After Action Review Hurricane Season 2004

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After Action ReviewHurricane Season 2004

• Nashville,TN
• April 5-7

2
December 9 10, 2004 Tucson, AZ After
Action Review (AAR)

• What did we set out to do?
• What actually happened?
• Why did it happen?
• What are we going to do next?

3
What did we set our to do?

• Provide procurement support to IMTs, and support
  their ability to complete the mission assignment.

4
What Actually Happened and Why?

• Hurry up and wait
• BTs that did not meet National standards
• Disaster shock
• Competing with local population for supplies
• Resistance from vendors to accept EERAs
• Did not understand FEMA or their command
  structure
• FEMA Locked supplies

5
What Actually Happened and Why? Cont.

• Poor in briefings or less than complete
• Poor close outs and transitions
• FEMA and Land Use Agreements
• Vehicles, ADs, driving requirements
• Multiple hurricanes, retreating, returning, etc
• FEMA caches and locations?
• Communications / Miscommunications?

6
What Actually Happened and Why? Cont.

• Coordination with FEMA
• Collocation of IMT and BT
• Safety first, travel caravans
• Effective BT networks
• Cell phone use / payment inconsistent
• Who is in charge?

7
What Do We Want to Do Next Time?Sustain

• Pre-position BTs
• 72 hour kits, potential local impact
• Use Credit Cards
• Encourage BT resourcefulness
• Continue daily conference call
• Continue co-location of BT IMT
• Safety first

8
What Do We Want to Do Next Time?Improve

• Qualified BT coordinator assigned to SAC in
  Atlanta
• Southern Region Mob Center will prepare 72 hour
  kits and have them ready to deploy
• Insure the incoming BT meet National Standards
• Special issues, traumatized people, communities,
  cultural factors
• FEMA training for BTs
• Retreat close out. Start over upon return.

9
FEMA has ten regional offices, and two area
offices. Each region serves several states, and
regional staff work directly with the states to
help plan for disasters, develop mitigation
programs, and meet needs when major disasters
occur.

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REGION IV

• The Regional Office is located on 3003 Chamblee
  -Tucker Road in northeast Atlanta, Georgia, just
  off I-85.
• Serves the eight southeastern states of Alabama,
  Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, North
  Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee, Region IV
  is FEMA's largest geographic region.
• During a Presidential Disaster Declaration, in
  addition to its 115 full-time employees, the
  Region can draw from a cadre of over 550 Disaster
  Assistance Employees or "reservists" experienced
  in areas ranging from the delivery of disaster
  assistance to public information and more.

11
FEMA activities conducted through Emergency
Support Functions (ESF)

• ESF 1 Transportation
• ESF 2 Communications
• ESF 3 Public Works and Engineering
• ESF 4 Firefighting
• ESF 5 Information and Planning
• ESF 6 Mass Care
• ESF 7 Resource Support
• ESF 8 Health and Medical Services
• ESF 9 Urban Search and Rescue
• ESF 10 Hazardous Materials
• ESF 11 Food
• ESF 12 Energy

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ESF 4, regardless of actual mission

• Primary responsibility of the U.S. Forest Service
• Including the National wildland fire agencies
• BIA, BLM, NPS, FWS
• State and local fire organizations
• State Emergency Organization

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Emerging threat is identified

• Emergency Support Team (EST) begins strategic
  planning (includes representatives of all ESF
  functions)
• Begins to pre-position resources to respond to
  pending emergencies
• Places IMT and BT on call even though the actual
  mission is still unknown

14
Situation Progresses

• FEMA Regional Operations Center (ROC) is formed
  and assess needs for responders, food, equipment,
  and other resources.
• Once the ROC is established the EST closes down
  and the ROC assumes those duties.
• FEMA begins placing mission assignments through
  the ESF functions
• This effort is conducted on FEMA SURGE funds,
  which come directly out of FEMA project funds.

15
USFS Regional Operations

• USFS maintains the ESF4 desk at the ROC and
  provides
• Care and feeding for IMTs
• Needed staging support
• Preparations within the USFS region
• Preparation for other factors

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Disaster Occurs

• State and local resources respond to the
  emergency and are overwhelmed.
• Governor of state issues a Declaration of
  Emergency to request federal assistance.
• The President declares an emergency and releases
  funds to FEMA to handle the emergency. All
  activities are then charged to response funding
  and not FEMA project dollars.
• A Presidential declaration can occur before a
  disaster occurs.

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Disaster Field Office (DFO)

• DFO is established by the ROC in the affected
  state to coordinate response activities
• DFO assumes responsibility for response and with
  a full ESF staff.
• ROC closes down once the DFO is established.
• The ESF 4 at the DFO with the USFS Regional
  Operations tasks the IMT for a specific mission
  assignment based on need.

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IMT BT on call and/ or in staging

• No job, no funding, no participation in mission
  assignment, no participation in location or
  logistics. This is not a fire.
• Only limited Surge (project) FEMA funding
• Waiting for FEMA EST transition to ROC,
  transition to DFO, Governor request to President,
  disaster to occur, DFO mission assignment to ESF
  4, USFS communication of mission assignment to
  IMT

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Visual Flow Chart
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The making of a mission assignment with ESF4

• FEMA submits an Action Request Form (ARF) to the
  ESF 4, can you guys do this?
• ESF 4 determines if the request is within to
  scope and mission of the USFS.
• ESF 4 takes request to management and field to
  make decision and place any restrictions on
  operation.
• ESF4 makes quick cost estimate and gives that to
  FEMA.
• FEMA then develops a Mission Assignment Form
  (MAF).
• The MAF with the FEMA comptrollers signature on
  it is the authorization to release funding.
• FEMA develops the actual task order.

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IMT and BT Can Dos

• With O report to staging location
• With O have vehicle, if listed on original order
• With O have cell phone, if listed on original
  order
• Have provided meals or per diem
• Have provided lodging
• Enjoy the local staging area sights and sounds
• Watch the weather channel
• Contribute to the Elvis sightings

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IMT Can Not Dos

• Spend or obligate ANY funds, dollars, money
  without specific Mission assignment or Surge
  authority
• Put vehicle on purchase card or acquire vehicle
  not on original resource order (O)
• Acquire cell phone or use personal cell phone not
  on original resource order (O)
• Send advance team to proposed mission locations
• Issue S without specific Mission assignment or
  Surge authority
• Buy necessary supplies for producing IAP
• Buy water or supplemental foods
• Buy necessary supplies for staff kits
• Buy supplies for preparedness for possible
  mission
• Rent vehicles or equipment for possible mission
• Rent rooms at possible mission location

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72 hour provisions

• Atlanta MOB center is developing and purchasing
  72 hour kits that will be prepackaged, wrapped,
  palletized and ready to load on 24 trucks
• Purchased separately by IMT only after a mission
  assignment is issued and emergency response
  funding is available. This means S are released
  to the IMT.

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Issues, opportunities ?

• IMT works for FEMA
• there is no land based incident agency so there
  are no local contacts or support resources
• FEMA staff
• may be Disaster Assistance Employees or
  "reservists" that have not worked together before
  and may not understand ICS
• There is NO host agency
• All items need to be completely closed out or
  transitioned to new team.