Harrisburg AAR

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After Action Report TABLE OF CONTENTS 2. Executive Summary 3. Operation Overview 3. Operation Summary 5. Transportation, Staging, Volunteers 6. EOC Coordination, Logistics 7. Mission Objectives 8. Equipment, Safety, Security, Medical 9. Communication, new and old Media Harrisburg 2012 (Five State Response)

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Harrisburg AAR

Transcript of Harrisburg AAR

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 After  Action  Report  

   TABLE OF CONTENTS

2.  Executive  Summary  

3.  Operation  Overview  

3.  Operation  Summary  

5.  Transportation,  Staging,  

Volunteers  

6.  EOC  Coordination,  Logistics  

7.  Mission  Objectives  

8.  Equipment,  Safety,  Security,  

Medical  

9.  Communication,  new  and  

old  Media  

 

 Harrisburg  2012  (Five  State  Response)  

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TEAM  RUBICON,  Harrisburg  After  Action  Report  

   

EXECUTIVE  SUMMARY      

On  February  29th,  2012,  an  EF4  tornado  touched  down  and  caused  extensive  damage  in  Harrisburg,  IL,  damaging  and  outright  destroying  dozens  of  homes  and  commercial  buildings.    Part  of  a  larger  storm  system,  the  Harrisburg  tornado  was  one  of  several  that  TR  responded  to.    At  the  time,  it  was  the  only  one  in  Region  5,  thus  prompting  a  local,  R5-­‐led  recovery  effort.  

 The  scope  of  the  disaster  prompted  TR  to  act  immediately.    Region  5  leadership  worked  with  TR  

HQ  to  plan  the  mission  while  still  on  the  road  to  conduct  the  initial  site  assessment.    Once  on  the  ground,  a  small  2-­‐man  assessment  team  worked  with  adjacent  relief  agencies  such  as  Disaster  Relief  And  Disaster  Training  (DRADT)  and  Operation  Blessing  to  plan  and  integrate  a  TR  mission  into  the  local  authorities  relief  plan.  

    Once  committed,  TR  quickly  mobilized  and  deployed  volunteers  from  Region  5  to  Harrisburg.    Due  to  both  credibility  and  effective  networking  efforts,  TR  was  allowed  behind  the  police  cordon  to  operate  in  the  DZ  two  days  before  the  formal,  local  authority  sponsored  relief  effort  began.    With  12  TR  volunteers,  the  TR  Harrisburg  mission  accomplished  the  following:    

• Conducted  initial  site  recon,  established  TR  objectives  in  tornado  stricken  areas  of  Harrisburg,  IL.  • Established  firm  relationships  with  local  and  state  police  representatives,  as  well  as  adjacent  

relief  organizations.  • Established  rally  points  and  bed-­‐down  locations  for  incoming  TR  volunteers.  • Conducted  3  days  of  TR  relief  operations  in  tornado  stricken  area.  • Provided  interviews  to  ABC  News.  

Additionally,  during  TR  Harrisburg,  another  tornado  touched  down  in  the  vicinity  of  Henryville,  IN.    While  Region  5  was  focused  in  on  Harrisburg,  a  TR  response  team  was  organized  and  launched  by  TR  Region  3.    Nevertheless,  by  day  4  of  TR  Harrisburg,  adjacent  relief  efforts  were  progressed  enough  that  the  majority  of  the  TR  Harrisburg  volunteers  were  able  to  disengage  and  be  re-­‐deployed  to  assist  in  TR  Henryville.       The  primary  lessons  learned  from  TR  Harrisburg  involve  improving  command  and  control,  with  both  physical  assets  as  well  as  a  standardization  of  chain  of  command  and  delegation  procedures.    Regarding  physical  assets,  the  mission  pointed  to  the  need  of  a  mobile  command  and  control  center,  similar  to  the  RV’s  used  by  DRADT  and  Operation  Blessing.    In  conjunction  with  that,  the  transfer  of  volunteers  to  TR  Henryville  illustrated  the  need  to  standardize  chain  of  command  and  delegation  procedures.    Though  ultimately  the  problems  were  resolved,  there  were  initially  several  personality-­‐driven  friction  problems  when  the  TR  Harrisburg  volunteers  were  integrated  with  TR  Henryville.       Nonetheless,  with  minimal  planning  and  notification,  TR  Harrisburg  was  a  resounding  success.    Along  with  the  concurrent  TR  missions  that  week,  TR  Harrisburg  served  as  a  confirmation  of  the  flexibility  and  durability  of  the  budding  TR-­‐Domestic  model  of  operations.    With  additional  fine  tuning,  the  lessons  learned  from  March  2012  will  be  incorporated  into  future  operations  to  greatly  increase  TR  functionality  and  operational  capacity.      

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TEAM  RUBICON,  Harrisburg  After  Action  Report  

Operation  Overview  

   OPERATION  NAME:   TR  Harrisburg  DURATION:   4  days  DATES:   29  Feb  –  3  Mar  2012  LOCATION:   Harrisburg,  IL  OPERATION  DIRECTIVE:   Chainsaw  Strike  Teams  ELEMENTS:   Main  body  TOTAL  VOLUNTEERS:   12            MILITARY  VETERANS:   6  (Lunkes,  McNulty,  McNulty,  McCloskey,  Niehls,  

Devore)    *NOTE:  Below  is  total  for  the  five  state  tornado  response.  That  includes  responses  in  Kansas,  Missouri,  Indiana,  and  Western  Kentucky.      FIVE  STATE  RESPONSE  TOTAL  CASH  RAISED:   $21,991.00            LESS:  CREDIT  CARD  FEES:   N/A  NET:   N/A  EXPENSES:              TRANSPORTATION:   N/A            EQUIPMENT:   N/A            FOOD:   N/A            LODGING:   N/A            AUTHORIZED  CASH  DISBURSEMENTS:   N/A  FIVE  STATE  RESPONSE  TOTAL  EXPENSES:   $14,019.00      NET  OPERATION  GAIN/  (LOSS)   $7.972.00    

Operation  Summary       TR  Harrisburg  occurred  within  a  few  weeks  of  the  establishment  of  TR  Region  5  (MN,  WI,  IL,  MI,  IN,  and  OH).    Much  of  the  work  that  went  into  pre-­‐deployment  coordination  effectively  served  as  the  administrative  foundation  of  the  regional  leadership  team  itself.    All  initial  communication  between  the  Region  5  Director  of  Field  Operations  (effectively  the  TR  Harrisburg  site  lead)  and  the  TR  Harrisburg  volunteer  force  was  fielded  through  the  TR  National  Director  of  Field  Operations,  while  all  involved  were  driving  towards  Harrisburg.    A  rally  point  was  established  in  a  cluster  of  hotels  in  nearby  Marion,  IL.    Set  directly  off  the  main  highway  (I-­‐57),  Marion  was  untouched  by  the  tornado,  yet  still  within  20  minutes  of  the  affected  areas  of  Harrisburg.           The  R5  DoFO  and  first  volunteers  to  arrive  served  as  the  TR  Harrisburg  recon  element.    Additional  volunteers  were  coordinated  remotely  by  the  Region  5  Director  of  Business  Operations  via  orgaction  and  email.    Once  in  the  vicinity  of  Marion  /  Harrisburg,  the  new  volunteers  linked  up  with  the  R5  DoFO  and  were  billeted  in  one  of  two  hotel  rooms.          

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 From  the  rally  point  in  Marion,  TR  volunteers  staged  in  a  convoy  of  5  –  6  vehicles  and  

travelled  20  minutes  east  into  Harrisburg.    The  primary  tornado-­‐affected  area  in  Harrisburg  was  a  residential  neighborhood  behind  a  large  Walmart.    The  Walmart  parking  lot  serve  as  a  convenient  assembly  area;  before  travelling  into  the  DZ,  TR  members  conducted  briefings,  walkthroughs,  and  further  consolidated  gear  so  as  to  limit  the  number  of  vehicles  necessary  to  transport  the  team  past  the  police  cordon  (space  considerations).    Daily  activities  were  determined  as  per  coordination  made  each  night  prior  with  state  and  local  authorities,  as  well  as  adjacent  relief  organizations.    Most  activities  included  clearing  fallen  trees,  placing  tarps  over  holes  in  houses,  and  assisting  residents  with  other  debris  removal.    At  the  end  of  each  day,  a  debrief  was  conducted  in  the  assembly  area,  gear  and  personnel  were  accounted  for,  and  the  team  retrograded  to  Marion  via  convoy.      When  the  mission  was  declared  complete,  TR  Harrisburg  conducted  one  final  debrief  in  Marion  before  disbanding.      

TR  Harrisburg  

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TEAM  RUBICON,  Harrisburg  After  Action  Report  

 

Anaylsis    

1.  Transportation    Summary:  With  a  few  exceptions,  every  TR  volunteer  drove  his  or  POV  to  the  Harrisburg  /  Marion  area.    Steps  were  taken  to  minimize  the  number  of  vehicles  allowed  inside  the  affected  areas  /  cordon,  but  generally  every  member  had  a  car.    Recommendation:  While  this  had  certain  advantages,  it  is  in  TR’s  best  interest  to  encourage  ride  sharing.    Action:    -­‐Short  term:  facilitate  ride  sharing  amongst  volunteers  (OrgAction  feature?).  Long  term:  establish  TR  “node  cities,”  volunteers  drive  /  park  there,  bus  to  disaster  location    

2.  Staging  Area    Summary:  TR  staging  area  was  divided  between  the  rally  point  (Marion  Hotels),  and  an  assembly  area  immediately  outside  the  DZ  (Walmart  parking  lot).    Approximate  travel  time  between  was  20  minutes.    Recommendation:    Emergency  C2  increases  with  proximity  to  the  DZ;  recommend  future  staging  occur  as  close  as  possible  to  the  DZ.    Also,  staging  area  must  include  ample  space  to  park  POVs,  conduct  briefings,  rehearsals,  etc.    Action:    -­‐Utilize  mobile  command  center  vehicles  (trailers  /  RVs  /  vans)  to  berth  key  personnel  as  close  as  possible  to  the  DZ.  Expand  berthing  options  to  include  camping  and  other  expeditionary  options.    

3.  Volunteers    Summary:  12  TR  volunteers  were  sourced  from  4  of  the  6  States  that  comprise  TR  R5.    2  were  recruited  on  site  (1  Air  Force  veteran,  1  Corrections  Officer).    The  number  could  have  been  greater,  however,  there  was  no  clear  protocol  regarding  mileage  and  expense  reimbursement,  which  limited  the  number  of  volunteers  fielded.    Additionally,  task  organization  of  volunteers  was  in  flux  for  most  of  the  mission.  Recommendation:  Mileage  and  Expenses  protocol  MUST  BE  STANDARDIZED  for  use  by  team  leaders.    Team  leaders  must  improve  /  accelerate  task  organization  of  incoming  volunteers.    Action:  -­‐TR  HQ  standardizes  mileage  and  expense  protocol.  Future  TR  mission  leaders  establish  task  organization  as  early  as  possible.  Continue  to  recruit  local  veterans  to  TR  (they  are  highly  motivated  /  serve  as  excellent  guides).    

             

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4.  EOC  Coordination    Summary:  TR  Harrisburg’s  initial  EOC  coordination  was  conducted  through  contacts  we  made  through  DRADT.    Though  we  were  given  generous  access  to  local  authorities,  it  was  brokered  through  a  3rd  party  relief  organization.    A  key  observation  was  made  that  DRADT  had  little  more  legitimacy  or  “right”  to  act  in  such  role  than  TR.    When  asked  how  they  achieved  this,  DRADT  personnel  pointed  at  their  mobile  C2  vehicle  (an  RV  with  their  logo  on  it)  and  stated  “when  you  roll  into  town  with  something  like  this,  people  usually  take  you  seriously.”    Recommendation:  TR  must  continue  to  develop  the  civic  and  political  contacts  necessary  to  liaison  with  EOCs  at  the  top  level,  while  also  improving  on-­‐site  command  presence.        Action:   -­‐Continue  to  develop  civic  and  political  contacts  necessary  to  be  able  to  liaison  with  EOCs  at  top  level.  Acquire  and  utilize  DRADT  style  mobile  C2  assets  and  capabilities.  

 5.  Logistics    

 Summary:  Major  logistic  requirements  included  the  acquisition  and  fielding  of  TR  t-­‐shirts,  equipment  (tarps,  chainsaws,  safety  gear),  and  incidentals  (chow,  water,  etc.).    Most  acquisition  was  conducted  during  pre-­‐deployment;  fielding  occurred  efficiently  during  mission  briefs  in  the  assembly  area.    Additionally,  volunteers  were  enthusiastic  about  bringing  and  fielding  their  own  equipment.    Incidentals  

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such  as  chow  and  water  were  mainly  acquired  from  groups  offering  supplies  to  volunteers  (Home  Depot,  Walmart).  

 Recommendation:    TR  R5  will  continue  to  cache  supplies  and  improve  its  logistical  capabilities.    Action:    -­‐Inventory  all  existing  R5  supplies,  create  manifest  for  logistic  considerations  of  future  deployments.  Create  logistical  flowchart,  utilize  future  operations.    

6.  Mission  Objectives    Summary:  Mission  objectives  for  each  day  were  established  the  night  prior  via  coordination  with  adjacent  relief  organizations;  they  were  then  briefed  each  morning  to  volunteers  in  the  assembly  area  (Walmart  parking  lot),  utilizing  an  improvised,  TR  version  of  SMEAC.    Recommendation:  Briefing  of  mission  objectives  was  fairly  efficient  given  the  constantly  changing  nature  of  relief  operations.    The  briefing  of  mission  objectives  could  be  improved  upon  though,  by  standardizing  briefing  protocol  for  all  TR  volunteers.    Action:  -­‐TR  HQ  retools  and  simplifies  SMEAC  for  TR  use.  

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7.  Equipment    Summary:  Equipment  needs  for  TR  Harrisburg  varied,  however  the  most  consistently  used  items  included  chainsaws,  pick-­‐axe  tools,  and  tarps.    After  debriefing  with  the  TR  Harrisburg  volunteers,  the  primary  consensus  recommendation  regarding  equipment  was  to  designate  an  “armorer,”  someone  who  was  highly  proficient  with  equipment  use  /  safety  /  maintenance  /  etc.    Recommendation:  Integrate  equipment  recommendation  into  volunteer  task  organization,  continue  to  stockpile  and  field  viable  equipment.      Action:  -­‐Designate  armorer  in  future  TR  missions.  Include  equipment  considerations  in  R5  inventory  assessments.    

8.  Safety    Summary:  Overall,  safety  considerations  aboard  TR  Harrisburg  were  taken  seriously  by  all  TR  volunteers;  the  limited  size  of  the  volunteer  force  enabled  safety  issues  to  be  managed  and  mitigated  with  minimum  effort.    Recommendation:  Larger  operations  will  require  greater  adherence  to  safety  principles.    If  not  already  done  so,  TR  HQ  could  improve  safety  by  publishing  a  simple  /  simplistic  safety  ditty  for  all  members  to  recite  at  TR  mission  briefs  before  operating  (akin  to  the  “4  weapons  safety  rules”  on  a  Marine  Corps  rifle  range).    Action:  -­‐TR  HQ  publishes  a  cardinal  “4  TR  Safety  Rules.”  Future  TR  mission  leaders  designate  a  safety  officer  during  task  delegation  /  volunteer  organization.    

9.  Security    Summary:  Security  concerns  were  minimal.        Recommendation:  Given  the  heavy  police  presence,  it  is  advised  that  TR  continue  to  work  with  /  rely  upon  local  authorities  for  security  considerations.    Action:    -­‐Continue  to  work  with  /  rely  upon  local  authorities  for  security  considerations.  Reinforce  TR  disapproval  of  bringing  personal  weapons  (knives  larger  than  pocket  size;  firearms)  into  a  DZ.    NOTE*  no  one  brought  personal  weapons  to  TR  Harrisburg,  however,  it  is  easy  to  anticipate  this  occurring  in  the  future.    

10.  Medical    Summary:  All  casualties  were  treated  an  evacuated  by  local  authorities  before  the  arrival  to  TR  volunteers.    Recommendation:  Though  most  casualties  will  be  found  /  assessed  /  treated  /  evacuated  before  the  onset  of  TR  operations,  TR  should  continue  to  encourage  medical  /  first  aid  training  amongst  volunteers  

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for  the  sake  of  TR  volunteers  conducting  relief  efforts,  as  well  as  for  the  possibility  that  additional  casualties  should  occur.  

 Action:    -­‐Continue  to  encourage  medical  training  for  TR  volunteers.  Incorporate  medical  officer  into  mission  task  organization.    

11.  Communication    Summary:  Thankfully,  cell  phone  reception  was  perfect  ivo  Harrisburg,  despite  the  storm  damage.    Recommendation:  Given  the  strong  unlikelihood  of  every  mission  having  perfect  cell  phone  service,  investment  should  be  made  into  alternate  comm  systems  (radios,  radio  repeaters,  field  phones,  etc.).    Action:   -­‐Invest  in  secondary  comm  gear.  Integrate  comm  issues  into  pre-­‐deployment  planning.    

12.  Media,  traditional      Summary:  TR  Harrisburg  gave  1  interview  to  ABC;  all  interview  subjects  were  supervised  by  TR  VP  William  McNulty.    Recommendation:  Provide  traditional  media  protocol  and  training  to  deploying  TR  team  leaders.    Action:  -­‐Provide  traditional  media  protocol  and  training  to  deploying  TR  team  leaders.  Always  designate  a  “face-­‐of-­‐the-­‐mission,”  not  necessarily  a  team  leader;  someone  that  is  articulate  and  fits  the  mold  of  a  TR  veteran  volunteer.    

13.  Media,  New    Summary:  New  media  updates  were  broadcast  via  facebook  and  orgaction.    Most  were  done  via  a  laptop,  hooked  up  to  a  car  battery,  tethered  to  the  internet  through  an  iPhone  mobile  hotspot.    Recommendation:  New  Media  capabilities  will  be  greatly  enhanced  by  increased  mobile  C2  capabilities.  Action:  -­‐Continue  to  increase  mobile  C2    capabilities.  Acquire  and  field  equipment  necessary  for  enhanced  new  media  exploitation  (vehicle  A/C  adapters  capable  of  powering  a  laptop;  aircard,  Thuriya  satellite  IP,  or  other  device  capable  of  establishing  remote  internet  connection).