ESF

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ESF 2 Emergency Communications Team Training
After Action Report May 20-26, 2006 Homestead
Air Reserve Base Homestead, Florida
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Discussion Topics

• Training Overview
• Overall Training Assessment
• Classroom Instruction Highlights
• Classroom Suggestions for Improvement
• Classroom Instruction Augmentation
• CPX Highlights
• CPX Suggestions for Improvement

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Training Overview

• Location
• Homestead Air Reserve Base, Florida
• May 20-26, 2006
• Attendees
• Federal Agencies
• Telecommunications Industry
• Training Included
• Classroom Instruction
• Site Visits
• Command Post Exercise (CPX)

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Overall Training Assessment

• Training week met objectives
• Prepared attendees to be an effective ECT member
• Allow more opportunity for staff networking
  between sessions
• Hands on activities should take center stage
• Off-site field trips
• CPX
• Classroom courses to be held in the morning, and
  application of the courses applied through
  exercises and simulations should be held in the
  afternoon

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Classroom Instruction Highlights

• Positive feedback on briefings
• Continue to emphasize teaching as opposed to
  briefing
• Particularly useful courses
• Comm. Assessment
• ESF 2 Comm. Support (FEMA, NORTHCOM, NIFC)
• GETS and TSP
• Local Loop Access
• Stafford Act (ARF, MA, Donation Mgmt)

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Suggestions for Improvement

• Make sure speakers are well versed in their
  subjects
• PowerPoint 101
• Spell out acronyms
• Too many slides
• Slides difficult to read, make larger

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Suggestions for Improvement (cont.)

• Less Useful Briefings
• Switching and Long Lines, SONET Ring, Microwave
  System Fundamentals portion of Transmission
  Systems
• Some of the technical information was beyond what
  was needed for the group
• Some overlap in topics was identified,
  particularly in the cable systems/fiber rings
  topic areas

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Classroom Instruction Augmentation

• FEMA structure and function
• NCC support for ESF 2 when deployed
• National, in addition to regional response
• Response to other types of disaster events
• Rotations through all desks/functions of
  operation to provide familiarity of software
  tools to be used
• Spectrum Management
• Damage Assessment on towers/antennas/cable
  systems
• Stress management/conflict resolution

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CPX Highlights

• Attendees reported CPX prepared them to be an
  effective ECT member
• Controller Injects
• Injects worked well to increase tempo and stress
  level
• Evening scenario updates and discussions

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CPX Highlights (cont.)

• Exercise particularly useful in addressing
• Operational analysis requirements
• PSAP outages, temporary mobile comm. equipment
  (e.g. SAT, LMR)
• Broadcast station outages
• ECT-F briefing requirements
• Support to telecom industry (e.g. electricity,
  fuel, access, transportation, security)
• Communications Assessment Report application
• JFO/ESF 2 management requirements
• Exercise scenario build-up provided excellent
  dialogue for what if situations

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CPX Suggestions for Improvement

• More time devoted to the exercise
• Teams be encouraged to work together throughout
  the conference
• Provide time for team discussion after the
  exercise updates
• Attendees emphasized the need to focus on
• Detailed explanation of each individuals roles
  and responsibilities
• Field team notification processes in-processing
  requirements
• Personal pre-deployment and deployment checklist
  items
• Fly-away kit break-out and set-up
• Required forms and data entry processes

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CPX Suggestions for Improvement(cont.)

• Provide hard copies of maps, updates, etc.
• Control Cell
• More people
• Better connectivity
• Better coordination of injects
• Set aside time for a team meeting after the
  exercise
• Require use of GETS cards
• Two training sessions per year

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