Southern Ohio Amateur Radio Association See the following from Lawrence County, ARES, EC. Eddie Jenkins, N8URU. The Ohio State EMA recognizes the Southern Ohio Amateur Radio Association in their newsletter.
Mike Love, WB8YKS
SOARA / ARES
Ohio Section, PIO
From the State of Ohio Emergency Management Agency
All-Hazards
Herald
January-February 2019
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Table of Contents:
• EMA’s Amatos Receives DPS’s Military Service Award
• EMA Holds 4th Quarter Public Information Exercise
• Butler County Pipeline Exercise Credited by SERC
• Martin joins Ohio EMA as Grants Branch Chief
• Local Plan Development Guidance Available on Web
• Radiological Exercise to Include 50-mile Counties
• IPAWS Outreach Continues at Sector Meetings
• Recovery Branch Plans Toolkit this Spring
• Southern Ohio Amateur Radio Association Honored
• Federal Bomb Prevention Trainings Scheduled
• Training Opportunities
EMA’s Amatos Receives DPS’s Military Service Award
Ohio EMA Watch Officer Michael Amatos, pictured at left last year in Jordan, was recently awarded the 2018 Military Service Award for his past and continued service to both state and country.
He was selected from a field of applicants by the Ohio Department of Public Safety’s Military Council, which presents the award annually during their Veterans Day celebration. This year’s celebration was held at the ODOT Auditorium, adjacent to the DPS headquarters. The theme of this year’s ceremony was “Armistice,” commemorating the 100-year anniversary of WWI’s end.
Amatos was born on Thanksgiving Day, November 22, 1990, in Columbus. He comes from a long line of military members going back to World War II. When he was growing up, Mike had a passion for history and the study of battlefields. He had always known that the Army would be something he would be a part of someday.
Amatos is currently assigned as a Senior Scout Sniper with his unit and served a combat tour to Afghanistan in 2012 and most recently a training mission with Coalition Forces to Jordan in 2017 in support of Operation Inherent Resolve, intervening against the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria.
Amatos said his enlistment has provided him with opportunities to see parts of the world he would not have otherwise been able to see. It has also afforded him many opportunities to explore and experience other cultures along the way. The people he has met during his service have become life-long friends and created a bond that you can’t get in the civilian world, he said.
The leadership and life experience he has gained has been invaluable and allowed him to acquire jobs and skills that he otherwise wouldn’t have been able to get. His supervisor, Tyler Kempf of the EMA’s Watch Office, said Mike’s professionalism, team-oriented approach, attention to detail, sense of urgency, and ability to adapt are the qualities which enable Amatos to help shape and sustain Ohio EMA’s 24/7/365 Watch Office.
Amatos continues to serve in the Ohio National Guard and with the Emergency Management Agency’s Watch Office. He currently resides in downtown Columbus.
EMA Holds 4th Quarter Public Information Exercise
On December 5, the State Emergency Operations Center (EOC) conducted a functional exercise testing information sharing within the State EOC: Public Information in a Power Outage. The exercise scenario was a localized ice storm that resulted in long-term power outages in southwest Ohio. The exercise included partners from Ohio Department of Health, the Ohio Department of Aging, and the Department of Administrative Services. Participants tested their processes for public information messaging, situational awareness, the resource requests, and emergency procurement.
One advantage of this exercise was the ability for EOC staff to gain experience in new roles, building depth. New personnel served as EOC executive leadership, DAS procurement staff, and as Operations Section Chief. The lessons learned from the exercise will be used to update future trainings and procedures.
This exercise concludes the 2018 EOC exercise calendar. Next year promises another full plate of EOC exercises with both the Davis-Besse Nuclear Power Station Ingestion Exercises (march 19-20 and April 16-17) and Ohio National Guard Vigilant Guard Exercise (Aug.5-9) designed to improve interoperability between agencies in disaster situations.
Butler County Pipeline Exercise Credited by SERC
The Butler County Local Emergency Planning Committee (LEPC) 2018 Full-Scale Exercise, held at Camp Campbell Gard and the Kaden’s Cove Yacht Club, was a massive undertaking, including 200 participants and observers representing more than 50 organizations across five disciplines. Exercise play consisted of four hours of play in five interconnected exercise streams.
Testing an emergency response to a simulated pipeline release in the area of the Great Miami River, first responders and officials from several local and state agencies and departments worked to mitigate the effects of the simulated release. These mitigation efforts were focused into five exercise areas: unified command, water/hazmat response, emergency medical services, mass care sheltering and hospitals.
The Butler County Full-Scale Exercise, held in late September, was “the first simulated pipeline release for SERC credit in Ohio,” said Phil Clayton, Ohio EMA’s Southwest Regional Supervisor.
The Unified Command for the exercise consisted of officials from local fire and law enforcement jurisdictions that would be impacted by the simulated release as well as local and state agencies, contractors and employees of Enterprise Products, the owner of the pipeline and our partners for the exercise. The Unified Command was responsible for directing mitigation efforts on the river and for coordinating with other communities and responders simulated downstream. The Unified Command worked to ensure that the first responders working on the river were provided with the resources they needed to mitigate the effects of the release.
The Water/HazMat response participants worked with contractors from Clean Harbors to string collection and containment booms across the Great Miami River to collect simulated product. Popcorn, provided to the Butler County LEPC from local movie theater AMC West Chester 18, was used to simulate a Jet A kerosene release. Water/HazMat response participants also participated in simulated water rescues, using a mannequin to simulate a worker who had become overwhelmed by the vapors from the product.
Local EMTs and paramedics from St. Clair Township/New Miami Life Squad were on scene to respond to any real-world emergencies and to participate in EMS simulations. Medical simulation crews from UC Health and the Kettering Health Network were on site for the exercise and walked EMS professionals through a simulated medical patient scenario consistent with the exercise scenario. EMTs and paramedics who participated in the simulations were able to receive EMS continuing education units for their participation thanks to Butler Tech.
The American Red Cross (ARC) was on site to establish a simulated Mass Care Shelter. The ARC practiced establishing a shelter twice in an effort to provide their newer staff with multiple opportunities to gain experience. Christ Hospital also provided a medical simulation scenario for ARC staff to simulate an ill shelter resident. The ARC crews also established a canteen and provided drinks and snacks to participants and observers, and participated as liaisons to the Unified Command.
McCullough-Hyde Memorial Hospital participated as staff exercised their internal policies and procedures for receiving contaminated patients. McCullough-Hyde simulated receiving a patient and two EMTs who needed fine decontamination after arrival at the facility.
Martin joins Ohio EMA as Grants Branch Chief
Geoffrey Martin is the new Grants Branch Chief at Ohio EMA. In his new role, Martin plans to “expand and improve the communication process with the county directors and sub-grantees and to provide them with better knowledge and training to ensure the grant administration process on their end operates as smoothly as possible,” he said. “I would like them to view us as a resource in building the necessary infrastructure for preparedness in their communities.”
Martin grew up in Bedford, Ohio. He graduated from Kent State in 1992 with a degree in criminal justice and received a Master’s in Business Administration from Franklin University in 2003. A former felony probation officer, Martin was Director of Community Education for a non-profit agency from 2005-2010. From 2010 until this year, he owned Martin Consulting, a safety consulting company serving the mining industry in North America and South America. He lives in Wooster with his wife Rosanne and 4-year-old daughter Hadley.
Local Plan Development Guidance Available on Web
Ohio EMA recently updated the state’s Plan Development and Review Guidance (PDRG), which can be accessed on Ohio EMA’s website. Chapter Two of this guidance document is the Plan Development and Review Checklist (PDRC), which is a checklist of planning considerations that are recommended to be included in a local/county jurisdiction’s Emergency Operations Plan. The PDRC incorporates key tasks from FEMA’s Core Capability Development Sheets, and provides a list of minimum standards. The changes to the checklist do not necessitate modification of a county’s EOP format; it is recommended to continue to use the EOP format that is most effective for your jurisdiction. The PDRC can be used as a tool to assist in the ongoing development, and periodic review and update of county EOPs and associated plans.
The PDRC addresses a broad range of planning elements to assist jurisdictions in organizing and documenting their response before, during, and after an emergency or disaster. Jurisdictions should address enough of the PDRC’s elements to ensure that their EOP will be a helpful guide for their emergency response. It is critical that jurisdictions continually engage their local planning partners in the EOP development and update process. Using the PDRC as a development guide for the creation of the local EOP and associated plans will ensure that key planning elements are addressed, and will assist in the identification of emergency response gaps.
A comprehensive set of plan development guidance for local jurisdictions can be accessed at: https://www.ema.ohio.gov/LocalEOP.aspx.
If you have any questions regarding the PDRG, PDRC, or county EOP review process please contact Heather Byers: hnbyers@dps.ohio.gov, (614) 799-3830.
Radiological Exercise to Include 50-mile Counties
Looking to 2019, Ohio EMA’s Radiologic Branch has a very full calendar of exercises, planning, and training. What’s different this year? The ingestion pathway exercise (held once every eight years) include counties up to 50-miles from the Davis-Bessie Nuclear Power Station (DBNPS). The two-day event will be the first time for a large majority of the people on the team who weren’t involved last time an ingestion zone exercise occurred in 2010.
As with all radiologic exercises, this too will have the Joint Information Center, Executive Staff, Assessment and Dose Assessment playing as well as most Emergency Support Function partners responding to the scenario. However, an ingestion zone exercise includes a second day of exercise play with the Ingestion Zone Reentry Return Advisory Group (IZZRAG) to fulfill the post plume phase.
The more involved exercise planning starts this month with a federal outreach meeting January 16, where federal partners come to Ohio to discuss what they bring to the ingestion exercise. Other key dates include the DBNPS Systems and Dose training on February 20, followed by the dry run drill on March 19 and 20. The week of April 15-19 is the graded FEMA Ingestion Exercise. Anyone interested in any further information should conact EMARad@dps.ohio.gov.
IPAWS Outreach Continues at Sector Meetings
Over the course of the last year, serious discussions and even congressional hearings have been taking place related to proper Emergency Alerts System/Integrated Public Alert and Warning System/Wireless Emergency Alerts (EAS/IPAWS/WEA) message generation and dissemination.
The Ohio EMA Communications Branch is currently in the process of participating in IPAWS information sharing and best practice discussions at EMAO Sector meetings. The goal of these discussions is to provide a fundamental overview of IPAWS, facilitate information sharing between County EMAs that are looking to become IPAWS certified and those that are already IPAWS certified and provide resources and best practices related to crafting an effective IPAWS/WEA message.
Ohio EMA is able to send an IPAWS message on behalf of a county or group of counties if the need arises. However, being certified at the county level will greatly reduce the response time required to transmit a message. FEMA is reporting that as of December 3rd, Ohio currently has 36 counties that are IPAWS certified with nine more applications in process. Detailed information on how to become IPAWS certified can be found at https://www.fema.gov/how-sign-ipaws .
Recovery Branch Plans Toolkit this Spring
The Disaster Recovery Branch will enter the new year with lots of exciting work ahead. In late spring, the branch will publish a Local Long Term Recovery Committee Toolkit, thanks to local government and non-governmental organization partners that assisted Brigitte Bouska as she put this toolkit together.
As the State Voluntary Agency Liaison, Brigitte is available to assist with local long term recovery planning efforts. Libby Wiegel is working to update the Building Inspections Chart. This chart was first published in 2010 to assist disaster survivors in understanding all of the inspections that may take place at their homes following disasters. The current Chart can be found here: https://ema.ohio.gov/Documents/DAToolbox/DA/Building%20Inspections
%20List_FINAL_April2010.pdf. If you see anything that should be include, please contact Laura Adcock at (614) 799-3667 or ladcock@dps.ohio.gov.
While the Debris Management Course Pilot was delayed to May of 2019, Brock Metzger continues to work with the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency to refine and strengthen the course. Once finalized, the course will be eight hours and will have fantastic resources for debris planning and actions needed following a disaster. Finally, based on lessons learned from implementing the Public Assistance (PA) Program following our federal disaster declaration, the branch will undertake a hefty overhaul of the OH-607 course (PA Damage Assessment and Cost Documentation). It will not be available until late spring.
The State Disaster Relief Program Handbook has not yet been published for the new year because FEMA is updating their Schedule of Equipment Rates. With that said, the per capita requirement has increased to $3.78 and is in place for disasters between October 1, 2018 through September 30, 2019.
Ohio hadn’t received a federal disaster declaration since 2013 and FEMA’s new Public Assistance Delivery Model has brought new challenges to an already challenging program. If you have any questions, please contact Adcock at (614) 799-3667 or ladcock@dps.ohio.gov.
Southern Ohio Amateur Radio Association Honored
FROM THE HUNTINGTON, W.VA. HERALD-DISPATCH
The Southern Ohio Amateur Radio Association, Inc., has a motto: “Dedicated to community service through amateur radio.” That dedication has been noticed by the American Radio Relay League, which recently presented a “Special Service Club” award to SOARA.
Scott Yonally, the Ohio Section Manager for the American Radio Relay League, presented the award to SOARA members at their Nov. 19 Christmas in November meeting and dinner at Golden Corral in Russell, Kentucky.
“The ARRL Special Service Club award is reserved for ARRL Affiliated Clubs that have met and/or exceeded the strict requirements set out by the ARRL,” Yonally said during the presentation. “One of the main requirements is a club’s dedication to public service, which is a hallmark and a mission statement component for SOARA.
“A perfect example is the Lawrence County, Ohio, Commissioners proclamation setting aside April 20, 2018, as Ham Radio Day in Lawrence County, Ohio, recognizing the members of SOARA for their dedicated service to their communities,” Yonally continued. “The Commissioners have seen the men and women of SOARA in action during declared disasters, providing communication during the Lawrence County Ironton Memorial Day Parade, Ironton Lions Club Christmas Parade, Community Events and a host of related community activities.”
Michael Boster, director of Lawrence County’s Emergency Management Agency, spoke about how vital radio communication is to public safety.
“When a disastrous event occurs in a community, clear and consistent communications is essential to protect people, property and the environment. Large emergency events are very complex, requiring the collaboration of many individuals and organizations. Lawrence County is fortunate to have a dedicated group of communications specialists, the Southeast Ohio Amateur Radio Association, or SOARA, who work officially under the Amateur Radio Relay League and help complete the communications puzzle in a disaster-stricken county. The Lawrence County Emergency Management Agency (EMA) is both proud of and grateful for these men and women who volunteer their service to our county during times of need, and as the county’s EMA Director, it is a privilege to honor and to recognize the leadership and the communicators who serve when needed.”
James Rowe, N8TVO President of SOARA, commented that SOARA, and Amateur Radio Emergency Service (ARES) are relied upon to provide emergency backup communication to Lawrence County in the event of a communications failure. However, they do so much more for the EMA as well as for the community. The members continue to train in other disciplines, such as First Aid, CPR, AED, damage assessment, hazardous materials, National Weather Service SKYWARN, incident command, fire services, and specialized Ohio EMA and FEMA training.
Federal Bomb Prevention Trainings Scheduled
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Office for Bombing Prevention (OBP) and the Center for Domestic Preparedness have partnered to provide bombing prevention awareness learning opportunities for first responders, public safety personnel, and private sector partners through Virtual Instructor-Led Training (VILT).
VILT courses provide basic bombing prevention information ranging from IED construction and classification to the terrorist attack cycle. All on-line virtual training courses are conducted with a live instructor, using the Homeland Security Information Network (HSIN) Connect feature. Participants can connect either as a HSIN member or guest (does not require a HSIN membership). VILTs are great for participants with time availability constraints as most classes are approximately one-hour in length and can be taken independently.
Classes are open to anyone. For more information and to register for a course visit the OBP VILT Schedule/Registration Page at: https://cdp.dhs.gov/obp. Select the desired course and date from the listings and you will be automatically directed to the online application process. Registration must be completed two business days prior to class start date.
Please visit the OBP VILT Schedule/Registration Page 90-day schedule.
A FEMA Student Identification (SID) number and password are required to apply. If you don’t have a FEMA SID one can be obtained by going to: https://cdp.dhs.gov/femasid/register.
For registration issues, contact CDP Student Services at indirectsupport@cdpemail.dhs.gov or (256) 847-2195 during business hours.
Please do not hesitate to contact OBP Training at OBPTraining@hq.dhs.gov with any questions.
Training Opportunities
All current trainings are listed on the Ohio EMA training calendar located at: https://webeoc.ema.state.oh.us/TrainingAndExercise/courselist.aspx
G191 ICS/EOC Interface Course, Jan. 9, Summit County
ICS-300 Intermediate ICS, Jan. 12-13 and Jan. 26, Darke County
G548 Continuity Program Manager, Jan. 15-17, Portage County
ICS-300 Intermediate ICS, Jan. 15-17, Wayne County
ICS-400 Advanced ICS, Jan. 17-18, Wayne County
G108 Community Mass Care and Emergency Assistance, Jan. 17-18, Franklin County
ICS-300 Intermediate ICS, Jan. 25-27, Lawrence County
ICS-400 Advanced ICS, Jan. 26-27, Darke County
ICS-300 Intermediate ICS, Jan. 29-31, Wood County
L-962 Planning Section Chief (PSC) Jan. 29-Feb.1, Franklin County
G191 ICS/EOC Interface course, Jan. 31, Warren County
MGT-347 ICS Forms, Feb. 5, Franklin County
ICS-300 Intermediate ICS, Feb. 5-7, Franklin County
ICS-300 Intermediate ICS, Feb. 6-8, Montgomery County
OH-230 Introduction to Emergency Management in Ohio, Feb. 11-14, Ohio EMA
ICS-400 Advanced ICS, Feb. 12-13, Wood County
G108 Community Mass Care and Emergency Assistance, Feb. 12-13, Portage County
G290/G291 Basic PIO Series, Feb. 12-14, Athens County
Auxiliary Communications (AUXCOMM) Training, Feb. 16-17, Franklin County
ICS-300 Intermediate ICS, Feb. 19-21, Trumbull County
G-557 Rapid Needs Assessment, Feb. 20, Franklin County
ICS-400 Advanced ICS, Feb. 23-24, Lawrence County
ICS-400 Advanced ICS, Feb. 26-27, Trumbull County
G-557 Rapid Needs Assessment, Feb. 20, Franklin County
ICS-400 Advanced ICS, Feb. 23-24 Lawrence County
ICS-400 Addvanced ICS, Feb. 26-27, Trumbull County
G-557 Rapid Needs Assessment, March 6, Clermont County
ICS-400 Advanced ICS, March 5-6, Franklin County
G191 ICS/EOC Interface, March 8, Franklin County
G191 ICS/EOC Interface, March 8, Vinton County
ICS-300 Intermediate ICS, March 12-14, Licking County
ICS-300 Intermediate ICS, March 13-15, Cuyahoga County
ICS-400 Advanced ICS, March 14-15, Licking County
L973 Finance/Administration Section Chief, March 19-21, Tuscarawas County
MGT-323 Instructor Development Workshop, March 19-21, Franklin County
ICS-400 Advanced ICS, March 21-22, Montgomery County,
G290/G291 Basic PIO Series April 2-4, Summit County
ICS-400 Advanced ICS, April 10-11, Cuyahoga County
OH-607 Public Assistance Cost Documentation/Damage Assessment, April 25, Tuscarawas County
ICS-300 Intermediate ICS, April 30-May 2, Summit County
OH-200 Spring Conference, April 30-May 1, Ohio EMA
ICS-300 Intermediate ICS, May 13-15, Ross County
G290-291, Basic PIO Series, May 13-15 Defiance County
L958 NIMS ICS All-Hazards Operations Section Chief, May 7-10. Franklin County
ICS-400 Advanced ICS, May 8-9, Summit County
L499 Train-the-Trainer Course, May 14-17, Franklin County
OH-202 Debris Management Workshop, May 15, Ohio EMA
OH-606 Recovery from Disaster, May 16, Warren County
ICS-400 Advanced ICS, May 16-17, Ross County
L110 Emergency Management Basic Academy (TtT), May 20-24, Ohio EMA
G235 Emergency Planning, May 21-22, Franklin County
L984 Task Force/Strike Team Leader, May 22-24, Summit County
OH-101 Managing and Developing Emergency Operations Plans (EOP), May 23, Jackson County
G386 Mass Fatalities Incident Response, June 4-5, Licking County
L959 Operations Section Chief (TtT), June 11-14, Ohio EMA
G290/G291 Basic PIO Series, June 12-14, Franklin County
ICS-400 Advanced ICS, Aug. 15-16, Tuscarawas County
G386 Mass Fatalities Incident Response, Sept. 17-18, Licking County
L101 Foundations of Emergency Management (Week 1) Sept. 16-20, Ohio EMA
L964 Situation Unit Leader, Sept. 30-Oct. 4, Tuscarawas County
ICS-300 Intermediate ICS, Oct. 1-3, Summit County
ICS-400 Advanced ICS, Oct. 9-10, Summit County
G205 Recovery from Disaster, Oct, 10-11, Ohio EMA
L101 Foundation of Emergency Management (Week 2), Oct. 21-21, Ohio EMA
L102 Science of Disaster March 16-18, 2020, Ohio EMA
L103 Planning Emergency Operations, March 19-20, 2020, Ohio EMA
L146 Homeland Security Exercise and Evaluation Program (HSEEP), June 15-16, 2020, Ohio EMA
L105 Public Information and Warning, June 17-18, 2020, Ohio EMA
Jay Carey, External Affairs Chief
Ohio Emergency Management Agency (614) 799-3695
jdcarey@dps.ohio.gov
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