CLARK REGIONAL COMMUNICATIONS AGENCY 9-1-1  -  Emergency Preparedness  -  Emergency Medical Services

      Summary of Findings

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Source: These comments are drawn from exercise participants’ feedback and the evaluation team’s analysis. See Appendix 2 for information on the evaluation team and their specific comments. Appendix 3 contains a more detailed analysis of the following summaries.  See the Recommendations section for proposed solutions.

General Comments

The level of cooperation and information sharing among participants was rated highly overall. The simulation and control of the exercise proceeded smoothly, and many participants rated this as their best ECC exercise/learning experience yet. (See Appendix 3 for more details.)

 Staffing

Many agencies conducted a shift change and briefing in mid-exercise to rotate more personnel through the ECC exercise.  The Operations Section was understaffed due to uncontrollable external events. Several participants remarked on how exhausting it was to work in the ECC under pressure for even their short shift.  (See Appendix 3 for more details.)

Training

The preparatory training covered overall ECC organization, but some participants still were confused about roles of the different sections.   Several players recommended more hands-on nuts-and-bolts skills training. (See Appendix 3 for more details.)

ECC Systems

The phone-line layout on the floor was complex and time-consuming to set up.  Some equipment problems frustrated participants, but other resources were utilized and operations were not compromised. The available computer resources were not adequate to provide computer access to everyone who could have benefited from it. (See Appendix 3 for more details.)

Operations

The roundtable format worked as designed, and greatly enhanced information sharing and cooperation among the operations team. Staff substitutions and absences placed many unfamiliar responsibilities on the Operations Section Chief. The absence of fire-department expertise in Ops, and the lack of an incident action plan made it difficult to evaluate certain expected actions for resource management. (See Appendix 3 for more details.)

Resource Management

Resource management staff utilized resource directories correctly, though they were found to be inadequate.  Purchasing staff determined that it would be important to have their own vendor lists available, but without a laptop they were unable to access them to complete the purchasing process. (See Appendix 3 for more details.)

Planning

Planning section staff were stretched very thin trying manage all the information.  Plans did an excellent job of identifying and obtaining needed information from technical resources in the ECC and incorporating it into their planning. Planning was surprised by the time it took to generate technical information and maps needed for planning. (See Appendix 3 for more details.)

Technical Information

GIS, hydrology, ARES/RACES river monitor readings, and interaction with PacifiCorp representatives injected an additional and stimulating layer of realism into the exercise.  Some simulated data did not correlate with "real-world" findings. Hydrology models were less than optimal for this type of prediction.  Printing for GIS was slow, and maps were small and not distributed to everyone who might have benefited from them. These discoveries will enhance future modeling and treatment of real flooding situations.  (See Appendix 3 for more details.)

Communications

Overall, communications were accurate and managed promptly and courteously.  The microphone briefings by the ECC Manager were extremely valuable. The message form and delivery system is cumbersome and often fails to communicate important information.  The whiteboard posting system has multiple difficulties. Situation reporting was difficult due to the orientation of the computer to the whiteboard. Call-taking and dispatch are at opposite ends of the room, inhibiting information coordination between them. (See Appendix 3 for more details.)

Public Information

The section performed very well, and the exercise gave good ECC experience to several new PIOs. The PIO staff very smoothly managed a surprise drop-in visit by the television media.  They created and distributed frequent news releases.   The coordination between various agencies and the PIO staff was excellent.   Lack of priority flagging of information led to confusion about news release content.  (See Appendix 3 for more details.)

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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.