Photo By Petty Officer 1st Class Tim Comerford | Aaron Aldridge, a trainer for Commander, Naval Installations Command N7, talks to...... read more read more
Subscribe
NORFOLK, Va. - Exercise Liberty Champion 2011 – a three-day simulated emergency management exercise that tested the Mid-Atlantic Region Crisis Action Team’s rapid responses during crisis situations -- came to a close, June 24.
The yearly exercise, which commenced in the Regional Operations Center, required the CAT to test their training while operating as a cohesive group to respond to complex catastrophic events presented by the Commander, Navy Installations Command N7 Training and Readiness team.
“A crisis situation is something that is not going to be manageable by one installation alone or it could be a crisis that is off an installation that effects Navy personnel, Navy families and could impede our mission,” said Cmdr. Matthew Flemming, Current/Future operations officer N36 for Commander, Navy Region Mid-Atlantic. “For a crisis we depend on all programs within CNRMA to provide us Subject Matter Experts -- we may not need all of them, all of the time – but at every initial response we pool all of the SMEs from the programs to at least have the same basic understanding of the situation we are facing.”
Although the most common crisis to affect the Mid-Atlantic Region is a hurricane, the training focused on a wildfire, which could very likely occur around the country.
“[Wildfires] can be a very real problem for us,” said Capt. John Fristachi, program director, Operations and Public Safety Navy Region Mid-Atlantic. “What I really liked about the training scenario that they [N7 trainers] gave us this time, was the wildfires involved a security element that lead to the fires … and since it was an attack on federal installations by a known threat, there were linkages then to federal law enforcement agencies, FBI and our Navy Criminal Investigative Service. So it really gave us a great scenario to engage our public safety functions, linkages to local law enforcement, it allowed us to flex and examine our mutual aid agreements with outside fire agencies and then [in the scenarios], the fires impacted our housing units, it allowed us to engage Fleet and Family Services and the chaplain -- it really flexed the entire CAT!”
In time-sensitive situations, Crisis Action Planning is divided into separate phases.
“There are six Crisis Action Planning Phases,” said Terri Clark, CNRMA N7 Training and Readiness director. “They deal with ‘Situation Development [Phase I],’ ‘Crisis Assessment [Phase II],’ ‘Course of Action Development [Phase III],’ ‘Course of Action Selection [Phase IV],’ ‘Execution Planning [Phase V]’ and Execution [Phase IV].”
A key component of the training was to establish the delicate harmony between two planning processes, Joint Operational Planning and Execution System and National Incident Management System.
“The JOPES is the military side, NIMS is what our civilian counterparts in emergency management work with,” said Fristachi. “We additionally focused, in this training, on the similarities and differences, so that when we need to communicate with an outside agency, we know how to do that -- the terminology and the processes that they are used to using -- so that we can not only interact with the military, but then reach across the fence line and work in a synchronized fashion with our civilian counterparts.”
The very nature of the CAT hierarchy requires the team to work in crisis situations where events are happening rapidly and their extensive training becomes second nature when faced with real-world crisis scenarios. According to Fristachi, the regional planning role at CNRMA involves up to 19 other installations throughout the region.
“The demands for information and the demand for action, it is very pressing and so you have to be able to fall back on the planning processes that are developed in this training,” said Fristachi. “The Navy’s planning per the Naval Warfare Publication is very deliberate and there’s a lot of elements that just have to be understood, so that when you provide a brief or message, or one of the outcome products that we develop to an outside agency, it gets to them in a format they can recognize and understand -- so that the two organizations can work together as a team.”
Although the training was localized to the Mid-Atlantic Region, the methodology in the planning process was in place to facilitate the CAT to be able to handle a crisis situation, no matter the location/event.
“The planning process doesn’t change simply because you are dealing with a hurricane, instead of a wildfire,” explained Fristachi. “The process remains the same, it’s just that the questions that you ask and answer … will shift, but they enter in that planning process exactly the same way. Familiarizing folks with how you’re going to work through that planning process is really the key to success.”
Scott Barcus, the CNIC N7 deputy concurred.
“You’ve got to practice,” said Barcus. “Everyone has plans and everyone has processes, but you have to get the people exposed to them and practice them, so when the real thing happens, they are ready to respond to them properly.”
Above and beyond, training such as this works in conjunction with reducing the overall costs associated with potential evacuations.
“If you are properly trained and you execute a plan properly, instead of improperly, you don’t do things over and over and you don’t make mistakes that you have to correct,” explained Barcus. “So you mitigate the cost.”
During crisis situations, one of the most flexible methods to disseminate emergency information quickly to protect personnel, property and operating capabilities is through the CNIC Shore Wide Area Alert Network, but to ensure its effectiveness, users need to register. Once registered through the AtHoc software installed on an NMCI workstation, you can receive alert notifications via your NMCI workstation, work and home email, work and home phone and mobile phone via voice and text. Social networking, such as Facebook and Twitter, have also proven to be effective.
“I think the use of social networking that we are using now really helps … the ‘Giant Voice,’ … WAAN,” said Barcus. “The chain of command is learning how to use those better, so the ability to get the word out to the people is getting better all the time.”
As the training concluded, Flemming felt that the exercise as a whole was successful.
“I thought the training was fantastic,” he said. “The CAT was thoroughly engaged and enthusiastic. The instructors’ method of having us interact with them, and with each other, reinforced the training they received and it paid off on the third day of the exercise.”
As trainers, Clark said that information was collected to benefit future exercises.
“Part of our role, after each exercise, is to collect lessons learned and get that information out to everybody via message or in briefings or just talking and sharing, so that’s a key thing every exercise … so that we don’t repeat the same issues that come up,” she said. “We always try to improve our processes every time.”
| Date Taken: | 06.24.2011 |
| Date Posted: | 06.29.2011 15:13 |
| Story ID: | 72958 |
| Location: | NORFOLK, VIRGINIA, US |
| Web Views: | 93 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Exercise Liberty Champion readies ROC for crisis awareness, by David Todd, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
No keywords found.
