[Oremem] ARR PACIFIC PERIL 2006

[Joe & Jeanne Johnston]

DE AAR0PY NR 47
R 262030Z MAY 2006
FM JOHNSTON / AAR0PY OR
TO OREGON ARMY MARS MEMBERS
     INFO TICKNOR/ AAA0WA WA
                    STONE/ AAM0EWA WA
    HILLGAERTNER/ AFA5HB/WA7TEM EC CLATSOP CO 
BT
USDOT TSUNAMI EXERCISE
SUBJECT: AFTER ACTION REPORT/ PACIFIC PERIL 2006
1. STATION: N/A
2. OPERATORS: CLATSOP COUNTY RACES/MARS MEMBERS
TOGETHER WITH SOME 400 OTHER ATTENDEES FROM B.C.,
CANADA, WASHINGTON STATE, OREGON STATE, NORTHERN
CALIFORNIA, UTAH AND WASHINGTON D.C. ALTOGETHER
THERE WERE ABOUT 58 DIFFERENT AGENCIES REPRESENTED
AT THIS EXERCISE. 
3. LOCATION: CAMP RILEA, WARRENTON, OREGON. BY THE
MIDDLE OF NEXT WEEK MOST NOTES AND AFTER ACTION
REVIEWS OF THE EXERCISE ARE PROMISED TO BE AVAILABLE
ON THE http://www.nw.faa.gov/peril/ WEB SITE. AS OF
THIS WRITING THE SITE STILL CONTAINS PRE-EXERCISE
MATERIEL BUT WILL CHANGE PROBABLY BY 30 MAY 2006 TO
INCLUDE POST EXERCISE INFORMATION.
4. EMERGENCY POWER USED: N/A
5. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF OPERATION: A THREE DAY MULTI-
AGENCY MULTI-JURISDICTIONAL EVENT FEATURING A 9.0 
EARTHQUAKE ALONG THE CASCADIA SUBDUCTION ZONE, RESULTING
IN A TSUNAMI THAT DEVASTATES THE COASTLINE OF THE
PACIFIC NORTHWEST. IT EXERCISED THE ABILITY OF COUNTY,
STATE AND FEDERAL ENTITIES INCLUDING THE DEPT. OF
DEFENSE, TO PROVIDE DISASTER RESPONSE SERVICES APPROPRIATE
TO THE SCENARIO. THERE WAS A COMMAND POST EXERCISE ON
DAY TWO FEATURING TWO TWELVE HOUR PERIODS CONDENSED INTO
TWO FOUR HOUR PERIODS OF PLAY. THE EXERCISE ON DAY TWO
IS THE SUBJECT OF THIS ARR WHICH INVOLVED ABOUT 150-200
OF THE ATTENDEES.
A LARGE BUILDING ON CAMP RILEA WAS DIVIDED UP WITH ABOUT
60-70 OREGON MEMBERS IN ONE SECTION SEATED AT TABLES WITH
LAPTOP COMPUTERS AND A PHONE SYSTEM NETWORKED TO THE REST
OF THE PLAYERS IN THE BUILDING. THE WASHINGTON STATE 
SECTION WAS ABOUT AS LARGE. THE EXERCISE CONTROL TEAM
FACILITATED THE EXERCISE BY EMAIL AND PHONE MESSAGES FROM 
A REMOTE LOCATION WITHIN THE BUILDING. OVERHEAD SCREENS 
WOULD PLAY SIMULATED NEWS MEDIA BULLETINS THROUGHOUT THE 
EXERCISE PERIODS.
6. HOW AND WHEN NOTIFIED OF EMERGENCY: NOTIFIED BY CLATSOP
COUNTY EMERGENCY MANAGER THROUGH THE LOCAL ARES/RACES 
EMERGENCY COORDINATOR TO BE A PART OF THIS EXERCISE.
7. WEATHER DURING OPERATION: LIGHT RAIN AND WIND
8. RADIO PROPAGATION CONDITIONS: NO RADIO EQUIPMENT USED
9. NUMBER OF MESSAGES PROCESSED: 20
10. NUMBER OF MESSAGES ORIGINATED: 5

11. PROBLEMS OR ISSUES ENCOUNTERED OR OBSERVED:
    A. WE DISCOVERED THAT THE CRAMPED NOISY CONDITIONS
WERE PROBABLY REALISTIC. BUT THERE IS A NEED TO BE VERY
ORGANIZED AND COMPLETELY FAMILIAR WITH ANY AND ALL PLANS
WHERE RACES/MARS MEMBERS MIGHT END UP SERVING.
    B. MESSAGE LOGGING NEEDS WORK TO TRACK INCOMING
MESSAGES. COUNTY MESSAGE FORMS WERE USED WHICH WERE A
MODIFICATION OF ICS FORM 213. MESSAGE FORMATS ARE LIKELY
TO BE DIFFERENT FROM ONE PLACE TO ANOTHER.
    C. AMATEUR RADIO OPERATORS NEED TO BE MORE FAMILIAR
WITH LOCAL PROCEDURES. NIMS ACRONYMS ARE USED AND THIS WILL
NOT IMPROVE IN AN EMERGENCY. ICS TRAINING, HOWEVER, TELLS US TO
USE PLAIN LANGUAGE ONLY.
    D. TOO MANY LONG DISCUSSIONS DEVELOPED DURING THE 
EXERCISE. NOT GOOD FOR REAL PLAY. PEOPLE SHOULD DO THEIR
JOBS AND NOT BE CONCERNED WITH DEBATING THEIR OWN IDEAS OR
PERSONAL VIEWPOINTS BEYOND WHAT IS NECESSARY.
    E. WE DISCOVERED THE COUNTY NEEDS A SECOND HF RADIO AND
DOES INDEED HAVE A SHARES LICENSE THAT HAS NEVER BEEN USED
AND LITTLE IS KNOWN ABOUT THE ADVANTAGES OF SHARES.
    F. THIS EXERCISE PLAYED THE SCENARIO THAT ALL COMMUNICATIONS 
WERE OUT EXCEPT FOR SIMPLEX CAR TO CAR AND AMATEUR RADIO.
THE SHARES FREQUENCY IN CLATSOP COUNTY SHOULD BE EXERCISED 
AND TRAINED ON, ON A REGULAR BASIS. THERE ARE MARS MEMBERS THAT
REGULARLY CHECK INTO SHARES NETS. SEE ITEM K. 
    G. TRAINING ON EOC EQUIPMENT SUCH AS FAX MACHINES AND
UNIQUE PHONE SYSTEMS IS PROBABLY NEEDED.
    H. THERE IS A NEED TO HAVE A COMPLETE LIST OF OTHER
AGENCY RADIO FREQUENCIES, E.G. COAST GUARD HELICOPTERS, BAR
PILOTS AND OTHER MARINE EMERGENCY FREQUENCIES. THIS LIST 
SHOULD BE A F.O.U.O. LIST IN THE HANDS OF RACES/MARS MEMBERS
THAT COULD FIND THEMSELVES RESPONDING TO EMERGENCY COMMUNICATIONS 
REQUESTS.
    I. INTEROPERABILITY DOESN'T SEEM TO BE EMBEDDED INTO
THE THINKING. BUT THE NIMS TERM "UNIFIED COMMAND" IS. THERE
MIGHT BE SOME CONNECTION THAT COULD BE MADE THAT WOULD BE OF
BENEFIT TO ALL CONCERNED IN EXERCISE PLANNING.
    J. THERE IS NOT A REAL AWARENESS OF THE MILITARY
AFFILIATE RADIO SYSTEM. ARES/RACES IS AT THE FOREFRONT AND
IN ORDER TO BE OF SERVICE AN INVOLVEMENT IN LOCAL ARES/RACES
THROUGH INDIVIDUAL COUNTY EMERGENCY MANAGERS, AS EITHER A 
MARS LIAISON OR ACTIVE RACES PARTICIPANT IS NECESSARY.
    K. THOUGH SHARES IS MENTIONED IN THE NATIONAL RESPONSE
PLAN, IT IS NOT USED, THOUGHT OF, OR EVEN MENTIONED. A GREAT 
RESOURCE GOING TO WASTE.  IT WAS DISCOVERED, HOWEVER, THAT THERE IS A
NEED OF ONE COMMON FREQUENCY AND AGAIN, THIS CAME OF THE HEELS
OF OUR DISCUSSION ABOUT SHARES.  SHARES WOULD SEEMS TO BE, ON
RADIO, WHAT THE NAWAS HAS ALWAYS BEEN. A LARGE SCALE VOICE NETWORK
BETWEEN FEDERAL, STATE, AND LOCAL AGENCIES. SHARES IS AN 
EXCELLENT AND VERY NECESSARY BACKUP TO THE NAWAS.
    L. THE ENVIRONMENT FOR THIS THREE DAY EVENT WAS LIKE
LIVING IN A DEEP FREEZE. UNHEALTHY COLD AIR CONSTANTLY STREAMING
DOWN FROM OVERHEAD REGISTERS. ALL PARTICIPANTS HAD TO WEAR COATS
AND SWEATERS. DON'T SEE ANY REASON FOR THIS.

12. WHAT WORKED WELL:
    A. THE USE OF MOST OF THE ICS FORMS AND PROCEDURES SEEMED
TO GO WELL.
    B. THE OVERVIEW OF WHAT COMES NEXT WAS CLEAR IN THE MINDS
OF COUNTY PARTICIPANTS.
    C. THE MEETING AND WORKING OF DIFFERENT GROUPS TOGETHER
IS INVALUABLE. THIS WAS ONE OF THE STRONG POINTS OF PP06, AND
ANY EXERCISE, DEVELOPING WORKING RELATIONSHIPS AND GAINING 
RESPECT FOR ONE ANOTHERS EXPERTISE.
    D. THIS EXERCISE WAS REALISTIC, WELL PLANNED AND WELL
EXECUTED. FULL OF EXPERT ADVICE AND INFORMATION. A VERY
LEARNING EXPERIENCE.
    E. THE CLOSE PROXIMITY TO THE OCEAN WAS AN APPROPRIATE
SETTING.
    F. THE AIR CONDITIONER
USDOT TSUNAMI EXERCISE - PACIFIC PERIL 2006
BT




NNNN
/EX