CRCA logo CLARK REGIONAL COMMUNICATIONS AGENCY

9-1-1  -  Emergency Preparedness  -  Emergency Medical Services
Serving Battle Ground, Camas, Clark County, La Center, Ridgefield, Vancouver, Washougal, and Yacolt

      After-Action Report: Introduction

TABLE  OF CONTENTS

After-Action Report:
Introduction

Exercise Objectives

Summary of Findings

Recommendations

Appendix 1: Participants

Appendix 2:
Evaluation
Objective1:Resource
Objective2:Purchasing
Objective3:Technical
Objective4:Communication
Objective5:PIO

Appendix 3:
Detailed Findings
General Comments
Staffing
Training
ECC Systems
Operations
Resource Management
Planning
Technical Information
Communications
Public Information

Complete Report
(no photos/navigation)

 


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Exercise Overview

Clark Regional Communications Agency (CRCA) conducted an Emergency Coordination Center (ECC) functional exercise on September 18, 2000, from 10 am –3 pm. Approximately 90 persons participated in the execution of this exercise. (See Appendix 1 for lists of participants).  This exercise fulfilled an annual requirement for grant funding which partially underwrites (14%) the emergency management services of CRCA.

Picture of ECC activation
The ECC was fully activated for the September 18 exercise

A flooding and landslide scenario tested emergency plans. The scenario was selected for several reasons:

  • Flooding is the most frequently recurring and costly natural disaster experienced in our community; the skills and resources needed for this exercise are very likely to be needed in the future.
  • A new flood response plan is under development for the region; this scenario   worked different aspects of that plan, and uncovered areas for expansion or improvement of the plan.
  • We have been designated as a FEMA Project Impact community, eligible to receive a \$300,000.00 grant to reduce the damage and losses from natural hazards; based on our Hazard Identification and Vulnerability Assessment, flooding and landslide hazards will be addressed; this exercise was expected to help identify additional mitigation projects.
  • A March 2001 regional emergency management exercise will use a scenario involving failure of Grand Coulee Dam; lessons learned from this exercise will be applicable to that scenario as well.

County hydrology experts, GIS technicians, Pacificorp dam representatives, and the ARES/RACES river monitors injected technical information into the exercise for an added level of realism. C-Tran and the North Country Area Coordination Center, both represented in the ECC exercise, also dovetailed simultaneous internal drills at their own agencies to test related emergency plans.

The exercise began with a slow progression of flooding conditions to test emergency management capacity to incorporate technical information into long-range planning and to test the other Exercise Objectives.  A large water release from Bonneville dam then resulted in a more emergent flooding response, including mass evacuations and consequence management.

(See Summary of Findings for overview of ECC performance.)

Picture of Lewis River
Lewis River remote river monitoring site

 

For further information/discussion on this report, please call (360) 737-1911 to speak with Deborah Needham (Ext. 3962) or John Wheeler (Ext. 3941) at Clark Regional Communications Agency. E-mail comments to deborah.needham@co.clark.wa.us. Click here to view the main web page.