Instructions for use 6 cemp distribution List 8

ESF-2 -COMMUNICATIONS

I. GENERAL
A. Primary Agency: Levy County Sheriff’s Office (LCSO)
B. Support Agencies: Levy County Road Department

Levy County Fire/Rescue

Levy County School District

City of Williston

Nature Coast Transit

Citizens on Patrol (COPs)(Voice)

II. INTRODUCTION:
A. Purpose:
The purpose of Emergency Support Function (ESF) 2 is to assure the provision of required communications support to state, county and municipal response efforts before, during and immediately following an emergency declaration. ESF-2 plans, coordinates and assists in all actions taken to provide communications support to state, county and municipal response elements and at a minimum:
1. Identify communications facilities available for use within the affected area(s).
2. Identify actual and planned actions of commercial telecommunications companies to restore services.
3. Identify communications facilities, equipment and personnel located locally that could be used to support recovery efforts.
4. Coordinate the acquisition and deployment of additional communications equipment, personnel and resources necessary to establish temporary communications capabilities within the stricken area.
B. Scope:
The LCSO will serve as the primary agency for ESF-2 and will integrate and coordinate the communications assets available from all state agencies, county agencies, volunteer groups, local industry, federal government agencies and the U.S. Military. ESF-2 will prepare recommendations for the local Emergency Operations Center (EOC) and other agencies as required. Additionally, ESF-2 will be the focal point of all response communications activity at the local level prior to, during and immediately after an emergency has been declared at the local level. This includes performing necessary actions to assist with recovery operations.
C. Planning Assumptions:
1. Normal day-to-day communications may be interrupted as a result of a natural or man-made emergency.
2. These emergencies would overload surviving communications channels.
3. Communications personnel might be in short supply due to family needs and road debris.
4. The Sheriff’s Office Communications Center might have a power failure and will need to use its emergency generator.
D. Priority of Response, Repair and Restoration
1. Priority of Response

a. First priority is emergency calls for service in which life is in danger.

b. Second priority is service to essential critical facilities, such as the EOC and the Sheriff’s Office Communications Center.

c. Third priority is connectivity with the other critical facilities.

d. Fourth priority are those sites established as a result of the incident:

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  Shelters
  
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  Congregate feeding sites
  
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  Disaster Recovery Centers
  
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  Disaster Field Offices
  
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  Joint Information Centers
  
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  Recovery Coordination Centers
  
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  Donation Sites
  
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  Other needs
  

2. Priority of Repair and Restoration

a. LCSO Communications Center.

b. Levy County Emergency Operations Center

c. Municipal Emergency Operations Center

d. Emergency facilities (such as EMS stations, fire stations and hospitals)

e. Facilities that are deemed “critical”

f. Shelters and congregate feeding sites

g. Disaster Recovery Centers, Disaster Field Offices, Recovery Coordination Center, Staging Areas, Donation Sites and Joint Information Centers

3. Restoration Priorities - Recovery Phase
a. LCSO Communications Center

b. Levy County Emergency Operations Center

c. Municipal Emergency Operations Centers within Levy County

d. Emergency facilities such as EMS/fire stations, and hospitals

e. Other critical facilities

f. Disaster Recovery Centers, Disaster Field Offices, Recovery Coordination Centers, Joint Information Centers, Staging Areas, Donation Sites

g. Long-term sheltering and congregate feeding sites

h. Public schools that are not being used as shelters.

i. Businesses related to recovery needs within Levy County.

j. The general population within Levy County.

III. CONCEPT OF OPERATIONS:
A. General:
Under the leadership of the LCSO, representatives from each of the support agencies and volunteer groups will assemble and be briefed at the Levy County EOC. Each representative will establish contact with their appropriate personnel and begin to activate or initiate emergency response plans. The role of the primary agency will be to focus coordination, ensure the management of combined agency efforts and maintain a continued flow of information between ESF’s. Communications will respond directly to the local EOC staff regarding recommendations pertinent to ESF-2's functions.
B. Organization:
The LCSO Communications Center will include all Communications Officers, Communication Assistants and Radio and Telephone Operators.
C. Notification
1. The primary agency will be alerted by the EOC and will use call out rosters, radios, pagers and other systems to notify support agencies that will use their cal out rosters in notifying their personnel.
2. Immediately upon receipt of disaster information, Communications staff will establish contact with the county, city and volunteer response staff.
3. Contact lists for individuals within agencies, volunteer groups and telecommunications industry are included in contact lists and emergency contact numbers utilized by Communications.

D Pre-incident
1. Primary and support agencies will conduct coordination meetings to establish plans, establish priorities for repair and restoration of service identify resources and resource shortfalls.
2. Conduct an annual inventory of radio equipment in May. Furnish a copy to the Levy County Emergency Management
3. Each agency will coordinate with its vendors of equipment and repair parts.
E. Pre-Deployment
1. Ham equipment may be pre-deployed or brought to sites upon activation.
2. The Levy County School District buildings identified as primary shelters are equipment with VHF radios.
3. Citizens On Patrol (COPs)(Voice) may be staged at sites where observations and reporting are needed. Vehicles used by COPs are equipment with LCSO 800 MHz radios. The administrative lieutenant of the LCSO is the coordinator for COPs activities.
4. HAM equipment and operators will be in a “standby” mode to fill-in “dead spots” in the network.
5. The Sheriffs Mobile Communications System is available for staging.
F. Existing Communications Systems
1. Levy County EOC to other Local Government entities
Primary: Hot Ring Down Phone, Commercial telephone and fax

Secondary: EM NET, Code Red, Cellular phone, 800MHz radio and NAWAS, message runners

2. Levy County EOC to SEOC
Primary: Commercial telephone and fax, “SUNCOM”

Secondary: Cellular telephone and the law enforcement 800MHz radio relay

3. Levy County EOC to Municipal EOC’s
Primary: Commercial telephone and fax

Secondary: Cellular telephone, 800 MHz radio and message runners

4. Levy County to ESF Field Sites
Primary: Commercial telephone and fax machine

Secondary: Cellular telephone, COPs, RACES, Levy County School District VHF radio (primary shelters and the bus compound), Levy County Road Department VHF radio (located at the work compound) and message runners.

G. Staffing Patterns
1. The LCSO Communications Center operates on a 24-hour basis, 365 days a year. It can increase its capabilities by extending shifts and calling in off-duty personnel.
2. The Levy County School Districts primary shelters will be staffed 24-hours a day by School District personnel and supported by the American Red Cross or other volunteer groups. Shelter staff will operate 24-hours a day, including staffing of commercial phone lines and VHF radios.
3. Municipalities are responsible for maintaining 24-hour communication capabilities to serve the needs of city personnel and to maintain communications with the Levy County EOC.
4. COP personnel may be assigned as squads to assure 24-hour communications support capabilities.
5. HAM operators will be tasked with filling in “dead spots” in the Levy County communications network. Volunteers are few and twenty-four hour continuous operations may not be feasible.
H. Support for Field Sites
1. Primary Shelters and Congregate Feeding Sites
Communications will include: commercial telephone and fax, cellular telephone, and fixed VHF radios. COPs(Voice) and HAM are alternates.
2. Shelters of Last Resort and Alternate Congregate Feeding Sites
Communications will include: commercial telephone and fax and cellular telephone. COPs (Voice) or HAM operators are alternates.
3. Other Sites
Included as “Other Sites” are: staging areas, distribution sites, Disaster Relief Centers, Joint Field Offices, Local Information Centers and Joint Information Centers. Communications will include telephone and fax and cellular phones. COPs or HAM operators are alternates

IV RESPONSIBILITIES:
A. Primary Agency: Levy County Sheriff’s Office
Responsibilities:
1. The primary agency is responsible for coordinating and directing the ESF-2 activities. These include, but are not limited to:

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  Maintain call out lists, vendor contact information and equipment inventories (to be done pre-incident).
  
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  Initiating the call out process of support agencies when activated by the EOC.
  
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  Serve as the communications advisor to the Levy County EOC.
  
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  Assign tasks to and direct actions of the support agencies.
  
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  Assuring the ESF position in the Levy County EOC is staffed on a 24-hour a day basis, if needed. Support agencies may be used to accomplish this.
  

B. Support agencies: Levy County Road Department

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  Levy County School District
  
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  City of Williston
  
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  Levy County HAM Radio Volunteer Operators
  
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  Nature Coast Transit
  
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  Citizens on Patrol (COPs) (Voice)
  

Responsibilities:
1. Support agencies will assist the primary agency in the performance of the ESF activities to include:

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  Maintaining call out rosters, equipment and supply inventories (to be done pre-incident).
  
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  Be prepared to support the 24-hour staffing of the ESF, if required.
  
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  Accept assigned tasks and perform them.
  
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C. Support Specific Agency Functions
1. The LCSO will continue in its traditional role as the dispatch center for law enforcement, emergency medical services and firefighting within Levy County.
a. The exception is the Williston Police Department will continue to use its own communication capabilities.

b. Provide maintenance support to other organizations.

c. Utilize “Volunteer Observers Impacting Community Effort.

d. Monitor and respond to the Hot Ring Down Phone, NAWAS, and EM NET and serve as the County Warning Point

2. Levy County Road Department
Continue to operate its communications/dispatch center for directing and communicating with their personnel.
3. Levy County School District
a. School buses have radio communication with the District office.

b. Communications with the shelters will be utilized by the VHF radios that will be pre-positioned at each school/shelter.

4. City of Williston
Use their own radio systems to direct and communicate with their own personnel.
5. Levy County Ham Radio Volunteer Operators
Provide operators and equipment to “dead spots” in the communications network.
6 Nature Coast Transit
Provide transportation to special needs populations.
7. Citizens on Patrol (COPs) (Voice)
a. Serve as messengers to facilities without communications until such a time as communications can be established

b. Check on facilities without communications until such time as communication can be established.

V. ACTIONS
A Response Initial Actions:
1. Staff ESF-2 as needed in Levy County EOC. LCSO Communications Center will alert/contact all ESF-2 support agencies and direct that they activate their staff and assume their particular assignments. A roll call check of all potential responders should be conducted.
2. As soon as conditions allow following the disaster, ESF-2 will secure transportation to deploy local Damage Assessment Teams to evaluate damage to critical communications facilities. Survey teams should be organized with expertise capable of assessing both the private and public communications infrastructure. Survey teams should ensure that they have communications back to the ESF-2 staff at all times. The initial focus of these teams will be to identify: Operational radio communications facilities available for use within the stricken area. Operational telephone facilities available for use within the affected area. Damage to emergency communications facilities.
3. Coordinate with support agencies to prioritize and develop strategies for the initial response.
B. Response Continuing Actions:
1. ESF-2 will provide operational support as well as planning for and coordination of communications resources.
2. Priorities will continually be reassessed to address the most critical communications needs and develop strategies.
C. Recovery Initial Actions:
ESF-2 Coordinator shall begin planning the recovery process according to the following:
1. Accumulate damage information obtained from all the assessment teams. Additionally, these teams may make initial estimates of the amount of communications support required. This information should be provided to the ESF-2 staff as soon as possible.
2. Review, categorize and compare damage information to ensure that specific problems are clearly understood and agreed upon.
3. Assemble a listing of all communications assets available to support recovery mission(s). Other volunteer and local agencies with communications assets may also be asked to contribute these assets to the response effort. Industry resources must also be considered for availability and effectiveness. Furthermore, availability, operational condition and duration of need must be considered. The logistical requirements necessary to obtain critically needed equipment will also be evaluated.
4 Select the resource alternative most applicable and coordinate its deployment.
D. Recovery Continuing Actions:
1. The ESF-2 staff should maintain coordination of all EOC communications as long as the EOC is activated.
2. Monitor the National Weather Service for the latest weather report for the county, including present conditions, the 24-hour forecast and the long-range forecast.
3. Obtain information from ESF-1 regarding road, rail and air transportation conditions, and whether ESF-1 can move mobile communications systems into the area.
4. Determine from the local county/city authorities the location of possible secondary response locations in the disaster area, e.g. staging areas, food sites, tent cities, medical stations, satellite JFO’s, etc.
5 Assess the need to request assistance (mobile or transportable equipment) from the SEOC.
6 Assess the need for and obtain other support as needed/required from local industry.
7. Deploy mobile communications vehicles to coordinate response agencies in the stricken areas. County departments, Sheriff’s Deputies, Fire, EMS and other key agencies have UHF and VHF radios in their vehicles.
8. Maintain an activity log and prepare reports using established procedures. Focus specific attention to the production of “After- Action Reports”. These will be critical for future review of ESF activities and procedures.
9. Coordinate communications support to all responders and volunteer agencies as required and prioritize the deployment of services, based upon available resources and critical needs.

10. Coordinate ESF-2's needs and time frames with SEOC and all others as required. Work to resolve all conflicts regarding communications resource allocation requests.

11. Develop and disseminate information collection guidelines and procedures to enhance assessment, allocation, and/or re-allocation of telecommunications industry assets.