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Finish Line In Sight

Words of comfort

We’ve said that life goes on despite the disaster. And unfortunately, that held true for one of our team members, who had to fly home to tend to an emergent matter. The entire team is sending our best wishes as they navigate the next little while. The notes of support and comfort that were received have really come to symbolize what this deployment has meant to everyone on the team – unity and strength. The team has worked with local telecommunicators from Buncombe County, and with folks from other TERT teams across the country. Everyone has assisted where they can, and how they can. That is the goal of the NJTI program, and the mission of OH-TERT. But seeing the outpouring of support, seeing it in action – in a reverse flow of how it has been working (that is, one of our personnel being comforted by the folks we’re here to help) was an unexpected, and humbling, gesture. But, really, that’s how dispatchers roll with each other. The patch and logo do not matter. We all know the same job, the same emotions, and the same toll.

At the mess tent

Team 2 and the (2) personnel from Team 1 along with team leader Nick DiCicco (and Noah-Ashe) will be working their last shifts Monday and Tuesday, as the mission concludes. A 2-person logistics crew will again drive down on Tuesday to help shepherd the team home on Wednesday. This by no means signals the end of operations in the area. Many agencies and organizations remain in the area, and will continue to provide service for the foreseeable future. OH-TERT and the other teams that arrived a month ago were dispatched to help with immediate relief for the Bumbombe County PSCC. We feel that mission has reasonably been accomplished. But many other recovery missions and tasks remain in progress. It is likely that additional TERT personnel from other states will also deploy.

As some of the goodbyes start, our belief and hope is that OH-TERT 1 and 2 have been able to provide assistance for Buncombe County and Asheville, and the Buncombe County PSCC. Their personnel represent the very best of Western North Carolina; we are honored to have had the chance to help them.

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Our Own VIP Visitors

Our own VIPs

We’ve said a few times over these past weeks that it really does take a literal village to push forward through any deployment. Any regional or state team that deploys on EMAC assignments will tell you that it takes all parts of the squad, unit, or strike team, or task force to achieve a successful deployment. The personnel who are forward deployed (right now, OH-2, (2) personnel from OH-1, and team lead Nick DiCicco), the team back home (the entire OHTERT leadership team that has pitched in), and the agencies, families, friends, and miscellaneous superstars, all make the mission go through to a successful return of the team.

But just as important are our state partners who enable communications across state lines to determine how best to help folks farther away. Today, we were delighted, and honored, to receive some of our own Very Important People at HAVOC’s operating location. Ohio Department of Public Safety Director Andy Wilson, Ohio Emergency Management Agency Director Sima Merick, and Ohio EMA Regional Operations Chief Sean Miller all paid a visit while they were in North Carolina to assess not only the ongoing operations in-state, but to see how deployed personnel from Ohio were doing. EMA Director Merick also visited with the team in preparation for their 2022 Lee County deployment, and we have been appreciative of the EMA’s support of our work previously and on this deployment as well. We have worked with Ohio EMA staff to ensure our MRP documentation was correct and appropriate, and they have helped us to learn the professional ropes of interstate deployment. DPS and EMA have both offered support and allowed our personnel to prove the value of an active TERT program in our state. Our belief is that a TERT team is just as important as USAR, DMAT, IMAT (PDF), and other state teams that organize and deploy during time of national emergency.

Team 2’s countdown calendar

Operationally, the countdown is on for Team-2’s demobilization on Tuesday evening. The team is still split between HAVOC and the backup PSAP, and (1) additional dispatcher from Iowa’s TERT team has joined as well. Call volume remains constant, and brisk.

First Lady Dr. Jill Biden will visit the area tomorrow; Presidential candidate Donald Trump was also in the area yesterday. Plans are also underway to reopen the Asheville City Schools and Buncombe County Schools next week as well. We mentioned also in our last post about some sense of normalcy starting to – ever so slowly and carefully – return to the Asheville metro area. The resumption of societal functions like school and the upcoming election are signs of that. But – without doubt – many lives remain completely disrupted. Many towns are completely destroyed. A school reopening does not change that sobering fact. Our hope is that by our work and presence in Buncombe County, we have helped to at least prevent further loss.

All personnel are safe and working, if a bit tired.

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To The Moon and Back

Team TERT OH-2 has been working for 4 days now, and they have kept up the pace that Team OH-1 set in the first half of the deployment. At present, 3 personnel from the team are working at the backup center, assisting with call taking, and the remainder of the squad is working aboard HAVOC on the 311 helpline. Call volume remains brisk and consistent. Moreover, the team is navigating logistical challenges as well- political figures and officials are visiting the area with greater frequency, creating the need to carefully navigate on the phone, on the air, and at home base.

Much has been written heretofore about Noah Ash, but his presence, accidental though it may have been, is proving to be a critical one for the team, and really the entire camp. The types of calls that the TERT team are receiving and processing have been described as the most difficult in their given careers. Considering the wide range of experience that Ohio TERT’s personnel bring to bear, that’s saying a lot. Noah Ash’s natural playfulness and curiosity has brought a light and affectionate counterbalance to the situation at hand. Our newly adopted mascot allows our team to focus on something aside from the difficult mission at hand, and everyone is glad for Noah Ash being there. #WhosAGoodDoggie

Each team has their own idiosyncrasies. One group might be all about their business, all the time. Another might take a more pragmatic approach to the mission. There’s more than one way to peel a potato, right? Coloring has proven to be a helpful diversion for Team 2. The messages of hope, love, faith, determination and affection for NoahAsh (#WhosAGoodDoggie) have all served as welcomed subject matter for our resident Ninja Picasso team members. And, the vibrant colors and themes of resilience are right on target for this mission, and this community. The primary goal is to help the team to cope with the call volume and types of calls they’re getting, to say nothing of their entire world being completely out-of-whack. All this said, their ability to cope and manage with their stressors makes them more equipped and readily able to support the gang at Buncombe County PSCC, who are enduring their own nightmares to a level few will ever understand.

Establishing some kind of normalcy is important on assignments like this. At the state APCO/NENA conference this year, the Committee gave an in-service presentation on TERT for interested public safety dispatchers. One of the things said that was important: “…get comfortable with being uncomfortable…” And, it’s proven so, so true on this assignment.  At points on this deployment, public utilities, telecommunications, gas, internet, telephone, and even interstates were all either compromised or completely disrupted. Bad news for a team whose mission is emergency communications. Nothing is normal about what is going on in Western North Carolina. The area is irrevocably changed forever. Lives are irrevocably changed forever. So, for Ohio TERT, and all of the acronym alphabet teams, even one normal thing is important. 1 quiet lap around the camp. 1 hot cup of coffee. 1 pleasant greeting. 1 glance at a coloring sketch. 1 lick from Noah Ash. That normalcy can be extended. 1 hug to a Buncombe County dispatcher. 1 word of encouragement to a Buncombe County resident. 1 piece of information that will connect someone to help.

We love you, North Carolina, to the moon and back.

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Shift Change

Team 2 outbound…

On Tuesday and Wednesday, Ohio TERT conducted a shift change at Buncombe County and the City of Asheville. (8) personnel comprising Team TERT-OH-2 departed from Cambridge early Tuesday morning following Monday evening rally point rendezvous. Team 2 represents PSAPs around the state: (2) from the Chagrin Valley Dispatch COG, (3) from Southwest Emergency Dispatch – Stongsville, and (1) each from Summit ECC, CECOMS in Cuyahoga County, and the Hardin County Sheriff’s Office. As is the case with Team OH-1, these personnel originate from large metro centers and smaller rural places. And, all but 1 are first time deployers. But, they are all endorsed by their home agencies, and have completed and in many cases exceeded the minimum training requirements for deployment. These first, first responders represent the best of their agencies and communities, and the State of Ohio. What unites our team is the push to help each other. The name on the chest or shoulder patch do not matter- the team is at it’s heart a group of dispatchers who are helping other dispatchers.

Teams 1 and 2 at shift change.

Team 2 arrived in Asheville Tuesday afternoon, got settled, and had dinner to get to know their Team 1 counterparts. They talked through their experiences thus far, both operationally and logistically. Call volume on the information line that HAVOC is covering is steady, but lower than went it came online in the first few days after arrival. Also, personnel from Georgia TERT and Nebraska TERT have departed, which will create an increased need for manpower at the Buncombe County PSCC. It is expected that personnel from Team 2 will be working more shifts at the 911 center than they will be handling the information line aboard HAVOC. And, while recovery operations continue, normal life continues. Call volume that is not Helene related remains just as high as well.  While progress is certainly being made, there is quite a long way to go. Sections of Interstates 26 and 40 remain closed, and power and water are still out in parts of the metro area. Additionally, due to false information being spread around, an increased law enforcement presence has also occurred, both in the community, and at the camp where the team is. All of our personnel are safe, but resources and personnel are being diverted to deal with this when they are absolutely needed elsewhere.

Team 1 departed Wednesday morning following a couple group pictures and goodbye hugs. For some personnel on Team 1, this was a (17) day deployment, that included periods without water, electric, or hot food. Their efforts and those of their other state TERT counterparts really set the tone to enable OH-2 and other TERT personnel who will deploy (another EMAC request was placed today for more telecommunicators) to pick up where they left off.

We offer thanks and gratitude to Team OH-1, who have earned some down time. We likewise acknowledge the logistics team that shepherded OH-2 to the front line safely and returned OH-1 to their families and loved ones- 1,100 miles over 2 days in total. And, we offer our best wishes to OH-2 and those personnel from OH-1 who remained for an additional 2 weeks to help. We also gratefully shout-out to Candie Cunningham and R&R Identification (see earlier post)- the hoodies have come in handy- night time temperatures have been in the 30’s.

All hands are working.

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Unsung Heroes

Devan Phillis from MARCS

The term ‘unsung hero’ seems to get a lot of use these days. For lots of societal and vocational reasons that do not really matter here, folks all across the country and the world find themselves called upon to lend assistance in times of crisis and misfortune. How person(s) choose to answer the proverbial call to action varies greatly, and is influenced by many factors. But at the heart of the matter, it remains, that folks increasingly are faced with choices in their community, jobs, or just out running errands.

Our mission as a TERT Team is to assist PSAP personnel who have been affected by a disaster of some sort. The NJTI was born following Hurricane Katrina, when public safety telecommunicators were overlooked when discussions were held on how credentialing and response looked during major national emergencies. And, our personnel have been working for nearly 2 weeks on that exact mission in Buncombe County, North Carolina.

Arlin Bradford from MARCS

But, in addition to the public safety telecommunicators that went to work at the Buncombe County PSCC, (2) personnel from Ohio MARCS also went on the deployment. Devan Phillis and Arlin Bradford are both journeymen in public safety communications, and their presence on the deployment has been critical. Similar to MARCS, the State of North Carolina has an IP radio system, VIPER (Voice Interoperability Plan for Emergency Responders). Following the flooding, VIPER was impacted in the west of the state, and for awhile, was inoperable in places. Devon, Arlin, and other technical communications staff from other states, worked with North Carolina DPS personnel to examine and repair tower sites, also placing (2) Towers On Wheels (TOWs) in service to assist with coverage in the Blue Ridge Mountain regions of the state. Reestablishing communications was such a critical process during the first days- without radio communications, the PSCC and field personnel were essentially cut off from each other. Devan and Arlin were part of the team that enabled critical information to get back on the air when it was needed the most.

Both personnel are traveling back to Ohio today with the TOWs and other related equipment. We acknowledge Ohio DAS Deputy Director of First Responder Communications Initiatives Angela Canepa, who gave the green light for Devan and Arlin to deploy with TERT. Radio technicians are oven overlooked and taken for granted, viewed as the guys who program your radio (and, yah, they did that too). They too faced a choice, and they chose to help. Their work repaired a literal lifeline that was so badly needed.

Respect.

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We’re Going On A Trip…

…In our favorite rocket ship, er, field communications unit. It’s moving day today for the gang and other TERT teams, as they bid farewell to their initial quarters near a school, and head down the road about 15 minutes to a FEMA dormitory trailer camp that also provides a hot meal, and (in theory) a hot shower, a first in 2 weeks for some of the team. This is meant as a joint base for TERT and other out-of-state personnel operating in the region (public safety, public works, support services). HAVOC-1 is able to continue to operate as it was as the previous location, as both a command center for our staff, and a 311 center for Bumcombe County. Personnel are continuing on 12-hour shifts aboard HAVOC, and in the Buncombe County PSCC as well. It’s been reported that operations continued aboard HAVOC while they were moving. This may be the first recorded case of call taking while in motion!

Final logistics arrangements are nearing completion for OH-2, who will rally in Cambridge Monday evening for an early departure Tuesday morning. A 3 person logistics crew from within the Committee will take down a fresh crew of 10 (TERT OH-2) and associated supplies on Tuesday morning, and return Wednesday afternoon with TERT OH-1 and the supply trailer and large tent went initially went down with them.

This is easily the largest and most complex deployment in our team’s history. The personnel who have or will soon deploy, the support team back in Ohio, and the Committee writ large have all worked literally every day, around the clock, since late September, on this mission. We are incredibly thankful to everyone on Ohio TERT, of course. And, we acknowledge the support of the Ohio APCO and NENA chapter Boards. We are equally as thankful to the agencies that have allowed their personnel to deploy, to the companies and businesses who have lent assistance, and to the family and friends of the team, who have sacrafised their loved ones and kept things moving on the homefront. This lift has been and will continue to be very much a team effort. As we approach a ‘shift change’ and the halfway point of our deployment, we remain focused on the mission at hand: to help our Brothers and Sisters in Western North Carolina and the communities they protect.

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It Takes A Village

The personnel from Ohio TERT are doing tremendous work in taxing and difficult circumstances. The folks of Western North Carolina have a long, long road ahead, and we feel honored to have the opportunity to provide assistance to our Brothers and Sisters and their community.

Reinforcements from Medina Co SO

Sending a team to operate on an operation like this is most definitely a team effort. Back in Ohio, the oversight committee has been working to support the forward operating personnel, and we’ve been humbled by the support received from agencies across our state. Last week, we wrote about the Butler County Sheriff’s Office and their delivery of goods. Today, a similar delivery of goodies came from our colleagues at the Medina County Sheriff’s Office. Water, food, clean-up supplies, and buckets were all a welcomed sight. We offer our kind thanks to Sheriff Terry Grice and the Medina County Sheriff’s Office staff for their kindness and support.

 

Committee Member Candie Cunningham and Jillian from R&R Identification

We’ve also relied on the efforts and grace of several businesses throughout Ohio as well. Vehicle rental companies, grocery stores, auto parts stores, outdoor adventures sales, and uniform companies. We’d be remiss if we didn’t gratefully acknowledge Jillian, the owner of R&R Identification in Fremont. Jillian’s small business has been our official outfitter through (3) cycles of uniform orders. And, last week, when it became clear that we would need to press TERT-OH-2 into service, we needed additional shirts on the double. Enter Committee Member Candie Cunningham, who reached out to Jillian and R&R Identification, to see if they could do a partial order on the fly. Not only did R&R get us a few shirts, they completed the nearly (100) piece order in just 4 days. To say we were floored would be an understatement. But throughout this deployment, we have been humbled to see that, in our hyper-partisan society, helping a community in need still binds us.

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Continuing Operations

some of our favorite women

Operations are continuing today in Buncombe County. The second Tower on Wheels has arrived and was put in service. While final preparations are (should be) underway for Milton, rescue and recovery operations are very much continuing in western North Carolina. We continue on 12 hour shifts in the PSCC, backup center, and board HAVOC-1. We are proud to be working along side our Brothers and Sisters from Kentucky Telecommunicators Emergency Response Taskforce , Alabama TERT , Georgia TERT , Massachusetts TERT and others. We acknowledge also our friends from Florida TERT who are preparing for Milton.

The team back home is meeting tonight to form out how TERT-OH-2 is going to look. At present, OH-1 is tenatively (TENATIVELY) scheduled to get back next Tuesday or Wednesday, and OH-2 would be heading down. Once that is solidified, we will publish the details.

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Buncombe County PSCC: Through Their Eyes

There’s nothing we have to say about today’s operational period that is more important than the hearing Buncombe County Public Safety Communications’ words to the community it protects:

“This is the Buncombe County Public Safety Communications Center as it stands right now.
In the midst of sadness, anger, and helplessness, we continue to show up. Our Communications Center has been active since the very beginning of the storm, and we want our community to know that we are steadfastly here for you. We are not just strangers in another state answering your calls; we are your neighbors, friends, and family. Together, we are enduring this struggle. We’ve been sleeping on floors, working tirelessly around the clock, and sharing in the same fears that you all feel.
We are deeply grateful for the outpouring of support we’ve received from 911 TERT teams across the country—Georgia, Kentucky, Ohio, Florida—and dispatchers from all around, coming together to help in whatever way they can.
We just want to take a moment to remind you all that we are part of this community, and we feel your pain as you feel ours. But together, we will rebuild from this, and we will walk beside you every step of the way, just like the incredible people of these Mountains know how to do.
We love you all, and when you need us, we will be right here by your side.”
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Noah Ash

The team’s newest member has a name: Noah Ash, in honor of surviving the flooding and the City of Asheville, where he came to be a part of the team. His destination is still to be determined, but Noah Ash is in good health, and is most certainly helping to lift the spirits of the TERT teams, both from Ohio and other states as well.

Search and rescue operations in Buncombe County are continuing. It was reported that (14) USAR task forces or strike teams are operating in Western North Carolina. Wide area operations are believed to start wrapping up over the next day or two. Following that, specific missions will start to be issued for specific unaccounted for persons or areas that are in need of rescue.

The second mobile Tower on Wheels in the MARCS fleet is slated to depart Ohio tomorrow, also destined for greater Asheville.

We are monitoring conditions regarding Tropical Storm Milton. As yet, no decisions have been made. Committee Chair Nick DiCicco has been on the NJTI conference calls; it is expected more information will be available tomorrow.

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