Anchorage Office of Emergency Management

1. Anchorage Office of Emergency Management wwoem@muni.org 907-343-1401 www.muni.org/oem

2. SHELT-EX 2013 Lessons-Learned & After-Action Brief Feb 22, 2013

3. Agenda • Review of Goals & Objectives • Seams & Capabilities Gaps • Items / Discussions / Recommendations • Follow-on Training Events • Follow-up Actions

4. Goals & Objectives • Practical Application for newly trained ARC Volunteers and FANS Team members • Validate FANS Team SOP • Partial Rehearsal for AK Shield

5. Seams & Capabilities Gaps • All Exercise Goals and Objectives were met. • Seams or Capabilities Gaps were noted in the following areas: • Sufficient numbers of volunteers available locally to serve as Red Cross Shelter Managers or staff. • Recruiting and training FANS Team members. • Defining FANS Team capabilities and limitations for a General Population Shelter. • Alternatives for individuals that require a level of care beyond FANS Team Capabilities. • Alternate Care Site Planning.

6. Seams & Gaps • Item #1: Sufficient numbers of ARC volunteers available locally to serve as Red Cross Shelter Managers and staff. • Discussion: • Trained volunteers limited during a major emergency. • Areas that become isolated may not have any trained ARC volunteers available. • Turnover of trained personnel. • Timely arrival of volunteer support from lower 48.

7. Seams & Gaps • #1 Recommendation: • Use of Muni and ASD Employees in a “pay status” to serve as shelter managers and staff during major emergency. • Training and practical application exercise may be problematic potentially requiring overtime and backfill. • Explore Homeland Security Grant Funding potential. • A SHELT-EX during Alaska Shield 2014 could serve as a practical application exercise for newly trained Muni and ASD employees.

8. Seams & Gaps • Item #2:Recruiting and training FANS Team members. • Discussion: • Requires credentialed individuals with specialized skills (PCA) and a rigorous background screening process. • Outreach to PCA agencies important for advertising program and recruiting effort. • Training program has been established with SOP implemented. • Scheduling of next training session dependent on recruiting outcome. • Practical application exercise in conjunction with another Shelter Exercise may be problematic for 2013. Potential for a Shelter Exercise during AK Shield 2014.

9. Seams & Gaps • #2 Recommendation: • Continue recruiting effort and monitor results. • Plan for FANS Team class during 2nd and 4th quarters. • Conduct a one-day Practical Application Exercise vs. an overnight Shelter Exercise. • Develop FANS Team registry for recall. • Consider use of “just-in-time” training for PCAs willing to support during actual emergencies but currently unavailable to attend scheduled training.

10. Seams & Gaps • Item #3: Defining FANS Team capabilities and limitations for a General Population Shelter. • Discussion: • Support for individuals with functional disabilities must be consistent with General Population Shelter living conditions and routines. • Some individuals with special needs will not be able to have all their essential daily requirements met by FANS Team members in General Population Shelters. • FANS Team support in General Population Shelters is not designed to replicate the level of care provided by PCAs in assisted living facilities or in-home care environments.

11. Seams & Gaps • #3 Recommendation: • Develop initial shelter screeningcriteriafor individuals with functional disability needs. • The screening criteria should be based on a reasonable level of support that can be provided by a FANS Team member to support daily living activities appropriate for General Population Shelter conditions. • The screening criteria should also distinguish between the activities of daily living versus “medical requirements” more appropriately provided at a residential assisted living facility, hospital, or Alternate Care Site. • Develop a FANS capability list describing what FANS Team support is available on-site. • Develop a “Statement of Understanding” describing what functional access needs support is available on-site. The “Statement of Understanding” would be distributed to individuals with functional access needs during the initial shelter screening process.

12. Seams & Gaps • Item #4: Alternatives for individuals that require a level of care beyond FANS Team capabilities. • Discussion: • A large number of individuals displaced from assisted living homes or residential care facilities will require sheltering support beyond FANS Team capabilities during major emergencies or disasters. • Smaller emergencies where residents are displaced from multiple residential care facilities or the State’s Pioneer Home will likely exceed local capabilities for care as well.

13. Seams & Gaps • #4 Recommendation: • Where feasible and appropriate, co-locate an Alternate Care Site at the General Population Shelter facility. • Co-locating the Alternate Care Site at the General Population Shelter will also help in keeping family units together. • Some staffing for the Alternate Care Site could come from PCAs that were otherwise supporting displaced individuals in residential settings. • A source for additional qualified staffing would need to be identified. • Include Alternate Care Site training in future Shelter Exercise events.

14. Seams & Gaps • Item #5: Alternate Care Site Planning. • Discussion: • The primary purpose of Alternate Care Sites is to help relieve medical surge. • Individuals displaced from residential care facilities or the Pioneer Home will place further demand on any established Alternate Care Site particularly during major emergencies or disasters. • Local availability of specialized medical equipment to support Alternate Care Sites will be rapidly exceeded as demand increases.

15. Seams & Gaps • Item #5: Recommendations: • Alternate Care Site planning considerations should go beyond medical surge and include provisions for support of displaced individuals with functional access needs. • Pre-event planning activities should include identifying qualified staff and specialized equipment. • Pre-event preparedness activities should include purchasing and storing specialized equipment, consumable supplies, and conducting training events.

16. Follow-on Training • FANS Team Recruiting and Training – 2nd qtr and /or 4th qtr 2013. • FANS 1 day practical application exercise - (TBD) • Muni and ASD recruiting for Shelter Management training - (TBD) • Pioneer Home TTX - Aug 2013 • Special Needs round table discussion (TBD) • 1 day practical application exercise – 1st qtr 2014 • AK Shield 2014 Shelter Exercise – March 2014

17. Follow-up Actions