Bucks County ARES – Lower Bucks American Red Cross Exercise

1. Bucks County ARES – Lower Bucks American Red Cross Exercise An Integrated Training Exercise – March 12-16, 2006

2. Exercise Purpose • To provide supplemental communications to the Lower Bucks American Red Cross during a flood event in the Yardley area during NWS Severe Weather Exercise Week March 12 – 16, 2006. To also be able to pass weather relay weather and flooding conditions observed to SKYWARN Net control.

3. Exercise Objectives • Establish operations during NWS Severe Weather Exercise Week • Test Bucks ARES notification and activation procedures. • Coordinate and assist Lower Bucks Red Cross with multi-operational and multi-agency communications. • Establish communications at multiple sites within 2 hours. • Demonstrate BCARES interoperability with multiple served agencies: working with Lower Bucks Red Cross, County Emergency Management; Township Emergency Management, NWS/SKYWARN and Local Hospitals as well as “out of county” emergency and public agencies. • Demonstrate GPS tracking (APRS) and text messaging as a disaster assessment tool. • Test the LB Red Cross UHF commercial radio equipment. • Formally evaluate and assess the exercise.

4. IS-139 Exercise Design Considerations • Controller – Bucks EOC - Net Control Station • Simulator – TBD or as planned in this presentation • Evaluators – Harris Stein-E.C., BCARES • Jason Bauer, Harford Drexler, Bob Nice - BCARES Section A.E.C.’s • Red Cross Liaison – Keller Taylor • Training Coordinator – Chris McCormick

5. Narrative • Severe weather affecting the entire area. • Flooding along the Delaware River. • Yardley and surrounding area significantly impacted.

6. Lower Bucks Red Cross responding to flooding in the Yardley area with resources for community care, mass sheltering and victim information gathering.

8. LBARC information post set-up at Yardley Community Center

10. Yardley Fire House EOC on-site emergency operations center and staging area.

12. LBARC shelter set-up at Pennwood Middle School for providing help and mass care for those victims displaced.

14. Falls Township EOC on standby with additional emergency resources.

16. Hospital X on standby for victim injuries, trauma, mass careand medical support.

18. Bucks County EMA in Ivyland has been activated to support Township operations and pooling, preparing additional inventoried resources for eventual deployment if requested.

19. Exercise General Layout

20. Detailed Map - East

21. Detailed Map - West

22. LB ARC UHF Communications General Map

23. LB ARC UHF Communications Detailed Map

24. Operations – BCARES Call Out – 147.090 Repeater • 1 – Net Control Station Operator • 2 – Operators needed at Lower Bucks ARC • 1 – Operator to Yardley Community Center • 1 – Operator to Yardley Fire House/Local EOC • 1 - Operator to Falls Township EOC • 1 – Operator to Hospital “X” – Em. Room Area • 1 – Operator to Shelter Operation • 1 – Operator to Bucks Co. EOC - Ivyland • 1 – Operator-Damage Assessment (APRS/GPS) • 1 – Operator-Relay Station/Cross Band Mobile • Additional assignments to be determined with additional manpower volunteer resources.

25. Operations – Lower Bucks ARC HQ • Provide communications between Red Cross HQ and Red Cross field sites • Establish communications between Red Cross HQ and Bucks EMA, Ivyland. • Test additional communication modes including voice and digital.

26. Operations – Yardley • Establish a Cross-Band repeater at Pennwood Middle School Red Cross Shelter • UHF Side for Downtown Yardley Tactical Locations • Yardley Community Center • Yardley – Makefield Firehouse EOC • VHF Side for Repeater 147.090 Communications • Attempt VHF side with Simplex Communications with Lower Bucks Red Cross HQ • Utilize APRS/GPS Mobile to simulate disaster assessment team.

27. Yardley Cross-Band Repeater Hospital “X” 147.090 Repeater Falls Twp EOC Fairless Hills Repeater and Alt Simplex Relay Bucks County EOC Ivyland Alt. Simplex Relay Pennwood MS Red Cross Shelter UHF/VHF Repeater Alt. Simplex Lower Bucks Red Cross HQ Levittown Alt. Simplex Direct Priority Channel Priority Channel Yardley Community Center UHF Yardley – Makefield FD/EOC UHF Damage Assessment APRS/GPS Mobile UHF

28. LB Red Cross UHF Test Lower Bucks Red Cross HQ Levittown Fairless Hills UHF Commercial Repeater Site Yardley Community Center LB ARC UHF Pennwood MS Red Cross Shelter LB ARC UHF Yardley – Makefield FD/EOC LB ARC UHF Damage Assessment APRS/GPS Mobile LB ARC UHF

29. Graphics by - Loring Kutchins W3QA EPA Asst SEC, Digital ARES Digital Network Management Team VHF Radio VHF Radio VHF Radio Data Interface Data Interface Data Interface APRS/GPS Damage Assessment Ham Computer APRS DIGI LB ARC HQ Mobile DA Team

30. Operations – Yardley FD EOC • Provide communications between the Yardley FD EOC and the Community Center (LB ARC Information Center) • Provide a means of communications between the Yardley EOC and Bucks County EOC • Utilize and test the LB ARC Commercial UHF equipment

31. Operations – Yardley Community Center • Provide communications between the Community Center (LB ARC Information Center) and LB ARC HQ • Provide communications between the Community Center and Yardley EOC • Utilize and test the LB ARC Commercial UHF equipment

32. Operations – Pennwood MS Shelter • Provide cross-band capabilities between UHF (Yardley tactical locations) and VHF 147.090 • Be prepared to provide and effectively operate cross-band capabilities between UHF (Yardley tactical locations) and VHF Simplex • Utilize Falls Township EOC for Relay on Simplex if necessary. • Utilize and test the LB ARC Commercial UHF equipment

33. Operations – Falls Twp EOC • Standby for Falls Twp EMA activation due to flooding • Be prepared for Simplex Relay for Yardley locations

34. Operations – LB Red Cross HQ • Be prepared for Simplex Relay for Yardley locations • Provide administration communications to Bucks EOC • Utilize and test the LB ARC Commercial UHF equipment

35. Operations – Hospital “X” • Standby for any health and welfare traffic from affected area. • Establish communications links between Hospital X, Emergency Management Agencies and Red Cross.

36. Operations – Bucks Co. EOC • Establish communications links and monitor events in Lower Bucks County • Pass information and data from Crisis Area to County EOC Officials • Mobilize additional ARES resources for possible deployment and relief. • Establish tactical ARES Net – Frequency TBD • Establish Digital Operations (Winlink/APRS)

37. Operations – APRS/GPS Damage Assessment Mobile • Provide location information utilizing APRS/GPS technology • Have available voice communications to operate on Yardley tactical UHF to cross-band repeat & County net on 147.090 when required • Utilize and test the LB ARC Commercial UHF equipment

38. Evaluation • The Evaluator will: • Determine if each objective has been accomplished • Determine how effective each objective was accomplished • Prepare formal report • Highlight successes and suggest improvements • Review with BCARES EPG and LB ARC • Present report findings at Red Cross Disaster Services Monthly Leadership Meeting • Present report findings at BCARES General Meeting