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    Communication is Key: Operations Center Exercise Prepares NCNG to Answer the Call

    Communication is key: Operations center exercise prepares NCNG to answer the call

    Photo By Spc. Marilyn Spencer | Maj. Bert Kemo participates in the North Carolina National Guard's Pandemic Flu Joint...... read more read more

    RALEIGH, NC, UNITED STATES

    11.03.2013

    Story by Spc. Marilyn Spencer 

    382nd Public Affairs Detachment

    RALEIGH, N.C. – The North Carolina National Guard Joint Operations Center, along with 60th Troop Command, conducted a pandemic flu-reaction training exercise Nov. 3, at Joint Force Headquarters in Raleigh.

    “[The JOC] is the major support and command in the North Carolina National Guard. We have all our communications operational. That includes Defense Connect Online, 800 megahertz radios, voice-over-IP phones … and our satellite systems in place, to make sure they’re all functioning before we get called out for an emergency,” Wallace said.

    There are 15 national planning scenarios that the Department of Homeland Security has organized, each one having a particular variable that is faced in the field.

    “For instance, with the pandemic flu, we’re planning as if there could be shortages of medical supplies, there could be security issues at hospitals, all those types of things that help allow our efforts in the National Guard to augment local capabilities so when we come to assist we have the right capabilities at the right place at the right time,” explained Wallace.

    Wallace is the Certified Emergency Manager for the state, with an extensive education and training record. This is useful because it provides the capability and know-how for the NCNG to go into a community and assist them in developing a response plan and coordinating efforts during many types of emergency. As a leader in the NCNG, Wallace can also pass that knowledge down to other Soldiers.

    Capt. Gregory Gebhardt, the JOC Battle Captain who manages the staff’s pace and tasks, was also an active participant in the training.

    “It’s great because we have all players from all sections in one room at the same time. We’ve got a white cell that is providing real-world injects. The scenario is tailored to North Carolina using [Emergency Management Staff Trainer], so it’s about as close to real-world scenario as we can get,” Gebhardt said. EMST is a web-based simulation tool that can be accessed from any computer.

    “It’s just a great training exercise. Rarely do we get this many people collectively from all different staff sections under one roof to work together,” Gebhardt said, “There will be a lot of organized chaos, but in the end we will learn a lot from it and be better prepared moving forward.”

    “We do these periodically,” said Master Sgt. Robert Baker, the exercise’s noncommissioned officer-in-charge. “The theme for each one differs every time we do them so we will try new things and think outside the box,” he explained, noting how it is useful by “validating our system, how we communicate, how we operate … to make sure that we’re effective and make it streamlined, and improve it every chance we get.”

    Communications training exercises are held routinely to ensure that the North Carolina National Guard maintains its ability to respond quickly and thoroughly to local, state or national authorities if called upon to support North Carolina and U.S. citizens.

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    NEWS INFO

    Date Taken: 11.03.2013
    Date Posted: 11.05.2013 13:32
    Story ID: 116316
    Location: RALEIGH, NC, US

    Web Views: 109
    Downloads: 0

    PUBLIC DOMAIN