Plan for Emergency Exercise August 13, 2015

Post date: Aug 13, 2015 11:12:32 AM

On Thursday, August 13, 2015, Franklin County Emergency Management & Homeland Security (FCEMHS) will graduate another class from the Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) basic training. As a part of welcoming graduates into the CERT program, FCEMHS will conduct an exercise for CERT activation to assist people in a local disaster. COTN will be there to ensure that victims being sent away for medical treatment are able to get a message to loved ones indicating where they're headed despite Internet and phone service locally being unavailable.

Thanks to everyone participating!

THE ROLE OF COTN

The Central Ohio Traffic Net (COTN) supports FCEMHS in times of emergency by providing operators able to originate, to relay, and to deliver messages in the form of the ARRL Radiogram. COTN presents to FCEMHS as a Strike Team that can integrate into a unified chain of command.

COTN'S MISSION

Originate, relay, and deliver TEST-PRIORITY traffic from simulated localized disaster site “victims” in an area with no phone or email service to their “loved ones” outside of affected area.

THE LOCATION

The simulated disaster scene is at FCEMHS, 5300 Strawberry Farms Blvd, Columbus, OH 43230.

SPECIAL INSTRUCTIONS

1. Observe chain of command. COTN appears as a Strike Team reporting to Logistics Section Chief. All COTN players report to Strike Team Leader Jim Patterson N8RFT during play. COTN players use the chain of command to communicate with rest of the elements of the operation.
2. Format radiograms for play. One of the goals of the exercise is to test COTN's efficacy as a resource FCEMHS can use in case of emergency. Use the TIME field of the radiogram for time of origination. Record the time for each relay. Record the time for each delivery. The first two words and last two words of each radiogram are to be TEST TRAFFIC. Precedence for all traffic leaving the scene is TEST-PRIORITY and is to be handled only behind real EMERGENCY, real PRIORITY, or TEST EMERGENCY traffic.
3. Be accurate, complete, and timely. Handling of priority traffic requires that you act without delay, not that you rush while handling traffic. Relay traffic at the right speed for the receiving station to get a complete and accurate copy on the first transmission. Do not accumulate traffic for "later" delivery. The goal is to get the traffic delivered to the final addressee during play.

SPECIAL SESSION NET SCRIPT

We will need to open the net and hold it open during all of play. Because traffic reflects on-scene activity, there are going to be lulls on the air, but we will need to hold the session open to advise other stations that the frequency is in use, and also to advise anyone monitoring the frequency that they are hearing exercise traffic.

N8RFT will advise net control when to bring up the special session. If operating on the 146.97 repeater, net control will put the repeater in net state.

This is the Central Ohio Traffic Net, a part of the Ohio Section of the National Traffic System. We meet daily to handle traffic. This is a directed net and net control will control the net. Your net control is ___________, my name is ___________, and I am located at ___________. We are in special session supporting an operation of the Franklin County Community Emergency Response Team. This is an exercise.

Every ten minutes or during lulls in activity, net control will identify the net as follows.

This is the Central Ohio Traffic Net supporting the Franklin County Emergency Response Team, Net Control is ___________. This is an exercise.

At the conclusion of all play, we will shut down the net as follows.

This concludes this special session of the Central Ohio Traffic Net. This has been an exercise. Thanks to everyone who participated. [If operating on a CORC repeater, add: Thanks to the Central Ohio Radio Club for use of this repeater.] We now return the frequency to regular amateur use. Net control ___________ will be clear [If operating the 146.97 repeater in net state, take the repeater out of net state after announcing: after a control function. Then take repeater out of net state.]

THE SCHEDULE

All activity in this plan will take place on Thursday, August 13, 2015. All times are local.

THE PLAYERS

Thanks to our volunteers! If you have already volunteered, see your role and assignment below. If you would like to be a part of play, we have room for additional off-site relay stations. To act as an off-site relay station, check into the net, accept TEST-PRIORITY traffic, and deliver the traffic by phone without delay.