EMA/EOC Operations with the ASDF 911 427 1020 1
America Strategic Improvement 9/11/2001 America was attacked We improved it by working together Patriot Act, TSA, CERT, Citizen Corps Civilian Emergency Response Teams such as the American Red Cross and the Salvation Army Military Emergency Management Specialist 2
America Strategic Improvement 4/27/2010 Alabama was hit by a F5 Tornado We improved it by working together The EMA, EOC, Alabama National Guard DOM, and the Alabama State Defense Force Reorganization of ASDF to State Military Department Regulation SMDR 10-4 3
Alabama Emergency Management Agency makes a point at a meeting Forty-three people died from injuries caused directly by the tornado, and another nine died from conditions related to the storm, just in Tuscaloosa AL 4
National Guard troops and ASDF members had difficulty communicating with each other but teamwork can move a large tent. 5
More than 7,000 people in Tuscaloosa became unemployed in less than 6 minutes An army of volunteers poured into disaster-stricken areas after April 27. About 70,000 of them trooped through Volunteer Reception Centers set up around the state There is room for improvement, particularly when it comes to better organizing of volunteers That s what we do best 6
THE APRIL 27 TORNADOES triggered the largest domestic response of the Alabama National Guard in state history. At the peak of activity, on May 5, about 3,000 Guard personnel were deployed in 19 counties throughout Alabama. 0verall, the guard responded to more than 100 requests for assistance after the storm. In counties alone, it distributed more than 77,000 bags of ice, 43,000 cases of bottled water, 41,000 cases of meal kits and 32,000 boxes of tarpaulins. Using the National Guard can be expensive. It costs about $250 a day to keep a soldier in the field. So a company of 100 soldiers costs $25,000 a day. Some requests for help lacked specificity. An arbitrary request for 100 soldiers can waste time and resources when the actual need might be met with four soldiers and a generator. LTC Hawkins noted that from the air, Tuscaloosa looked as if it had been hit by a small nuclear weapon. From the Following April s storms, the National Guard reviewed its application process and prepared to publish A County EMA Guide to Requesting Alabama National Guard Support. "Also, there were complaints about soldiers not being paid in a timely manner. When deployed within the state, members of the ASDF and guard are essentially paid as state employees. 7
Communications Operations Guide needed for all elements of service Many law enforcement officials may have been carrying a handheld radio that actually had the same frequency as one carried by a volunteer firefighter. But they called them two different things Volunteer fire departments often use UHF radios, and state troopers and sheriff s departments often use VHF radios the need for bridging equipment that can patch bands together, and a cache of radios that can talk on both UHF and VHF bands. There are limits to range and use, but it helps. I think it would be helpful to use Ham Radio systems for controlled networks They never read the plan that says if you lose your radio system, here s what you do. 8
The mission of the ASDF is to on order of TAG-AL provide trained and ready volunteer individuals and units to support ALNG Defense Support to Civil Authorities (DSCA) missions to mitigate and/or alleviate the effects of a natural or man-made disaster. The primary task of the ASDF in supporting ALNG operations is to provide augmentation to ALNG or EMA operations centers. Other possible missions may include communications support, damage surveys in support of county EMAs or assistance with shelters. The ASDF may conduct voluntary Civic Action Projects (CAPs) with the approval of Directorate of Military Support (DOMS) 9
OCATS The mission of the Operations Center Augmentation Team (OCAT) is to provide a trained and ready Team to support the activities of an ALNG or EMA operations center (EOC, JOC). Brigades may assign certain OCATs to be specialty OCATs designed to perform a specific support function. Communications OCAT made up of radio operators. OCAT personnel can dual-hat in other staff functions within the ASDF organizations as required 10
Mission Essential Task List (METL) Development for ASDF TASK: 63-7-2132 - Establish the Emergency Operations Center EOC TASK: 03-5-1021 - Maintain an Operation Center TASK: 63-6-4056 - Manage Command Post Operations TASK: 30-6-5520 - Develop Joint Force Liaison Structure TASK: 12-6-0006- Conduct Personnel Accounting and Strengths Reporting TASK: 11-6-8005 Establish a Network Radio Voice/Data Network to provide Temporary Telecommunications Support 11
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