CSEPP.ORG

I: PURPOSE

This annex provides a plan for using the Bi-County Tactical Radio System (TRS) and other communications assets by community first responders during the initial phases of a Community Level Emergency at the Umatilla Chemical Depot (UMCD). This plan outlines the manner in which all community first responders will communicate with the various Operations Branch Directors and the Operations Section Chief located at the Incident Command Post. This annex also describes or references the manner in which schools, support agencies and other groups communicate with the incident’s General Staff.

II: SCOPE

This annex applies to the use of the Bi-County TRS for all first responders during the Alert & Notification phase, Response phase and continued basic emergency response service phase of a Community Level Emergency at the UMCD. This annex also applies to other communication systems that are used by support agencies in concert with community first responders as directed by the Incident Commander.

III: BACKGROUND

The communities surrounding the UMCD have developed this plan to provide the guidance and framework for emergency response operations to an emergency involving any chemical weapon munitions. Response activities are managed by standardized Incident Command System (ICS) functions utilizing the concept of Unified Command (see the Plan Overview & ICS Structure). Local first responders and emergency management officials have helped develop this plan and support its implementation. The plan coordinates all public and private agencies involved in a CSEPP response and ensures that adequate and appropriate communications equipment, channels and procedures are available to support all identified CSEPP missions.

Response to a chemical emergency involves all emergency response personnel within two Oregon counties including Police, Fire and Emergency Medical assets from eight cities; Police, Fire and Emergency Medical assets from Tribal Government; Fire assets from outlying districts; County Sheriff, Public Health and Road Departments; area Hospitals; and the Oregon Departments of State Police and Transportation. Supporting agencies such as the American Red Cross and other volunteer organizations are also integral to the response plan. Unified Command and the ICS provide the framework for successful interoperable communications through the use of Common Terminology and Plain Language as well as Integrated Communications for all operational functions.

A communications system is effective only if the emergency response users are fully trained in its use. The CSEPP community recognized this fact and developed a communication system that provides all area first responders with an integrated TRS. This system is used for day to day response operations by all agencies. This provides for the best training ground in the use of the system by all users in the event of a CSEPP incident as familiarity gained by daily use makes operation second nature for paid staff as well as volunteers. This also provides a solid communications system for effective All Hazards response.

The TRS utilizes seven radio repeaters at each of seven radio sites throughout the CSEPP operational area. These channels are used as a pool of frequencies for all users on the system. Channels are assigned automatically as needed to complete a radio call by the use of defined “Talkgroups.” A talkgroup is a virtual radio channel which a group of users access for communications. The TRS has been designed with talkgroups for all day to day operational needs of emergency first responders in both counties as well as a set of talkgroups to be used in the event of a CSEPP incident.

In addition to the TRS, other communications systems are used in support of the CSEPP response plan. These systems are used by outside agencies and organizations which are not part of the local community first responder day to day operational system. For instance, the Oregon State Police operate a statewide communications system as does the Department of Transportation. During a CSEPP incident these agencies will conduct their support activities through their own radio systems, coordinated through liaisons at a county Emergency Operations Center (ECC/EOC). In the case of the State Police, responders from the local patrol offices are equipped with both their agency radios as well as a TRS radio to directly communicate with community CSEPP responders and the Incident Command Post (ICP).

Also integrated within the CSEPP response plan are communication assets of local amateur radio operators through the Amateur Radio Emergency Service (ARES) and Radio Amateur Civil Emergency Service (RACES). These assets are used as secondary or tertiary communication paths to safeguard CSEPP operations from any communications failures, and to augment communication needs for secondary traffic (see Annex O).

This plan annex is tailored to the initial response phases of a CSEPP incident. Through use of ICS and an integrated communication system, the efficient transition to other communication assets that are brought on scene by state and federal resources are supported. As the CSEPP incident evolves, additional communication assets can be integrated through interoperability gateways at any ECC/EOC location to interface with any local first responder.

IV: COMMUNICATIONS RESPONSE PLAN

1. Staffing:
   At the onset of a CSEPP incident, the Umatilla County Communications Coordinator will respond to the Umatilla County EOC (UCEOC) and assume the role of Communications Unit Leader (COML). The Communications System Analyst from Oregon Emergency Management will serve as alternate COML. The COML will monitor the TRS from the operator console in the UCEOC and assist with message traffic as necessary from field units, the ICP and the EOC. The COML will operate the TRS management systems to monitor the TRS controller for failures and difficulty with subscriber unit access and system use.
2. Tactical Radio System Use:
   TRS talkgroups used for CSEPP incidents are programmed into all area first responder subscriber units (portable and mobile radios). Public Safety units responding to a Community Emergency will coordinate primary response activity on Zone 10 of the radio programming layout per the following chart:

   TRS ZONE 10
   Channel Position	Channel Name	Function Assigned
   1	CSEPP CMMD /td>
   2	CSEPP F OPS	Fire Operations Coordination
   3	CSEPP L OPS	Law Enforcement Coordination
   4	CSEPP TAC 1	Law OPS Assignable
   5	CSEPP TAC 2	Law OPS Assignable
   6	CSEPP TAC 3	EMS Operations Coordination
   7	CSEPP TAC 4	CRTF West
   8	CSEPP TAC 5	CRTF East
   9	CSEPP TAC 6	Decon Operations Coordination
   10	CSEPP TAC 7	Decon West Site 1
   11	CSEPP TAC 8	Decon West Site 2
   12	CSEPP TAC 9	Decon East
   13	CSEPP TAC 10	Public Works/Evacuation Coord
   14	UC EOC	Non IRZ/PAZ Response Coord
   15	MC ECC	Non IRZ/PAZ Response Coord
   16	HOSPITALS COM	Hospital Coordination

   • CSEPP Community Command entities will coordinate on the CSEPP Command talkgroup, channel selector position 1. These agencies include UMCD, Umatilla County, Morrow County, and the Incident Commander.
   • Note: The OPERATIONS section (OPERATIONS) is comprised of branches for Law Ops, Fire Ops, Decon Ops, and EMS Ops – located in the Incident Command Post at the Hermiston Safety Center. Assignment and re-assignment of First Responders will be at the direction of the Ops Section Chief and the Branch Directors.
   • Units responding to fire calls will coordinate operations on the CSEPP Fire OPS talkgroup, (CSEPP F OPS, position 2.)
   • Law Enforcement units will coordinate operations on CSEPP Law OPS talkgroup, (CSEPP L OPS, position 3)
   • EMS Operations will be coordinated on CSEPP TAC 3 (position 6).
   • DECON Operations will be coordinated on CSEPP TAC 6 (position 9).
   • Unit level communications will take place on CSEPP TACs 1, 2, 4, 5, and 7-10 (positions 4, 5, 7, 8, and 10-13).
   • Hospital Decontamination sites will communicate with Operations on CSEPP TAC 6 (position 2). Hospitals will scan Hospitals Common (position 16). Hospitals will coordinate non-operational issues on UC EOC or MC ECC as appropriate.
   • Public Works agencies supporting evacuation will coordinate on CSEPP TAC 10 (position 13).
   • Umatilla County and Morrow County (ECC/EOCs) will use UC EOC and MC ECC talkgroups (positions 14 and 15,) for response coordination outside of the IRZ/PAZ.
3. Other Radio System Use

   After initial response to a CSEPP incident, support agencies begin to deploy to alleviate CSEPP specific assets for other incident missions. Traffic Control Points (TCP) are initially staffed with law enforcement personnel from Boardman PD, both counties and OSP. These points are secured and their status is reported to the ICP through the TRS. Staffing of these points is soon transferred to public works and ODOT assets. At that time the transfer is reported to the LAW Ops Branch and continued communications with the TCP is through the TRS if available in the TCP unit or the Hermiston area OSP channel 49 (VHF conventional channel receive = 154.650MHz / decode 167.9Hz, transmit = 159.030MHz / encode 151.4Hz).

   Local schools have been equipped with radios as well as all school bus vehicles of Mid Columbia Bus Services. These radios are a private repeater system and are monitored at the UCEOC by school district personnel. School over pressurization shelter status and evacuation status will be reported to the UCEOC through this system (see Annex J).

   Supplemental communications will be provided by local ARES/RACES assets trained and prescreened for access to the UCEOC, ICP, Morrow County ECC, Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation EOC (CTUIR) and American Red Cross reception centers and shelters (see Annex O).

   In addition to the above listed radio communications capabilities, land line communications, cellular telephones and NEXTEL communications are available to support the Incident Commander, Operations Staff, field responders, ECC/EOCs and special facilities. In Morrow County, the County ECC and city EOCs and special facilities will have access to the ESD telephone system which is not linked to the public telephone system. The NEXTEL system will provide cellular telephone, two way radio, group call radio, paging and e-mail service in the 800MHz band.