Staffing coverage for most positions in the ECC still appears to be minimal. More cadre members and more layers of redundancy in staffing plans should be considered. Although the exercise was only five hours long, and several agencies conducted shift changes to test that function, many staff were still exhausted at the end. It emphasized the importance of reliable shift relief plans, and has caused some agencies to rethink their shift length.

Members of the Operations section relax in a lighter moment

During ECC operations, it was noted that when individuals had to leave their posts they did not initially think to have someone else cover their phone for a few minutes. By the end of the exercise, though, all exercise participants had established positive working relationships with their adjacent partners and had resolved the problem of phone coverage.

ECC Reception did an excellent job of admitting only pre-authorized personnel, and tracking all entrances and exits to the ECC. Identification badges have not yet been produced for all ECC-trained personnel. This would make the reception job easier.