After Action Report
11/16/06 District 25

Submitted by:

Description of Activity:

D25 & D4 Provided alernate communications from Montrose to Grand Jct. for the Montrose County Dept. of Health and Human Services.

Duration in hours:

5.5

Serving Amateur Radio Group(s):

CO ARES Dist. 25, CO ARES D 4

Served Agency(ies):

Montrose County Dept. of Health and Human Services,
Montrose County Office of Emergency Management,
Colorado Dept. of Public Health and Environment

Describe Served Agency Participation

Montrose County Dept. of Health and Human Services was the primary agency conducting an annual Flu Vaccine Clinic as an exercise for a Pandemic Flu Vaccine Clinic. Health Dept. personnel staffed the IC and Section Chief Positions. The OEM provided oversight and inter-agency operatbiltiy. A representative of the CDPHE was on site to evaluate the exercise and observe the use of ham radio as a back-up communcications resource.

Number of amateurs participating:

5

Optional - List of amateurs participating

KI0KY, KC0UER, KI0MR, KC0NMP, WA4HND

Man hours for the event (checkins*duration)

22.25

List the goals of the activity:

1 Demonstrate the ability to transmit formal served agency traffic to CDPHE supervisory personnel in Grand Jct. from the Flu Vaccination Clinic in the Montrose County Fairgrounds.

2. Use the regional UHF repeater system to coordinate the formal traffic.

Were those goals met: (Y/N)

Y

Explain:

One digital photograph and six progress reports with attached ICS-213 format messages were sent via a VHF Telpac station or via an HF Airmail stations to the Grand Jct. Office via Winlink 2000. Replies from that office were returned via Winlink2000 system. One voice message that announced the start of Winlink2000/Email traffic was relayed over the regional UHF repeater system to the Grand Jct. Office.

What went well?:

All the traffic was passed without delay.

The served agency representatives were interested and impressed with the capabilties of the Winlink2000 system.

Having a comm unit member with PIO experience and skills proved valuable in explaining the event to the press. This resulted in a positive descrption in the local newspaper article on the Flu Clinic

Areas needing improvement:

There were no major areas needing improvement. The served agency chose to conduct the exercise without a written IAP or Communications Plan. As a result, management of the cache of FRS radios used inside the clinic building was done by planning staff instead of comm. unit personnel. By design, in order to simulate a response to an unfamiliar location, the ARES personnel did not tour inside the building before the exercise. More familiarity with the building would have allowed the use of in inside, out of the weather, radio station set-up instead of using mobile radios in members’ vehicles.

The served agencies did not have any portable computer equipment at the clinic. This meant that ICS-213 forms were filled out by hand and then typed into the Pactor/packet station computer.

Lessons Learned:

The presence of spare equipment precluded degraded operational capability due to equipment failure during the exercise.

Testing and retesting equipment and systems before the event was a key factor in the success of the exercise.

HT's do not transmitt well through steel buildings.

Teamwork works.

Additional Training needed:

ICS training for all comm. unit members Briefings on all modes being used for all comm unit members

Comments:

This exercise allowed us to demonstrate "cool stuff" to the served agencies while giving us an opportunity to operate in a real served agency environment.