Top Officials 4 Lessons Learned City of Mesa

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Top Officials 4 Lessons LearnedCity of Mesa
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Objectives

• Interoperability between Cities, County and State
  Emergency Operation Centers (EOCs).
• Interoperability between City responders.
• Response capabilities in accordance with the
  National Response Plan (NRP) and the National
  Incident Management System (NIMS)
• Strategic coordination of media (PIO)

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Underlying Themes

• Internal notification
• Coordination in the EOC
• Special needs populations
• Mental health issues
• Engage the private sector

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Play

• Mesa EOC was active for 20 hours 8, 8, 4.
• Divided into 5 4 hour Operational Periods.
• Total of 75 different people worked in the EOC
  over the 3 days.

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What to Expect?

• Gaps in our response capabilities
• Issues relating to communications
• Disaster recovery process
• The need for Continuity of Operations Plans
• (COOP)
• Human Capital Management

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What went well

• Regional Relationships
• Auto Aid System
• Use of Liaisons
• Interoperability between EOCs (later)
• Early establishment of EOC
• Public Safety personnel in EOC

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What Could Have Gone Better

• Interoperability Between EOCs (early)
• Inability to utilize available technology
• Recognition and use of available resources early
• Facility
• Training (NIMS)
• Fewer players in the EOC (learning curve)

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Player Feedback

• Exercise was well structured plausible and
  realistic.
• Stressful,intense but good learning experience
• Right people in the EOC
• Good mix of players.
• Allowed Mesa to practice capabilities
• Mesa is better prepared to deal with a
  significant event.

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Player Feedback cont

• Not enough prior training.
• Need to improve the communication system in the
  EOC. (Electronic vs. paper)
• Lack of communication in EOC.
• Facility improvements
• Thought Command would play a greater role.

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Observations

• Those that had the greatest need to understand
  the system had the least training.
• Never really dealt with the recovery aspect of
  the exercise.
• Information Officers were scrambling to receive
  and share information.
• Unlimited resources
• Emergency Management Staff used in planning

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Top Off 4 Lessons Learned

• Questions