NVIS Day 21 AAR

Today, Central Ohio Traffic Net (COTN) releases the After-Action Report of its participation in the NVIS Day 21 event.

COTN operated for the entire six-hour period, with net control and liaison duties covered in one-hour shifts. No net control operator needed to cover more than two sessions. Liaison was maintained to the Ohio Single Sideband Net, Buckeye Net, and the Winlink Global Radio Email System. Liaison operators also presented from Ohio Emergency Management Agency Auxiliary Communications Team station W8SGT, and ARES representatives from Franklin, Licking, and Marion counties.

Assessing the operation strictly from the perspective of system configuration and performance for large-scale emergencies, the report offers four key findings, namely:

1. District Nets are Undermined by Structure and Practice,

2. Ongoing Exercise of Activation and D7 Operation Are Needed,

3. COTN Effectively Relays Messages, and

4. COTN Improved Capability and Performance.

The report offers three recommendations:

1. Establish More Liaison and Net Control Operators,

2. Conduct District Exercises, and

3. Coordinate With County ARES programs.

The full report is available for download at https://www.cotn.us/reports. The direct link is https://drive.google.com/file/d/18E6loGaQU5x1lbgq6BXn78OPU3lR8cOk/view.