Fairfax County Community Resiliency Collaboration. Tabletop Exercise Series: Braddock District. Situation Manual

Transcription

1 Photo Credit: FEMA/Liz Roll Fairfax County Community Resiliency Collaboration Tabletop Exercise Series: Braddock District Situation Manual January 12, 2015 The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints Fairfax, VA

2 TABLE OF CONTENTS TABLE OF CONTENTS... 1 PREFACE... 2 HANDLING INSTRUCTIONS... 3 EXERCISE SCHEDULE... 4 ACRONYMS... 5 INTRODUCTION... 6 SCENARIO... 9 DISCUSSION QUESTIONS NOTES

3 PREFACE This Fairfax County Community Resiliency Tabletop Exercise: Braddock District (TTX) is sponsored by Volunteer Fairfax and has been selected for inclusion in the National Exercise Program. Supporting documents for this exercise, including the Situation Manual (SitMan), were produced with input, advice, and assistance from the Volunteer Fairfax Planning Team and FEMA National Exercise Division staff. These documents follow the guidance set forth by the (DHS) Homeland Security Exercise and Evaluation Program (HSEEP). This SitMan provides exercise participants with all the necessary tools for their roles in the exercise. It is tangible evidence of FEMA s commitment to ensure public safety through collaborative partnerships that will prepare the whole community to respond to disaster events. The Braddock District TTX is an unclassified exercise. Control of exercise information is based on public sensitivity regarding the nature of the exercise rather than actual exercise content. Some exercise material is intended for the exclusive use of exercise planners, facilitators, and evaluators, but players may view other materials that are necessary to their performance. All exercise participants may view the SitMan. All exercise participants should use appropriate guidelines to ensure proper control of information within their areas of expertise and protect this material in accordance with current jurisdictional directives. Public release of exercise materials to third parties is at the discretion of Volunteer Fairfax, FEMA National Exercise Division and the Braddock District TTX Planning Team. The After Action Report produced for this event will be made nonattributable and submitted for inclusion in the National Exercise Program Rolling Summary Report. Please refer to the handling instructions for further guidance

4 HANDLING INSTRUCTIONS 1. The title of this document is the. 2. Information gathered in this SitMan is designated as For Trusted Agents, and should be handled as sensitive information that is not to be disclosed. This document should be safeguarded, handled, transmitted, and stored in accordance with appropriate security directives. Reproduction of this document, in whole or in part, without prior approval from Volunteer Fairfax is prohibited. 3. Information in this document is intended for the exclusive use of the exercise planners and participants, and is not to be released to the public or other personnel who do not have a valid need-to-know without prior approval from an authorized sponsor organization representative. This document is not releasable to any public website. 4. For more information about the exercise, please consult the following points of contact (POCs): Tracy Friend Volunteer Fairfax Emergency Response Program Manager tfriend@volunteerfairfax.org Matt Lyttle FEMA National Exercise Division Exercise Project Manager matthew.lyttle@fema.dhs.gov Ben Berger FEMA National Exercise Division benjamin.berger@fema.dhs.gov Torrey L. Cunningham FEMA National Exercise Division torrey.cunningham@fema.dhs.gov

5 EXERCISE SCHEDULE The following table summarizes the TTX schedule for January 12, January 12, 2015 Time Activity 5:00 p.m. Registration and Dinner 5:30 p.m. Welcome, Introductions, Opening Brief, and Review of Seminar 5:45 p.m. Module 1 6:45 p.m. Break 7:00 p.m. Module 2 8:00 p.m. Hot Wash and Dessert 8:15 p.m. Closing Remarks 8:30 p.m. Adjourn - 4 -

6 ACRONYMS Acronym AAR CBO CRG DHS ECHO EEG EOC EOP FEMA FCIA FISH HOA HSEEP IP NCS NED OEM Ops PDRP PTA SitMan SME TTX VF VOAD Definition After Action Report Community Based Organization Community Resiliency Group Ecumenical Community Helping Others Exercise Evaluation Guide Emergency Operations Center Emergency Operations Plan Faith Communities in Action For Immediate Sympathetic Help Home Owners Association Homeland Security Exercise and Evaluation Program Improvement Plan Fairfax County Neighborhood and Community Services National Exercise Division Fairfax County Office of Emergency Management Operations Fairfax County Pre-Disaster Recovery Plan Parent Teacher Association Situation Manual Subject Matter Expert Tabletop Exercise Volunteer Fairfax Voluntary Organization Active in Disaster - 5 -

7 Background INTRODUCTION Effective disaster response and recovery depends on a whole community effort. Coordination between federal, tribal, state, local, and private sector stakeholders is vital. In order to strengthen partnerships between governmental and non-governmental organizations, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is sponsoring tabletop exercises (TTXs) designed to examine non-governmental organizations emergency plans, processes, and procedures; identify best practices; and address capability shortfalls. The Fairfax County Community Resiliency Group (CRG) is comprised of community partner organizations that serve the public in day to day services, such as food, finances, furniture, and clothing; as well as residential organizations, PTAs, schools, local police and fire, and other organizations In the event of disaster, the members of the CRG will be convened to discuss their local situation and problem solve how to best support each other, the community and the government in some response, and mostly recovery efforts. Eventually, there will be a CRG for each supervisor district in Fairfax County, comprised of the above groups, and others as applicable. Purpose and Scope This Braddock District TTX is a three and a half-hour, scenario-driven, facilitated discussion that will provide an opportunity for a single jurisdictional exercise between neighboring community partners and governmental organizations, allowing for organized response and recovery, resource sharing, and relationship building. Core Capabilities Core capabilities are the distinct critical elements needed to achieve our National Preparedness Goal. Conducting evaluations using core capabilities allows for data to be aggregated across the homeland security enterprise, which supports a growing understanding of preparedness at the national level. The Braddock District TTX objectives align to the following core capabilities: Operational Coordination Planning Exercise Design Objectives Public Information and Warning Health and Social Services This exercise will focus on the following objectives selected by the Exercise Planning Team: 1. Provide an opportunity for a single jurisdictional exercise between neighboring community partners, allowing for organized response and recovery, resource sharing, relationship building. 2. Determine reporting and communicating best practices among whole community - 6 -

8 partners. 3. Develop database of Whole Community Partners and their resources, to facilitate coordination of resources, response and recovery. 4. Provide a setting to secure MOAs with Whole Community Partners (these partners assist in sheltering, mass care, emotional and spiritual care and other essential services) to support the Volunteer and Donations Management Annex. Participants The Braddock District TTX will include potential Fairfax County Community Resiliency Group members drawn from the Braddock District of Fairfax County, Volunteer Fairfax, and various offices within Fairfax County Government. FEMA National Exercise Division personnel will be present. During the exercise, these participants will take one of the following roles: Players. Players respond to the situation presented, based on expert knowledge of their organizations procedures, current plans and procedures, and insights derived from experience and training. Note takers. Note takers are not active participants; however, they may have insight or technical expertise that allows them to accurately summarize the discussion at their table for further review. Facilitators. Facilitators provide situation updates and moderate discussions. They also provide additional information or resolve questions as required. Key Exercise Planning Team members also may assist with facilitation as subject matter experts (SMEs). Evaluators. Evaluators take notes on the discussion to compare to plans and procedures in the context of the target capabilities and corresponding Exercise Evaluation Guides (EEGs). Exercise Structure This exercise will be a three and a half-hour, scenario-driven, facilitated discussion. The exercise will be divided into two modules, and the facilitator will provide relevant information to the participants according to a scenario timeline in order to drive discussion. Participants will then converse in table groups, periodically reporting back their main findings to the larger plenary. Module 1 Module 2 During Module 1, players will discuss the Operational Coordination and Health and Social Services questions in a plenary. During Module 2, players will discuss the Public Information and Warning questions in a plenary

9 Hot Wash After the exercise has concluded, a facilitator will lead participants in a discussion of their key takeaways from the exercise. Exercise Evaluation The goal of exercise evaluation is to validate strengths and identify improvement opportunities for the participating organizations. In this exercise, evaluation will attempt to validate plans, procedures, and protocols of participating agencies and determine their level of capability. The Braddock District TTX evaluators will use Exercise Evaluation Guides (EEGs) to evaluate participants abilities to address Core Capabilities and critical tasks that fall under each exercise objective. Evaluators will be provided with EEGs for each of their assigned areas. Additionally, players will be asked to complete participant feedback forms. These documents, coupled with hot wash notes, will be used to evaluate the exercise and compile an After Action Report (AAR)/Improvement Plan (IP). The evaluation results will be distributed to Volunteer Fairfax and Braddock District TTX Planning Team members with the goal of providing insight and developing a Corrective Action Plan. Exercise Guidelines This TTX will be held in an open, low-stress, no-fault environment. Varying viewpoints, even disagreements, are expected and encouraged. Respond on the basis of your knowledge of current plans and capabilities (i.e., you may use only existing assets) and insights derived from your training. Decisions are not precedent setting and may not reflect your organization s final position on a given issue. This exercise is an opportunity to discuss and present multiple options and possible solutions. Issue identification is not as valuable as suggestions and recommended actions that could improve response efforts. Problem-solving efforts should be the focus. Assumptions and Artificialities In any exercise, assumptions and artificialities may be necessary to complete play in the time allotted. During this exercise, the following apply: The scenario is plausible, and events occur as they are presented. There is no hidden agenda, and there are no trick questions. All players receive information at the same time. Participants are expected to respond from the viewpoint of the organization they represent. Unless otherwise stated in the scenario, participating organizations can assume their resources and staff are fully intact

10 SCENARIO On Saturday, January 10th, an arctic jet stream collided with a winter oceanfront storm system pushing across Virginia. Snow fell consistently throughout the weekend, resulting in an average snow accumulation of two feet across Northern Virginia. In addition to heavy precipitation, wind speeds were measured at a sustained 20 mph with gusts up to 45 mph. Snow tapered off Saturday night into Sunday morning and changed into freezing rain, which continued throughout the day. As a result, much of Fairfax County has seen ice accumulation on power lines and trees, with heavier accumulation to the west of the county. The precipitation ended overnight Sunday. It is now Monday, January 12 th. Average temperature highs will remain below the freezing mark across central and Northern Virginia. The snow and ice have caused major disruptions in transportation and power across the county. In Northern Virginia, several major roads and intersections remain partially blocked due to snow drifts, downed power lines, and fallen trees. Secondary roads are still icy and clogged with shoveled snow piles. Officials recommend staying off the roads for non-essential travel, but many routes are now safe for non-essential travel. The included map titled Affected Utilities Map shows power outages across the Braddock District. Some local hospitals and municipal water systems are operating on back-up generators. Multiple senior living communities are reported to be without power. There are also reports of roof collapses at schools, warehouses, houses of worship, and private homes. Fairfax County emergency services have been working since Saturday to ensure life safety. They remain fully capable to meet the needs of the community. The Fairfax County Emergency Operations Center (EOC) has been on full activation since early Saturday morning. Volunteer Fairfax has been at the EOC since Saturday and has recommended the activation of the Community Resiliency Group. In addition, Volunteer Fairfax has been sending daily updates to member organizations. On Sunday, county officials requested a meeting of community- and faith-based organizations to discuss the unmet needs of Fairfax County residents. Meetings are being held in each supervisor district on Monday night. You are attending that meeting on behalf of the organization you represent. With a focus on collaboration and coordination, your task is to review the situation at hand and develop strategies for success that leverage the resources and capabilities of the organizations in your district. Your discussion should focus on the following capabilities requested by local officials: Improve situational awareness and operational coordination among responding agencies Ensure health and social service needs of all residents are met Leverage community networks to inform the general public and emergency officials of progress and ongoing needs - 9 -

11 DISCUSSION QUESTIONS The following questions are provided as suggested general subjects that you may wish to address as the exercise progresses. These questions are not meant to constitute a definitive list of concerns to be addressed, nor is there a requirement to address every question. Operational Coordination 1. Fairfax County OEM recognizes the valuable resource of community groups when it comes to improving situational awareness and the common operating picture. Others normally tasked with providing updates (Fire, EMS, and Law Enforcement ) are occupied responding to emergency calls and are unable to provide the systematic neighborhood damage reports needed by the EOC. a. How can community groups in the Braddock District best share the damage and needs assessments in their neighborhood to responding agencies? What networks can be leveraged to help meet this need? What training or orientation would be needed to prepare your community group for this task? 2. Many constituents in the Braddock District have been contacting the CRG for information on how to obtain food for their pets. Are resources available through the community and faith based organizations? If so, how? Health and Social Services 3. Volunteer Fairfax, the Volunteer and Donations Management Lead at the Fairfax County EOC, has been communicating with several local businesses interested in supporting community groups. A sporting goods chain is willing to donate 500 pairs of winter gloves. The gloves are currently stored in a large warehouse near Woodbridge, VA and must be picked up. The business will provide the gloves for free as long as the gloves are distributed to both volunteers helping clear away snow and debris and to people in need. a. Do Braddock District organizations have a need for this kind of donation? How can local groups work together to distribute the gloves in accordance with the donor s intent? What additional information is needed? Public Information and Warning 4. Volunteers can augment your capabilities during a disaster. In disasters, community members will self-deploy as volunteers without proper coordination or training

12 a. What is your process for recruitment and training volunteers? How do you message your volunteer needs to the larger community and minimize selfdeployment of community members. 5. The Fairfax alert system has been giving situation updates since the scenario began. This message has gone out exclusively to those registered with the system. a. In what ways can your faith based or community group relay this information to those with access and/or functional needs? How will this information be promulgated to the non-english speaking population? What about for those with land line telephones? b. How will your organization find out about the needs in your area of responsibility/community?

13 NOTES