Meeting
The team met in Columbus at Franklin County EMA on November 20th to conduct an after-action debriefing regarding our recent deployment to
Unloading
Asheville and Buncombe County, North Carolina. Committee Chair Nick DiCicco lead a discussion on the good, bad, and ugly, from first standby alert to the return of the last resource in October. This was a significant deployment for our taskforce; nearly double the manpower was required for this activation compared to Lee County or the US Virgin Islands deployments. A majority of the team was able to attend, including Noah Ash. We acknowledged the things that went well, and also spoke openly of the areas that could stand improvement. While we are incredibly proud of what our team was able to accomplish, there is always space to improve. And, a lot of that improvement derives from experience. Going into this deployment, information was difficult to come by, and was sometimes contradictory. Plainly, we didn’t know what we didn’t know. So, a chance to improve on that area for next time. Having personnel from Ohio MARCS along was also identified as a specific area of pride, and both of those members were noted for their work in restoring badly needed communications in the area.
One of the other areas we discussed was establishing regional TERT teams around the state. The purpose is twofold: firstly, to try to more equally balance out the team membership composition across the state, and secondly, to enable these teams to cover regional intrastate events, such as LODD events, or acute emergencies in a specific jurisdiction. The regions would align to the current Ohio Homeland Security regions, and each would have a coordinator that would be the designated team contact for their part of the state.
After lunch, the team went to the Columbus Department of Public Safety logistics warehouse to offload the tent loaned to us by Franklin County EMA. We inflated the tent inside one of the apparatus washing bays, and scrubbed, wiped, and washed this monster up and down. We left it inflated with a large fan running to dry it overnight, and a second crew returned Wednesday after the Ohio APCO/NENA meeting to collapse it, dry it off, and reload the tent back aboard the EMA trailer at the logistics warehouse. We again acknowledge and express thanks to Franklin County EMA for the use of the tent, and to Columbus Fire for allowing the use of the wash bay.
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.
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.
