SOFLEX South Florida USAR Full-Scale Exercise

Transcription

1 SOFLEX South Florida USAR Full-Scale Exercise PATHFINDERS TASK FORCE Virtual Badge AFTER ACTION REPORT SOFLEX was an Urban Search and Rescue (USAR) full-scale exercise conducted in Palm Beach County, FL in March, The drill was a joint exercise that included participation from eight Fire Departments from South Florida. Palm Beach County Fire Rescue and Palm Beach State College hosted simultaneous exercise operations. The courses that were designed to test core Urban Search and Rescue concepts, water rescue scenarios, and Hazmat operations. Rubble Piles were created at both sites to simulate destroyed structures and crisis actors and mannequins were strategically placed to simulate a response to a catastrophic incident. Survivors who were trapped on roof tops and in attics also were rescued. As a part of the SOFLEX Exercise, the Palm Beach County Fire Rescue Type III, All Hazards Incident Management Team (AHIMT) was activated to provide coordination support for USAR operations, flood, and Hazmat. Division Chief Nigel Baker and District Chief Mike Reece were the Incident Commanders of the AHIMT. The Pathfinders Task Force (PTF) worked with the Plans Section Chief to provide situational awareness information for exercise operations conducted on March 26 th and 27 th, Day 4 and 5 of SOFLEX. PTF deployed the Virtual Badge software to support identity management and activity reporting during exercise operations. Based on PTF research, this was the first successful implementation of a completely mobile check-in system for a full-scale exercise. Given the geographically separated sites, changing staging areas, and inclement weather, this ease of mobility proved to be invaluable and as one experienced IMT member commented - unprecedented. PTF summarized the results in real-time, using a web-based reporting engine. PTF also helped to rapid train some members of the AHIMT in various phases of operations and field observations using Virtual Badge. PATHFINDERS TASK FORCE - SOFLEX AFTER ACTION REPORT Page 1

2 Contents Executive Summary... 3 Participants... 5 Pathfinders Lessons Learned... 5 Check in with Virtual Badge... 6 Situational Awareness with Virtual Badge... 6 Areas of Improvement... 7 Exercise Documentation... 8 Check-In and Processing... 8 Recon Operations... 9 Canine Rescue Teams... 9 Floodwater Rescue Operations Trench Rescue Heavy Rescue Operations Safety Incidents Confined Space Rescue Command Operations Resources The Pathfinders Task Force (PTF) This AAR is only a summary of PTF s role in SOFLEX. In April, a thorough After Action Report from the All Hazards Incident Management Team will cover the details of SOFLEX in more depth. The Virtual Badge software helped us save time, gave us an unprecedented view of operations, and assisted us with forecasting during this exercise. Division Chief Nigel Baker, Incident Commander, AHIMT PATHFINDERS TASK FORCE - SOFLEX AFTER ACTION REPORT Page 2

3 Green map marker: GPS location of field observers Color outlines generated from field observer form data: o Red = Operations o White = Briefing o Purple = Safety Incident Sample view from the Control Center during SOFLEX. Field Observer forms with pictures were all geocoded & time/date stamped on an interactive map for increased situational awareness. Executive Summary The SOFLEX Exercise was centered on a variety of complex, Hazmat, water rescue, mass casualty, and heavy rescue scenarios simultaneously unfolding at two distinct incident sites separated by about 10 miles. The week long, full-scale exercise involved a host of responding agencies, coordinated by Palm Beach County s All Hazards Incident Management Team. On its first day, Virtual Badge was used to register and check approximately 200 personnel, which included every responder, all actors, the exercise control group, support personnel, and observers entering the site. The PTF team used the Virtual Badge software as it primary tool in this regard, with the initial focus being on the check-in of all participating personnel. On its second day (D 5), one PTF tech specialist also used Virtual Badge to check in every piece of equipment of Task Force 1 and did so in less than 5 minutes. While these reports need a very slight, field adjustment for improving the accuracy of the documentation, the mobility, flexibility, adaptability, and instant, real-time log in would be invaluable in an incident. This value add was not tasked, but copied the style of inspections done by the US Coast Guard using Virtual Badge in the BP oil spill. SOFLEX was conducted at two sites: Palm Beach County Fire Rescue Headquarters and the Palm Beach State College Public Safety Complex. At both sites, extensive preparation was made to accommodate exercise play. Heavy machinery was used to create elaborate simulations that were used to facilitate exercise play. These Rubble Piles contained concrete slabs, damaged vehicles, culverts, drainage structures, and other debris that must be analyzed and properly removed before victims could be extracted. PATHFINDERS TASK FORCE - SOFLEX AFTER ACTION REPORT Page 3

4 Besides check in, Virtual Badge allowed for the real time transmission of a total of more than 500 time/date stamped and geocoded forms with pictures of responders in the field directly to the Incident Command Post (ICP), where information was processed, approved, displayed, and made accessible to others. This real time transmission of data ensured the members of the Command staff present at the ICP could watch a map that was being auto-populated with important events and updates. Other agencies and stakeholders were also able to view SOFLEX data in near real time via a secure, web-portal created by PTF. This webportal allowed responders, response agencies, and industry representatives to quickly assess current and historic operations during the exercise via interactive maps - at any time, from anywhere. As part of the exercise, Virtual Badge core software also provided the central basis for backend analysis. During the exercise, PTF produced a total of 13 Executive Summaries that contained actionable information in the form of situation updates. These reports included pictures, sample maps, and information relating to current operations, assisting Command in making decisions based on more than 500 Field Observations recorded on Virtual Badge. PTF Field Observers documented exercise operations including: Check-Ins, Recon, Canine Rescue Team, Floodwater Rescue, Trench Rescue, Heavy Rescue, Confined Space Rescue, Safety Incidents, and Command Functions. A Virtual Badge, a VB Team List (green indicates checked in), and a USAR form from SOFLEX PATHFINDERS TASK FORCE - SOFLEX AFTER ACTION REPORT Page 4

5 Participants For the two days covered by PTF, exercise participants included eight Florida Fire Rescue departments; Miami-Dade County, the City of Miami Beach, Broward County, the City of Ft. Lauderdale, Palm Beach County, the City of West Palm Beach, the City of Delray Beach, the City of Boynton Beach, and G Star School. Palm Beach State College (PBSC) also provided personnel from its Fire Academy who provided coordination support for exercise participants. Additionally, students from the PBSC Public Safety division participated in exercise play, representing the Crime Scene Technology and Emergency Medical Technician programs. The Pathfinders Task Force deployed a total of 5 personnel to the SOFLEX Exercise: a Type III, USCG qualified Incident Commander, two credentialed Task Force and Strike Team Leads, and 2 Technical Specialists were split up on the two scenes. Four PTF personnel were at the ICP location, while the fifth worked remotely at the Palm Beach State College site. All exercise data was exported to sortable, Excel for interoperability with other information management systems Pathfinders Lessons Learned The Pathfinders Task Force is constantly reviewing its standard operating procedures to improve response and preparedness initiatives. Full-scale exercises provide an excellent opportunity to review current procedures for ways to improve the efficiency of PTF and develop Best Practices for software implementation during emergency operations. While participating in SOFLEX, the Pathfinders Task Force has developed several Lessons Learned that will be used in future deployments. The list below contains Major Strengths and Areas of Improvement for PTF future operations and software implementation. The Virtual Badge application enabled us to monitor, benchmark and provide real-time data from the FBO's that Pathfinder also provided. Having them in position allowed me to get me the very best Intel from our east operation, which was 10 miles away from the central site and ICP. As the SITL on the PBC IMT, this provided invaluable content for my SitReps as well as what we needed in the Planning Section. - District Chief Doug McGlynn, Sit U, AHIMT ICS 227 Performance Review PATHFINDERS TASK FORCE - SOFLEX AFTER ACTION REPORT Page 5

6 Check in with Virtual Badge 1. The check in process was very quick and efficient. 2. Based on research, this appears to be the first successful implementation of a completely mobile, electronic, check-in system for a full-scale, interagency, exercise. 3. The system s mobility proved invaluable as check-in locations moved to various staging areas. Traditional badging systems would have had significant issues adapting to such quick changes. 4. Using Virtual Badge for approximately 200 on-scene personnel was extremely effective when managing exercise operations. 5. Exporting exercise data to Excel with auto-compressed, embedded photos assisted in quickly identifying and sorting incoming personnel. 6. Significantly enhanced accountability due to photos, time/date stamp forms, and geotags of check-ins was validated in comparison to traditional method of paper and pen sign-ins. 7. Using Virtual Badge to manage check-ins would reduce costs due to removing the need for manually transcribing paper documentation to an electronic format. 8. With the inclement weather, the ability to immediately move check-in locations ensured personnel safety while validating the system s efficiency. 9. The Virtual Badge list of on-scene personnel was immediately accessible had a true emergency evolved due to the weather challenges proving the system is an invaluable, real-time, safety tool. 10. On Day 1, the entire check in register, with photos embedded in a sortable Excel list was immediately available. The manual list with no photos was inputted into the ICP 5 hours later. 11. On Day 2, the check-in of vehicles and equipment was completed by one PTF member 15 minutes ahead of a 2 person team, with geotagged, time date stamped photos of every resource immediately available. Paper documentation was inputted manually approximately 5 hours later. The Virtual Badge software and Pathfinder Task Force have supported first responders on other occasions and during this exercise assisting the AHIMT. The Task Force was recognized during the Operational Briefing for their support of the event. I would recommend the use of this resource for operations in the future. - Susan Taylor-Hall, Liaison Officer, AHIMT ICS 227 Performance Review Situational Awareness with Virtual Badge 12. Exercise activity was successfully documented using forms in the Virtual Badge software. This documentation proved invaluable for real-time updates. 13. PTF was able to simultaneously document exercise operations at two distinct locations. 14. The Mobile Map feature in Virtual Badge on a user s cell phone enabled real-time location updates and greatly improving internal PTF communication. PATHFINDERS TASK FORCE - SOFLEX AFTER ACTION REPORT Page 6

7 15. was made available to the Exercise Control Group to remotely access SOFLEX data from remote locations. 16. The response protocols of the Type V, Pathfinder Team were validated. 17. The customized assessment forms used by various teams were changed in minutes as needed in midoperation and captured field data quickly and efficiently. 18. New features reduced report generation time by 75%, allowing for field assessment information to be included in 13 reports (while it was still actionable). 19. A PTF Comm Out check worked seamlessly, proving that the system upgrades still maintained the requirement to work without any cell towers or Internet at all. 20. Using Virtual Badge to document incoming and staging resources provided Command with real time updates on resource allocation. Virtual Badge Control Center displaying completed color coded, forms. Once selected, a form displays additional field inputted information as seen above in the right column Areas of Improvement 1. The Incident Command team did not fully integrate the analytical value of Virtual Badge. 2. Integration of the PTF team into the IMT could be improved with more pre-briefing time ahead of the exercise during the MSEL development and roll out. 3. Clearer visual identification of Observers, Controllers, Safety team, and IMT roles would be helpful. 4. Improving the real-time link between the Situation Unit and PTF at the ICP would have significantly improved the narrative and data value of the 13 reports. 5. Web use of the 13 PTF Executive Summaries was underutilized by other agencies. PATHFINDERS TASK FORCE - SOFLEX AFTER ACTION REPORT Page 7

8 6. Remote monitoring by off-site unit commands would have greatly enhanced the value of the exercise s visibility to participating agencies. 7. Building more meaningful narratives into the PTF Executive Summaries needs improvement. 8. Every photo in each report should add a snapshot footer of the Field Observer s comments and/or the data field intel already tied to each form. 9. For optimal use, responders and controllers should be notified ahead of time that Virtual Badge will be used to document activity as this caused a challenge at PBSC on Day More actionable field data could have been gathered if responders documented their own exercise operations, rather than field observers collecting all of the data. 11. Inventory management needs to add a total of five photos for every Virtual Badge form one of each side view (4) and one close up of a license tag or inventory number to make it more useful. 12. Creating Virtual Badge Mobile + accounts (supervisory roles) in the field needs improvement to make the process quicker and more manageable to implement on a larger scale. The cost efficiency, accountability, and documentation bundled into one small, professional, Mission Ready Package was outstanding. The on-site support team was self-contained, self-supported, and ramped up to meet our demands for total integration under our county s IMT. - Division Chief Nigel Baker, IC, AHIMT ICS 227 Performance Review Exercise Documentation Check-In and Processing As exercise participants arrived on-scene, they were registered using the Virtual Badge software. Roving teams of field observers were able to quickly process teams as they arrived, using smartphones to collect information and take identifying photos of individuals. This unprecedented use of an electronic system to manage mobile check-in sites for personnel and equipment proved successful during the SOFLEX exercise. Using an electronic system enabled the Pathfinders Task Force to provide the Command and General staff with information about exercise participants in real-time. When compared to traditional check-in systems, Virtual Badge was more flexible and able to more quickly process information. Not being dependent on power sources, tables, and one fixed check-in point proved the system s value over traditional methods. Rapid Check-in by PTF team with a photo, name, and unique ID number in less than 30 seconds each. PATHFINDERS TASK FORCE - SOFLEX AFTER ACTION REPORT Page 8

9 Recon Operations Before USAR teams were fully deployed to the SOFLEX exercise, HazMat teams were sent in to perform reconnaissance on the two sites. Responders equipped with air monitoring devices were deployed at both exercise sites to determine site safety and perform a rapid assessment of site conditions. These HazMat teams rapidly reviewed the sites and provided information to USAR teams staging nearby. Recon teams also provided USAR teams with information about the locations of victims trapped by rubble. These teams also handled the initial response to walking-wounded and disoriented victims who were strategically placed around each site to disrupt operations and simulate an actual disaster incident. Canine Rescue Teams Initial USAR Recon with specialized sensors After an initial sweep from Recon Teams, Canine Rescue Teams were deployed in the rubble piles to rapidly identify the location and status of victims trapped under debris. Search teams guided the canines throughout the USAR course and were able to transverse the difficult terrain to locate the numerous crisis actors hidden throughout. Based on conditions, teams then either provided immediate support for victims or marked locations for a follow-up search. Crisis actors that were lightly trapped by debris or otherwise disoriented were immediately evacuated for medical attention. Locations marked by the Canine Rescue Teams were the first targets for the USAR teams that arrived after their first pass. Canine Rescue teams searching rubble pile for victims PATHFINDERS TASK FORCE - SOFLEX AFTER ACTION REPORT Page 9

10 Floodwater Rescue Operations Urban Search and Rescue exercise operations included waterborne rescue on two partially submerged houses. Search dogs were used to locate victims trapped inside of the flooded residences before extrication. USAR teams then used chainsaws and fire axes to breach the residence to extract the victims trapped inside. Mannequins were also used in the residence to simulate deceased or severely injured victims, with fire rescue teams responding accordingly to the simulated conditions. Once victims were rescued from the submerged residences, they were safely loaded onto small boats for evacuation. Victims were then immediately evaluated by a medical team and processed accordingly. The rescue of victims was documented in real-time with a precise location and time by the system. Floodwater Search & Rescue, finding and rescuing three survivors Trench Rescue Exercise operations included extrication of victims from a partially submerged vehicle in a ~ 10ft. trench. Fire rescue personnel first created a safe ingress/egress to the site by leveling the ground around the trench and laying sheets of wood to walk on. Once a walkway was established, Paratech poles were used to stabilize the trench to make the area safe for victim extraction. Once safe, USAR teams deployed into the trench using ladders and rope to remove victims and prep them for medical treatment. Stabilizing trench Laying wood for walkway Removing victim from trench PATHFINDERS TASK FORCE - SOFLEX AFTER ACTION REPORT Page 10

11 Heavy Rescue Operations There were several exercise operations that required heavy machinery to extricate victims from the rubble piles. Heavy equipment included fire trucks, forklifts, and a crane which were used by fire rescue personnel to efficiently move heavy debris and clear a path for victim extrication. USAR teams coordinated with their heavy equipment operators to ensure the safe removal of large debris. Following careful clearance of obstructions, rescue operations immediately followed and began their complex extrication procedures. Forklift used for victim extrication Crane moving concrete slab Crane moving damaged vehicle Safety Incidents During SOFLEX, there were minor safety incidences documented using Virtual Badge. Of these safety incidents, none were reported to have caused any major injury to exercise participants. Many of these documented incidents were regarding improper levels of Personal Protective Equipment or potentially hazardous situations, all of which were corrected at the time of documentation. A custom form was used by the Field Observers to document these occasions. The distinct color outlines of the thumbnail photos displayed on the Command map as well as in the control center list made for quick and easy, actionable data. No reported safety incidents were severe enough to halt exercise operations. Slip and fall into water Required Safety Gear Car roof precariously positioned PATHFINDERS TASK FORCE - SOFLEX AFTER ACTION REPORT Page 11

12 Confined Space Rescue Several exercise operations included victim extrication from confined spaces. These included; damaged vehicles, concrete tunnels, manholes, and other situations that restricted responder movement. Victim extrication was performed in several ways, with fire rescue personnel using light and heavy equipment to create access points. Site stabilization was often required for these operations, ensuring responder safety as they entered damaged or otherwise unstable structure to extract trapped victims. Lengthy chipping and cutting operations to breach rebar reinforced obstructions included air monitoring and numerous shifts for USAR personnel. Confined space breaching Victim extrication Confined space breaching Command Operations In addition to providing Command with situational awareness information for exercise operations, Virtual Badge was also used to document command functions such as planning meetings, incident briefings, and the hotwashes. This documentation assisted in the coordination of command staff functions, as well as summarizing briefing details for future use and evaluation. Operations Briefing Tactics Meeting Critique Field Observer Briefing PATHFINDERS TASK FORCE - SOFLEX AFTER ACTION REPORT Page 12

13 Resources Virtual Badge was used to manage resources as they arrived at SOFLEX. An inventory form was created to document resources as they arrive on-scene, and identifying information was collected from each vehicle (including photos). This information was helpful when determining current resource allocation. In future operations, a valuable Lesson Learned would be to alter the field form (which takes only 5 minutes), and specifically include 4 photo slots and a close up photo of the vehicle s License Tag and/or ID number. As fast as a staging area relocated, Virtual Badge adjusted with ease without interruption. Control center view of filtered forms on Day 5. The entire USAR form fit with ease on the phone. Clicking on a thumbnail photo brings up the right hand, column data and metadata behind every photo. PATHFINDERS TASK FORCE - SOFLEX AFTER ACTION REPORT Page 13

14 About PTF & Virtual Badge The Pathfinders Task Force (PTF) PTF is an all-hazards, disaster response team based out of West Palm Beach. PTF specializes in mass care and situational awareness and has been tasked to several of the most catastrophic disasters in recent history, including Katrina, Floyd, Ike, Gustav, and Irene, the Haitian Earthquake, Deepwater Horizon (BP) Oil Spill, and the Japanese Earthquake/Tsunami. PTF focuses on Situational Awareness and the coordination of local, spontaneous volunteers to perform rapid damage and critical infrastructure assessments following catastrophic incidents, followed by door-todoor missions seeking out the unmet needs of the vulnerable populations of the homebound survivors, and then working to resolve the unmet needs. The Pathfinders Task Force is sponsored by a public-private partnership between The Eagles Wings Foundation, Inc. and Disaster Solutions, LLC. For more information, please contact scott@pathfinders.cc or call at (561) Virtual Badge is a software that uses mobile devices to collect and display information, and a web-based Control Center to analyze data. Virtual Badge has two main functions; identity management for personnel, and photo-enabled activity reporting for mobile operations. Virtual Badge is compatible with Android and ios mobile devices and is available on the Google Play and itunes App Stores, with password access. Virtual Badge was tested to ISO standards by the Department of Homeland Security as reported in its 38 page, STEP report from the P-TAC, federal software lab. For more information, please contact matt.campbell@virtualbadge.com or call (561) PATHFINDERS TASK FORCE - SOFLEX AFTER ACTION REPORT Page 14