So Long, and Thanks for All the Fish!

When last we left our heroes.... we were off to the wilds of Alaska.  And we went!  It was a decent trip.  Getting there was the best part for me.  We took commercial air from DC to Sea-Tac and then went to Joint Base Lewis McChord.  There we got on an Air Force C-17 jet to fly to Anchorage and Joint Base Elmendorf Richardson.  This was an experience I have never had before and likely never will again. 

While in Alaska, we were a part of the Alaska Shield 2014 National Level Exercise.  While this exercise, like many of the others we have participated in, was good for the operators and planners, it was not so good for the logistics and IT group.  While they did setup a JFO (Joint Field Office) with a full network, they purposefully cut my group out of it.  How are we suppose to learn?  How are we suppose to be tested?  How are we able to ensure our teams that we can do the job as needed?  This was a perfect opportunity where they did setup and activate services.  All they needed to do was pull us in to the process and it would have been much better.

After returned from Alaska, we had a week at home.  I am now down in Dallas, Texas being an evaluator for an exercise for the Regional teams.  Just before Alaska, we evaluated half the teams.  Now we are doing the second half.

So why the title of this post?  Well, after a year with FEMA, I am going to be returning to my old life, back at IBM in Rochester.  I am excited to get back home and to be with all my friends in the area.  Its is amazing how quickly a year passes by.  My time with FEMA taught me many things about their processes, systems, and response operations.  I am sure this knowledge will help me in future response actions.  But for now, its back to the corporate world for me!

Thanks to all those that followed along and read this blog.  I may add more posts in the future, or this may be it.  If so, I hope you enjoyed this little view into my grand adventure over the past year.

Getting ready!

Well, it has been quiet.  That is good for the country but boring for us.  However, next week we leave for Alaska to participate in the National Level Exercise otherwise known as the FEMA Capstone.  This is a collection of exercises all going on at once - State, Federal, DOD, Nuclear Incident, and more.  Basically they are recreating the great 9.2 Earthquake of 1964 on its 50th anniversary.  I think it will be a busy couple of weeks there but I will try to put some posts up as we go!

All Hazard Communications Unit Leader

This past week I got to spend in Lincoln, Nebraska.  It was a balmy -9 air temp one morning, with wind chills in the -30's.  During that time, I was taking the L969 All Hazards Communications Unit Leader course.  There is a weird disconnect in FEMA.  My title is Communications Unit Leader, but this is the All Hazards Communications Unit Leader course.  FEMA basically maintains two different meanings for COML.  The FEMA (Federal) definition is IT and satellite comms.  The FEMA All Hazards (State level and lower) is all radio and RF comms.  In the FEMA (Federal) level, radios and RF all fall under Disaster Emergency Communications (DEC) and MERS, part of the Operations Section versus me, the COML, in the Logistics Section.

The State of the Union is...

Safe. For now. I will get back to that in a minute. First a little catch-up. We were deployed to assist in the Colorado Flooding last October. By that time, the flood was already 47 days in and the major structures were already in place. We were there for about seven weeks. I did not post many updates because it was most just steady state stuff: helping people connect to printers, running online meetings, and setting up shared server space. Nothing too exciting.

We were home for the holidays which was nice. I got to see my parents for a couple days. In January, we were the primary team up. This means we had two hours to get to the office and 12 hours to be anywhere in CONUS (continental US). Luckily, the month was quiet except for The State of the Union Address (SOTUA) last night. As we were the primary team and already here, we took point.

What makes the SOTUA so special is that the president, both houses, the Supreme Court, and most of the cabinet are all there. That means that most of the line of succession are there. This makes it a ripe target for attack and is designated as an NSSE - National Special Security Event. 

The smaller regional FEMA team was sent down into the heart of it to handle smaller issues. While our national team was kept at an undisclosed location outside the blast zone, er, I mean Capital area.  We had everything set to roll from a safe distance out just in case the worse happened. Luckily, the speech went off without incident and the month is almost over. 

This weekend is another large event - The Super Bowl. We, by proximity, are the up team for that. However, since it is not an NSSE, we just get to stay here on standby to drive up in case something does happen at the event. Looking further ahead, March will be our primary month again and should be very busy with exercises and training. Stay tuned for updates from those!!

Home for the Holidays

Well, it has been a while since I posted on here.  I am back from Denver.  After about 2 months there, it was back home to the DC area.  This was nice because we got to spend the holidays with our families.  As of the first of the year, we are back on constant standby for any event that may occur.

Mile High Disaster

On September 11, Colorado had "historic" flooding north of the Denver area.  While the West IMAT team took the initial response, they had been in Denver for 40+ days.  FEMA Leadership thought it would be nice to switch things up, so they switched teams!  We arrived in Denver yesterday and are set to be here 30 to 60 days.  I believe they plan to have us close down the JFO (Joint Field Office) here when we leave.  If not, we could play tag again and switch out once again.  Today I got to head up to the flood area to scope out a new office location as well as visit an existing one.  I hope to get into some more of the damage zone again.

And we are home again

After showing up at the Florida State EOC this morning, Karen was declared officially not a threat and we were told to go right home.  So back to the hotel, book flights, pack, and get to the airport.  And 12 hours later, we are all back in DC.  Hence the grind.  Let's hope something else picks up soon so we can head out again.  Here's a picture from lunch today, looking for Karen.  I call it good situational awareness!

Karen... you fickle woman.... err, storm

Well, we all arrived in Florida last night.  TS Karen was still moving north but weakening ever so slightly.  This morning our whole team went to the Florida State Emergency Operations Center.  We worked out of their offices today as we watched the storm continue to weaken and even stall almost as it was getting closer.  At this point, it will not hit our area here now until Monday, or beyond.  And by then, it may be down to just a remnant.  But we are here, ready to serve the people of the State of Florida if and when they need us.  Stay tuned!

Florida bound!

Well, we just got our first official deployment!  We are off to Florida in anticipation of Tropical Storm Karen.  More to come soon!!

Headed home

Well, it's been a couple of more weeks here. First we headed from Jefferson City to Kansas City. After a couple days of meetings there and then off to Wichita. There we spent a couple days looking for office space for a field office. The hope was that we would be setting up that office this week. However the state delayed some of their paperwork so nothing will be approved until after the first of the month. So we boarded our plane and came back to DC.  The West coast team was called to Colorado, so we are up next for any event anywhere.

Still in Missouri

We are moving into week 3 here at the JFO in Jefferson City.  So far the IT work has been good.  I have been learning a ton about the processes and methods they follow here.  I have gotten a few things signed off on but will hopefully get a lot more this week.  Tuesday I am going to be teaching two iPad classes, similar to the ones I taught down in Anniston.  Wednesday I am hoping to attend the C&G Staff meeting, as that is another one of my checks.  And Friday I am teaching a Weather Basics for FEMA employees.  I put this together for the IMAT Academy but we never had time to get to it.  So I get to test run the class here and see how it goes!

My First Deployment!

While we are still in the process of getting settled in Washington, DC, a wonderful "learning" opportunity presented itself.  With the recent flooding in Missouri, a JFO (Joint Field Office) was established in the capital of Jefferson City.  In order to work on getting all of our qualification PTB (Position Task Books) signed off, a select group of eight of us were sent here, including me!  My PTB includes 111 skills, tasks, and events that I must complete under supervision to prove I can do my job - the ultimate practical exam!

On Tuesday I flew to St. Louis and then drove over to Jefferson City.  Today was my first day at FEMA DR 4130 MO.  With lots of meetings and a long check in process, its time to get down to work.  Tomorrow we are traveling 5 hours away to evaluate a new remote office location for IT and Communication needs.  More to come as this progresses!

Bonus:  There is a strong storm brewing out near Africa that looks like it will affect the US.  We are maybe 5 days away from going out, to get there 120 hours pre-landfall.

Dash to Nashville?

Last Friday was suppose to be the first day I started my new working late schedule (9:00 to 5:30) in the office. Alas that would have to wait. At 6 a.m. my phone went off with the wonderful klaxon alarm. That ring tone is set aside for just one number: the ENS. ENS is our Emergency Notification System that alerts us to all things of a critical nature. This ENS notice told us to report to the office by 8 a.m. and be in Nashville by 8 p.m. that night.  So I jump in the shower, grab some breakfast, and get to the office at 6:45. We start loading up all of our gear including our portable satellite system, the GATR.

We have a briefing at 8:00 and they inform us we will not actually be traveling all the way to Nashville. Instead, we are driving down to the local grocery store, rally there, and return to the office. Once back home, we have to set up an office and start working using nothing but power at our existing offices.  I set up three redundant layers of satellite communications (GATR above, BGAN left, and Iridium below), just to prove we are self sufficient.  They reviewed all of our equipment and made sure everyone had everything they should need, right down to our clothes.  Luckily, they did not count our underwear (this time).

Finally, at noon, they told us we passed (for the most part) and that we could take everything down.  We packed everything up, put the stuff away, and then took off for the weekend.

Made it to DC

Well, I did it.  I made the trek out to DC.  Following our training, I was able go home to Minnesota for just over a week.  I got to hang out with all my friends there and get stuff packed up to come out to DC.  Rather, I have been informed I have moved to DMV (DC/Maryland/Virginia area) or NoVA (Northern Virginia).  If I say DC, apparently that just means DC proper.  When I told my landlord I was working in DC she said I didn't want to rent from her because it was too far away.  Once I explained it was only about 10 miles, she was much relieved.

So after that brief time in Minnesota, it was a two day drive out here, stopping overnight in Ohio.  While the carpets were getting cleaned at my new place, I spent a couple nights in a hotel and went into work.  So far I am still just getting a handle on everything there.  There is a lot of new equipment and that state of all of it is unknown.  This means testing and evaluating everything - every cord, every plug, every device.  For example, I have two really nice NAS (Network Attached Storage) devices.  One is perfect and complete; the other had most of the hard drives ripped out of it.  But from the outside, they appear identical.

Plus, while I am trying to get a handle on what we do have that is functional, they want to get out in the field.  We are their shiny new toy and they want to play with us, not keep us in our box (office).  So maybe sometime this next week they will send us out on something small.

Training Complete!

So last week we had our final week of training.  This included a day at Region IV in Atlanta and our final exam at an undisclosed location.  Tuesday morning we got our notice and went to Reisterstown, MD.  That night and the next two days were spent at the Maryland State Emergency Operations Center (SEOC) playing in our IM I/Level I exam.  As we guessed, it was an improvised nuclear device (IND) in Washington DC.  As we were in Maryland, we played a supporting role in helping DC as well as accepting survivors.  Having all passed our exam, we graduated on Friday at headquarters in the NRCC.

As of Saturday morning at 8:30, we are on call.  As we are still moving, for the next couple weeks they extended our window to be on scene at an event from 12 hours all the way to 18 hours.  Saturday I was able to secure an apartment in Ashburn and arranged for a new bed.  Now I am home packing up the required items for the next few months in DC.  I plan to drive out early next week and then get started at the office on August 5.  It feels great to be out of training and to get into the real job!

Sharknado?!?

None of our training prepared us for a sharknado.  California is on it's own!

Death and Destruction (or Leavin' 'Bama)

So this week was interesting, in a morbid sort of way.  Our leaders, what are known as the Command and General Staff, had the classroom portion of the IM I class this past week.  Those of us that work for the C&GS had a week of ever more increasing in complexity case studies and thought experiments.

We started with something simple: Hurricane Sandy.  From a death perspective, Hurricane Sandy was only 285 people.  The bigger issues were things like communications, the density of the population, and finding temporary housing for people.  From there we moved on to a theoretical earthquake on the Hayward Fault in the San Francisco area.  Now we move up to an estimated 4,000 dead and 150,000+ with injuries.

Issues here revolved around Urban Search & Rescue (USAR), logistics, transportation (because by the way, this takes out all bridges), and mass care.

After these seemingly simple tasks, we move on to the big boys: nuclear.  What would happen if an improvised nuclear device (IND) went off in downtown Chicago?  Well we start off with 450,000 deaths and work our way up from there.  3,000 square miles contaminated.  Major telecommunications systems wiped out by the Electromagnetic Pulse (EMP).  (FYI - if this does happen - removing your cell phone battery and putting it back in may be enough to reset it after an EMP - it might just lock it up, not destroy it beyond use!)

Topics of conversation included dealing with the mass casualties, bodies, decontamination and protection of people, and all the contaminated debris, between 30 to 10 feet deep.  And for those of you wondering, the best thing you can do is get inside and as low down as possible.  Wait for specific instructions.  In many cases, waiting just 24 hours is enough that even if you were in a highly contaminated zone, you could get out safely by waiting just that little amount of time.  Bottom line: don't try to outrun it or escape - get inside, get low, and decontaminate yourself by taking off the outer layer of clothes, brushing off all surfaces and showering.  That is all that is needed!  Don't panic - stay indoors - quick DIY decon - follow evac instructions.

(I wish this was clearer - but essentially at 1 hour after the dose is over 1000 R/hr - almost certain death - to as low as 43 R/hr after 14 hours and 10 R/hr after 48 hours!)

And if you thought that nuclear was the worst, on Friday we had the big one.  Yes, bigger than a nuclear device.  We started off small of course: the New Madrid Fault.  12 million people at high risk, 44 million people in the eight state area.  Second up to bat: Anthrax attack in Los Angeles.  90% of those not treated within seven days of exposure are dead.  And to cap off the uplifting week: Pandemic Influenza.  2 million dead.  10 million sick.  40% absenteeism in all industries.  Vaccines take 24 weeks + to develop.  This was one of those "hard situations."  We hope we never have to deal with this in real life 

I'm glad I am learning all this good info in class, but at the same time too much knowledge sort of freaks one out.  To think that we will be on the front line as the Federal leadership in any of these events is amazing.  It makes me truly reflect on just what a job I have here with this.

So, on a more happy note, we are done in Alabama!  We leave for Atlanta tomorrow morning, spend Monday in Atlanta and then on Tuesday we have our final exam.  The location of the final exam is unknown at this time.  Part of the exam is actually getting to an event in 12 hours after notification.  So sometime Monday night into Tuesday, we will get a notification that our final exam is started and told where in the country to report to.  The final exam will go until Friday when we have our final graduation in the afternoon (assuming we all pass the final) and then moving to DC!  Rochester friends - I'll be home soon for a few days before heading out.

Happy 4th!

Ahhh, a short week.  On Monday and Tuesday we had our IM II Certification exercise.  For this one, we had to play with the State of Alabama for Hurricane Ivan from 2004.  They actually had 10 people from the State here so it was more realistic than some in the past.  And now we get a few days of rest and relaxation. Coming up next week is our last week of classes!  Then next weekend we get moved to Atlanta for a day and then off to an "undisclosed location" for our final IM I exercise.  Almost done!

The work don't stop!

Wow, what a busy two weeks.  And it is not going to slow down much these final three weeks.  But there is that light at the end of the tunnel!!  So, to recap, two weeks ago we started with another leadership course.  This one was called the True Growth course.  They ended up repeating a lot of the same stuff we heard from the other leadership courses.  But after that was done, a subset of us had two days of technical training on the GATR - Ground to Air Transmit and Receiver.  The GATR is an inflatable satellite dish.  Unlike most rigid dishes that are 500 lbs plus units often requiring a truck, this one packs down into five Pelican cases with a total weight of about 300 lbs.

Luckily, the American Red Cross trained me very well in satellite communications so I was one of the more knowledgeable ones there doing the training.  Over the course of two days, we set the dishes up about 10 times each.  Our final exam was a race between our three teams (Blue, Red, and Region 9) to see who could go from the packed cases to completing a phone call to the instructor over the satellite system.  This involved setting up the ground location, inflating the dish, doing precision aiming (remember, satellites are in geosynchronous orbit 22,236 miles away from the earth - a slight movement on the ground can land you miles off in space!), acquire the signal, work with the satellite company to activate the service, setup the phone system, and complete the call.  And in 42 minutes, the Blue team lead by me won!  The other teams took 56 minutes and 82 minutes to finish theirs.

Last weekend was spent setting up our new computers, iPhones, and iPads.  I taught the same course six times.  It went well, but it took up my entire weekend.  Hence, no post last weekend.

This past week we have been in our IM II class for our Level II Certification.  I was afraid it would be more program stuff like in IM III but this was a 5 day long simulation.  We worked a major disaster from all angles - earthquakes, bombings, fires, landmines, missing kids, kidnapping, and bioterrorists attacks.  Oh, and if that was not enough, let's add a hurricane on top of it all!  They were 5 long, exhausting days but it was fun to get to do lots of work on a big event.

Today we get more satellite training and prep for tomorrow which is the final IM II Certification test.  We got a small brief this morning.  Our Level II qualification test is Hurricane Ivan from 2004.  Why make something up when they can use the real thing!  Our team has a ringer though.  Our team leader not only worked the real Ivan, but also has done it twice more in other qualification exercises.  So this is Ivan #4 for him.  Should help us out!

And with that, we start to see the light at the end of the tunnel.  A short week this week with the 4th of July, then a week of IM I classes, and then our final week is the IM I Certification test.  July 19 at 3 we are done!!

One final note - we have been officially renamed to be the IMAT East instead of IMAT Blue - the current team's name.

A heavy weight

This past week started slow.  It was a repeat of the ICS 400 class I took at Camp Ripley.  Wednesday we learned all about the Public Assistance (PA) program and how they process their projects.  The afternoon concluded with a showing of the movie K19.  We are going to be discussing the various management styles and decisions they made in a future leadership class.  I have seen this movie once before, but I am not sure where.  It must have been somewhere in college.

The week ended with a bang.  Er, thankfully, without one.  Friday was the CBRNE (Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear and high-yield Explosives) workshop.  They went all out on this bringing in the head Nuclear guy from FEMA, the head guy from Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) and National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA), and the Department of Energy's team leader that went to Japan for the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant incident.  PhD's around the room!

This day was eye opening with regards to different biological and nuclear weapons that we could run into.  The entire afternoon was spent exercising what would happen if a 10kT nuclear device was set off in Washington DC.  Our team leader is thinking that for our Level I validation test at the very end it will be this scenario.  It would fit as a level I event.  The end result of the training:  if a nuclear device goes off, get inside, go deep, and stay there at least 1 hour.  The natural urge to flee will actually hurt you more than if you shelter right away and wait.  The half life for fallout is surprisingly short.  That little time inside a building will save you a ton of exposure!!!

The NNSA/LLNL/IBM collaboration has produced six HPC systems that have been ranked among the world’s most powerful computers including: The Accelerated Strategic Computing Initiative (ASCI) Blue Pacific; ASCI White; the Advanced Simulation and Computing (ASC) Purple; Blue Gene/L; Blue Gene/P, Dawn; and Blue Gene/Q, Sequoia. ASCI White, Blue Gene/L and now Sequoia all attained a no. 1 ranking on the TOP500 list. The Blue Gene line of supercomputers received a Presidential Medal of Technology and Innovation from President Obama in 2009.  At least three of those systems passed through IBM Rochester while I was there.

The week ahead includes a personal leadership course and two days training on one of our portable satellite systems.  That should be a good time (assuming the weather is decent!)