“THIS IS AN EXERCISE ... THIS IS AN EXERCISE” - Disaster Assessment Exercise
MAJ J. Michael Spraggins, TXSG Public Affairs
2009/03/31
Chaplin Fair, Brownwood City Councileman Steven Ray Brownwood Regional Medical Center and CPT Spratt Assistant Exercise Director.Photo by MAJ J. Michael Spraggins, TXSG Public Affairs
This is an exercise .... this is an exercise, are the first words that will be heard and the last, for any Mock Disaster communications radio / telephone traffic during three days in May in Brown and Comanche County, which includes the City of Brownwood, and City of Early.
A Planning session was held on 19 March, for the Disaster Assessment Exercise sponsored by the Texas State Guard (TXSG) and the Brownwood / Brown County Local Government and Columbia Regional Geospatial Service Center.
CPT Robert Spratt, HQ J3 TXSG, who lives in the Brownwood area, is OIC of the exercise. Chaplin (CPT) Dave Fair, HQ TXSG, also of Brownwood, and City Councilman, working with CPT Spratt, they were instrumental in insuring wide spread participation of local and regional governmental and non government organizations (NGO). In addition National Guard Civil Support Team Six -HAZMAT will participate in the disaster drill.
CPT Spratt is credited with completing and producing the comprehensive Disaster Assessment Exercise Plan, incorporating requirements set forth by Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), Homeland Security Exercise and Evaluation Program (HSEEP).
The TXSG will be supporting this exercise with five GPS trained Damage Assessment Teams, Communications, Command Center staff and three TXSG Texas Medical Brigade medical aid teams supporting the teams in the field.
CPT Spratt, OIC and Charles Ashton of the Columbia Regional Geospatial Center REGIONAL, brief disaster drill players.Photo by MAJ J. Michael Spraggins, TXSG Public Affairs
The purpose of this exercise is to measure and validate performance of participants’ capabilities and their associated critical tasks.
- Emergency Operations Center Management
- Communications
- Emergency Public Information and Warning
- Triage and Pre-Hospital Treatment
- Medical Surge
- Mass Care (Sheltering, Feeding, and Related Services)
- Wide Area Damage Assessment (GPS)
The TXSG will be assessing its capability and adequacy of plans for responding to and conducting Wide Area Damage Assessments. This includes land navigation, establishing waypoints and a GPS network.
Some of the participants at the planning session were:
- TXSG COL Kissel, COL C. Miller, COL R. Miller, COL Watkins, MAJ Spraggins, CPT Hollands, CW4 Sanchez
- TXANG MAJ Creek, CPT. Robert Nash, Camp Bowie
- Columbia Regional Geospatial Service Center (CRGSC)
- West Central Texas Council of Government (WCTCOG)
- Brown County Officials, City of Brownwood Officials, Comanche County Officials
- Brownwood Area Chamber of Commerce
- Brownwood Regional Medical Center / Guardian EMS
- Howard Payne University