Communities Group LLC (Office) ( ) chrisfloyd@drc-group.com 2 Page

3 CONTENTS ADMINISTRATIVE HANDLING INSTRUCTIONS... 2 CONTENTS... 3 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY... 4 SECTION 1: EXERCISE OVERVIEW... 5 Exercise Details... 5 Participant Information... 5 SECTION 2: EXERCISE DESIGN SUMMARY... 6 Exercise Purpose and Design... 6 Exercise Objectives, Capabilities and Activities... 6 Scenario Summary... 6 SECTION 3: ANALYSIS OF CAPABILITIES... 8 SECTION 4: CONCLUSION... 9 APPENDIX A: IMPROVEMENT PLAN APPENDIX B: PARTICIPANT FEEDBACK (Strengths Areas for Improvement) APPENDIX C: ACRONYMS Page

4 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY PSAP Paralysis - A 911 Center COOP Drill was designed and facilitated to assess the Continuity of Operations capabilities of the Holmes County Public Service Answering Point (PSAP). 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. Incorporated in Section 3: Analysis of Capabilities of this After Action Report is a comprehensive listing of each Core Capability with its associated Major Strengths, Primary Areas for Improvement and Improvement Recommendations 4 Page

5 Exercise Details SECTION 1: EXERCISE OVERVIEW Exercise Name: Type of Exercise: PSAP Paralysis - A 911 Center COOP Drill Drill Exercise Start Date: June 24, 2015 Duration: Location: Sponsor: Two Hours Bonifay Florida Holmes County Emergency Management Department Purpose: The purpose of the exercise was to assess the Continuity of Operations capabilities of the Holmes County Public Service Answering Point (PSAP). Scenario Type: Sinkhole Participant Information Participant Agency / Organization CenturyLink City of Bonifay Fire Department City of Bonifay Police Department Holmes County 911 Center Holmes County Emergency Management Department Holmes County EMS Holmes County Sheriff s Office Number of Participants 14 5 Page

6 SECTION 2: EXERCISE DESIGN SUMMARY Exercise Purpose and Design The purpose of the exercise was to assess the Continuity of Operations capabilities of the Holmes County Public Service Answering Point (PSAP). Exercise Objectives, Capabilities and Activities Capabilities-based planning allows for the exercise planning team to develop exercise objectives and observe exercise outcomes through a framework of specific action items that were derived from the Core Capabilities List. The capabilities listed below form the foundation for the organization of all objectives and observations in this exercise. Additionally, each capability is linked to several corresponding activities and tasks to provide additional detail. Based upon the identified exercise objectives below, the exercise planning team decided to demonstrate the following capabilities during this exercise: Continuity of Operations Activity Core Capability # 1 Continuity of Operations Implementation Scenario Summary For the past several days the level of incoming calls to the Holmes County Public Service Answering Point (PSAP) has been below normal. Day 1 Friday At 2:45PM the local forecast office of the National Weather Service issues a Severe Thunderstorm Watch for most of Northwest Florida including Holmes County. Throughout the day anticipation of tonight s Holmes County High School vs Freeport High School football game has been building. Students, parents, teachers and local football fans are expecting an exciting game between the Blue Devils and the Bulldogs. At 8:17PM a motorist driving south on Waukesha St notices a large hole on the west side of the street just north of the Bonifay Fire / Police Station. The motorist makes a mental note of the hazard but decides not to call anyone. Day 1 Friday 8:37PM 6 Page

7 Over the next 20 minutes a very large sinkhole has opened consuming all of Waukesha St and a large portion of the parking area just north of the Bonifay Fire / Police Station. In addition to Waukesha St collapsing into the sinkhole, a utility pole supporting electrical and telephone lines and the city s water and sewage main have all been devoured by the sinkhole. Residences and businesses throughout the area have lost all utilities. 7 Page

8 SECTION 3: ANALYSIS OF CAPABILITIES Continuity of Operations Performance Adequate Core Capability Activity # 1: Continuity of Operations Implementation Associated Critical Tasks Task # 1.1: Activate Public Service Answering Point (PSAP) back-up systems. Adequate Evaluator # 1 Observations Recommendations Drill participants were able to set-up and activate the 911 Center s back-up laptop computers with little difficulty. Once the back-up laptop computers were activated drill participants were able to assess each computer s capability to receive incoming 911 calls by placing test calls to the 911 Center. While the back-up computers worked as planned there is no system in place for recording 911 calls. Currently there are only a handful of individuals that have the training on how to set-up and operate the back-up laptop computers. Conduct research on virtual 911 recording system that can be activated when the 911 Center has to relocate. Once such a recording system has been chosen identify funding to purchase the system. Establish a recurring training schedule for 911 Center personnel to train on how to set-up and activate the back-up laptop computers. 8 Page

9 SECTION 4: CONCLUSION Exercises such as this one allow personnel to validate training and practice strategic and tactical prevention, protection, response and recovery capabilities in a risk-reduced environment. Exercises are the primary tool for assessing preparedness and identifying areas for improvement, while demonstrating community resolve to prepare for major incidents. Exercises aim to help entities within the community gain objective assessments of their capabilities so that gaps, deficiencies, and vulnerabilities are addressed prior to a real incident. Exercises are the most effective (and safer) means to: Assess and validate policies, plans, procedures, training, equipment, assumptions, and interagency agreements; Clarify roles and responsibilities; Improve interagency coordination and communications; Identify gaps in resources; Measure performance; and Identify opportunities for improvement. This exercise succeeded in addressing all of the above as it provided examples of good to excellent participant knowledge, teamwork, communication and use of plans and procedures while pointing out areas in need of improvement and clarification. Listed below is a summary of the level of performance the Core Capabilities and Tasks evaluated during the exercise. This summary outlines the areas in which participating agencies are strong as well as identifying areas that the departments should invest future planning, training and exercise funds on. Continuity of Operations Activity Core Capability Performance # 1 Continuity of Operations Implementation Adequate 9 Page

10 APPENDIX A: IMPROVEMENT PLAN This Improvement Plan has been developed specifically for Holmes County Emergency Management Department based on the results of PSAP Paralysis - A 911 Center COOP Drill conducted on June 24, These recommendations draw on both the After Action Report and the After Action Conference. Capability Observation Recommendation Responsible Agency Completion Date Currently there are only a handful of individuals that have the training on how to set-up and operate the 911 Center s back-up laptop computers. Immediately conduct training for all 911 Center supervisors and dispatchers on the use of the 911 Center s back-up laptop computers. Holmes County 911 Center Working Group* 9/1/2015 Continuity of Operations Coordination Establish and implement a training calendar which includes the proper set-up and use of the 911 Center s back-up computers. Holmes County 911 Center Working Group 11/1/2015 There is no system in place for recording 911 calls when the 911 Center s back-up laptop computers are activated. Conduct research on virtual 911 recording systems that can be activated when the 911 Center has to relocate. Once such a recording system has been chosen identify funding to purchase the system. Holmes County 911 Center Working Group 9/1/2016 * The Holmes County 911 Center Working Group is comprised of the following agencies. Holmes County Sheriff s Office Holmes County Emergency Management Department Holmes County E 911 Holmes County 911 Center City of Bonifay Police Department 10 Page

11 APPENDIX B: PARTICIPANT FEEDBACK (Strengths Areas for Improvement) Participation by everyone. Good discussion. Lots of learning. Strengths Identified areas that need to be improved upon. Identified the need to train all 911 Center personnel on the use of the back-up laptop computers. Areas for Improvement The 911 Center s secondary server should be moved as soon a feasible to an alternate location such as the county EOC. Identify 911 Center training shortfall. Develop and implement a 911 Center training schedule. 11 Page

12 APPENDIX C: ACRONYMS Acronym Meaning COMM CONOPS EOC ESF IAP IC ICS IMT JIC LOFR MOA MOU NIMS OPS PIO PSAP SERT SitRep SOG SOP UC Communications Concept of Operations Emergency Operations Center Emergency Support Function Incident Action Plan Incident Command Incident Command System Incident Management Team Joint Information Center Liaison Officer Memorandum of Agreement Memorandum of Understanding National Incident Management System Operations Public Information Officer Public Service Answering Point State Emergency Response Team Situation Report Standard Operating Guideline Standard Operating Procedure Unified Command 12 Page