Avagene Moore: Welcome to the EIIP Virtual Forum! On behalf of Amy Sebring and myself, we are happy to see everyone here today. Isabel McCurdy: Hi Roger! Avagene Moore: For the benefit of any first-time participants, we will be using only one slide today. Avagene Moore: When you see the blue hyperlink, please click on it and it should open in another browser window. If it covers your chat window you will need to bring your chat window back to the top after viewing. Avagene Moore: For example, here is our the URL for our background page today. Look at it quickly if you choose, then come back for the remainder of our introduction: http://www.emforum.org/vforum/030625.htm Avagene Moore: Please do not send private messages to our speaker or the moderator, as we will be busy with the presentation. If you need assistance, please send a private message to Amy Sebring. Avagene Moore: The transcript of today's session will be available by late this afternoon -- just check back on our home page. Avagene Moore: We will begin with the formal presentation by our special guest and then invite your questions. I will provide further instructions just before we begin the Q&A portion of our session but you may wish to jot your questions down as we go through the presentation. Avagene Moore: Please be courteous and do not talk out of turn in the session or during the Q&A. We will get to everyone's questions in turn and make the session meaningful for all of us. Avagene Moore: Our session discussion today covers the Prepositioned Equipment Program (PEP), a Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Office of Domestic Preparedness (ODP) program. Avagene Moore: FYI: The URL for the ODP page is http://www.ojp.doj.gov/odp . Please check it out at your convenience. Avagene Moore: Our special guest is Francis (Frank) R. Lepage, Lead Emergency Management Specialist for the Equipment Support Branch, DHS Office for Domestic Preparedness, State and Local Program Management Division. Avagene Moore: Mr. Lepage has management responsibility for several ODP equipment programs including the Prepositioned Equipment Program (PEP), the Domestic Preparedness Equipment Technical Assistance Program (DPETAP), ... Avagene Moore: the Grant Assistance Program (GAP), the Homeland Defense Equipment Reuse Program (HDER), and other initiatives involving interoperability of first responder equipment and communication systems. Avagene Moore: Mr Lepage is a subject matter expert for ODP dealing with WMD domestic preparedness equipment programs and has been instrumental in the development of several key components of ODP's Equipment Program. Avagene Moore: The EIIP is very pleased to host this session today. It is my pleasure to welcome Frank Lepage to the EIIP Virtual Forum! ... Avagene Moore: Frank is here with us but my EIIP associate, Amy Sebring, will expedite our session by inputting Frank's presentation. Amy, I now turn the floor to you. Amy Sebring: Thank you, Avagene. It is a pleasure to be here and to see all Virtual Forum participants. Amy Sebring: We are here to talk about the Prepositioned Equipment Program (PEP). My remarks are an overview of the program. I will address your questions at the appropriate time. Amy Sebring: The Nation faces a continuing threat of attack with chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear, or explosive (CBRNE) weapons of mass destruction (WMD). Amy Sebring: To prepare for this threat, State and local officials must have resources immediately available to sustain and replenish assets depleted by the initial response to a major incident. Amy Sebring: Long before the events of September 11, 2001, the U.S. Department of Justice had commenced training and planning to prepare for a possible terrorist attack. The Department of Justice Office for Domestic Preparedness (ODP) ... Amy Sebring: had conducted exercises and training with many of New York City's first responders. A senior New York City firefighter who chaired an ODP advisory panel was one of those who died on that tragic day. Amy Sebring: Careful analysis of the September 11th attack has demonstrated that an incident of terrorism can rapidly deplete local supplies and equipment. Despite the fact that many State and local jurisdictions have purchased new equipment in the aftermath of September 11th ... Amy Sebring: it is unrealistic to expect that all jurisdictions can be fully equipped to provide an adequate, sustained response to a major terrorist incident. To meet this critical need, the ODP launched the Prepositioned Equipment Program (PEP). Amy Sebring: PEP consists of standardized equipment pods that are prepositioned in selected geographic areas to permit rapid deployment to States and localities facing a major CBRNE event. Amy Sebring: In 11 planned locations Nationwide, highly specialized equipment and necessary off-the-shelf items will be stored in pods, transportable by land or air within 1 to 12 hours after help is requested. Amy Sebring: This equipment is specifically tailored to sustain and reconstitute the capabilities of local and State first responders to react to a terrorist attack or other major emergency. Through formal request and deployment procedures, the Federal Government will transfer PEP pods to specifically designated local or State officials. Amy Sebring: You may be wondering about the origin of the PEP program. To explain it, let me give you a bit of ODP background. Amy Sebring: Created by Congress in 1998, ODP was established at U. S. Department of Justice to support and strengthen the capacity of the Nation's emergency first responder community through equipment, training, exercises, and technical assistance. Amy Sebring: With passage of the Homeland Security Act of 2002, ODP has become part of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). Amy Sebring: The planning for PEP began in February 2001. To design PEP, ODP established a team of subject matter experts as well as an advisory working group made up of senior emergency responders from major metropolitan areas across the country. Amy Sebring: The current team includes representatives of local law enforcement, fire departments, public health services, National Guard, the U.S. Marine Corps Systems Command, and the Naval Research Laboratory. Amy Sebring: The PEP planning process considered the needs of all responder functions, including fire, HAZMAT, emergency medical, and law enforcement. ODP analyzed threats to America's primary population centers ... Amy Sebring: and integrated findings from previous studies as well as lessons learned from experience, to provide a coordinated approach for the PEP program. The collaboration of Federal, State, and local agencies has been comprehensive. Amy Sebring: Federal agencies included the Office of National Coordinator for Security Infra-structure Protection and Counter-Terrorism, Federal Emergency Management Agency, Federal Bureau of Investigation, ... Amy Sebring: Department of Health and Human Services, Department of Energy, Environmental Protection Agency, National Guard, Naval Research Laboratory, and Marine Corps Systems Command. Amy Sebring: Local and State agencies included emergency fire services, emergency medical services, hazardous response units, and law enforcement agencies. Amy Sebring: The PEP will give us national coverage. A total of 11 operational PEP sites are being phased in over a 2-year period. Strategically placed throughout the country, these equipment pods will be available ... Amy Sebring: to respond to an incident in any major population area across the continental U.S. within 6 hours after receiving a movement order; and will be available to 100 percent of the population within 12 hours. Amy Sebring: The ODP plan provides for immediate ground or air transportation of the first pod, including a team of support staff. At the same time, ODP staff will send a mobile communications system to ensure that first responders have interoperable communications at the scene. Amy Sebring: If circumstances warrant an even greater level of support, ODP may dispatch additional, fully equipped pods to the site, either by air or ground. Amy Sebring: PEP will deploy four elements to the disaster site: (1) PEP Equipment Set; (2) PEP Support Team; (3) Communications Interoperability System; and (4) Pine Bluff Arsenal Support Staff. Amy Sebring: Each PEP equipment set includes devices, tools, supplies, and additional materiel most likely needed by the initial on-scene responders to sustain their efforts. A PEP pod is sized to support the initial response to a major incident in a large metropolitan area. Equipment inventories were developed from: Amy Sebring: - Standardized Equipment List 2001 from the Interagency Board for Equipment Standardization and Interoperability Amy Sebring: - FEMA Urban Search and Rescue Team Equipment List Amy Sebring: - Lessons learned from September 11, 2001, and the earlier Oklahoma City and 1993 World Trade Center attacks. Amy Sebring: PEP equipment is supplied to replenish and reconstitute a minimum of 100 fire/HAZMAT, 25 emergency medical, and 25 law enforcement personnel conducting emergency response operations in the hot zone at the incident site. Amy Sebring: Examples of equipment include: (1) Personal Protective Equipment (PPE); (2) Chemical, Biological and Radioactive Agent Detection Instruments; (3) Medical Supplies and Equipment; (4) Search Equipment; (4) Decontamination Equipment; and (5) Logistics Equipment. Amy Sebring: Each PEP is staffed by personnel selected from the local community and the team will be based at each PEP storage site. The PEP staff manage the equipment set and performs associated logistics, including maintenance and calibration functions. Amy Sebring: These uniformed and highly trained staff are available to respond to emergencies 24/7. Through PEP, incident sites will receive fully interoperable mobile radio communications. Following the initial deployment, the affected jurisdiction will also receive ... Amy Sebring: interoperable communications from ODP that can supplement or reconstitute communications at the incident site. The ODP equipment is fully interoperable with standard systems used by emergency responders and incident commands. Amy Sebring: The U.S. Army's Pine Bluff Arsenal, a major training partner of ODP, will deploy Rapid Response Teams to the site of a terrorist attack. Upon arrival at the scene of a terrorist attack, these experts will assist State and local agencies with chemical and biological threats by providing equipment and technical assistance. Amy Sebring: Authority to order the movement and transfer of PEP rests with DHS. The standardized procedure for deployment and transferal to officials involves only four steps: Amy Sebring: 1) Request by Governor: In the event of a disaster, the local jurisdiction will make a request, through the State's Governor, for the transfer of the PEP; Amy Sebring: 2) Approval by Department of Homeland Security (DHS): The Governor's request goes to a Command Center in Washington, D.C. Following approval by the DHS, ODP will alert the PEP Support Team to begin deployment; Amy Sebring: 3) Transportation Security to Site: The local and/or State authorities making the deployment request will provide ground escort/convoy security to the designated logistics site; and Amy Sebring: 4) Coordination with Local Agencies: When the PEP pod arrives at the attack site, equipment will be turned over to local/State agencies and the PST will provide support. Amy Sebring: The PEP training and exercise program will be fully integrated into ODP's ongoing training and exercise programs. ODP has assigned the lead for PEP training to the Texas Engineering Extension Service (TEEX), part of the Texas A&M University System. Amy Sebring: TEEX also manages and maintains the PEP training equipment pod located at College Station, Texas. The training program includes two major components: Amy Sebring: An 80-hour course that includes 1) Maintenance (40 hours) and 2) Deployment (40 hours). In addition, a 5 to 6-hour management training course will be available on CD for self-paced instruction. Amy Sebring: The National Domestic Preparedness Consortium (NDPC) will also support the integrated PEP training and exercise program. Consortium members include the Center for Domestic Preparedness, Ft. McClellan, AL; National Emergency Response & Rescue Training Center, National Exercise, Test, and Training Center, Nevada Test Site; ... Amy Sebring: Energetic Materials Research & Testing Center; New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology, and National Center for Bio-Medical Research and Training, Louisiana State University. Amy Sebring: The PEP exercise program will employ scenario-based, hands-on exercises conducted by ODP's National Exercise Program Division in coordination with local and State jurisdictions. Amy Sebring: WMD preparedness exercises are realistic, multi-team, or multi- agency training events, based on threat-driven scenarios, designed to evaluate performance, reinforce training, and provide positive feedback. Amy Sebring: ODP has established a national capability for ongoing PEP logistics support as well as the ability to manage emergency operation of PEP during a crisis such as an attack involving situations and weapons of mass destruction (WMD). Amy Sebring: The ODP management plan for PEP includes communications, equipment logistics, alert, and notification procedures, and the deployment of PEP assets. Amy Sebring: The PEP information management network will utilize an Integrated Data Environment (IDE), a virtual network that interconnects all PEP sites and staff. This secure, encrypted web-based system will allow ODP staff to interface with all sites to enhance program management and communications. Amy Sebring: ODP has established a national logistics and storage facility at a secure military installation where vital management functions may be performed. This facility orders, ships and controls all the assets that comprise PEP. Staff at the National Logistics Activity also operate PEP's inventory control and tracking system. Amy Sebring: ODP has also established a Deployment Control Center for the management of PEP operations during an emergency. The Center is being operated by the U.S. Marine Corps Systems Command, and it will carry out the following four critical functions: Amy Sebring: 1. Alert/Notification: Immediate notification of Federal officials responsible for deployment of PEP equipment sets across the Nation Amy Sebring: 2. Activation: An automated checklist system to activate PST's and commence loading of equipment sets Amy Sebring: 3. Transportation: Movement of PEP equipment sets by land and air will be managed by the Deployment Control Center, including coordination with both military and civil authorities; and Amy Sebring: 4. State and Local First Responders: A database of Federal, State and local officials who may receive equipment and must be contacted in the event of an emergency. Amy Sebring: This concludes my formal remarks. I now turn the floor back to Avagene for the Q&A part of today's session. Avagene Moore: Thank you for your presentation, Frank, and Amy for your help. And now it is time for our audience to talk with you and ask any questions they may have. ... Avagene Moore: Our protocol for audience questions is to enter a question mark ? to indicate you wish to ask a question or make a comment. ... Avagene Moore: Then go ahead and compose your question to have it ready, but do NOT hit your Enter key or click on the Send button until you are recognized by name. ... Avagene Moore: If you have a follow up question to your original question, please input another question mark (?); otherwise, we are talking over each other and it makes Q&A difficult for our speakers, the moderator and the audience. Patience and courtesy are the order of the day to make the discussion meaningful. ... Avagene Moore: We will take questions in the order the question marks are sent to the screen. We are ready to begin now. Please input your ? now if you wish to ask a question of Frank. Greg Banner: ? aj mcnamara: ? Bary Lusby: ? Avagene Moore: Greg, you will go first. Please compose your question and input when ready. Greg Banner: You mentioned the Pine Bluff team has a bio capability. Please explain. Randall Duncan: ? Don Lumpkins: ? Roman Kaluta: ? Jim Miller: ? Avagene Moore: Frank, please respond when you are ready. aj mcnamara: what are the PEP plans for supplies related to mass decontamnation. A surge of victims beyond what was "planned for" is the issue Frank Lepage: Hi Greg, the PBA team trains jurisdictions on equipment use, technical applications and limitations... Avagene Moore: Wait, A.J. We go one at a time, please. Greg Banner: ? Frank Lepage: of the equipment jurisdictions purchase with ODP grant funds... Bob PaoneMassDPH: ? Frank Lepage: PBA bio-capabilities refer to their training capabilities which in the area of bio is limited. Avagene Moore: OK. Frank, did you see AJ's question. He is next. rick alumbaugh: ? Frank Lepage: yes, I'm reading it now. Avagene Moore: Whenever you are ready. Las Vegas OEM: ? Miguel Ascarrunz: ? Frank Lepage: Very good question A.J. The PEP is designed to replenish first responders working in the hot zone at the incident site... aj mcnamara: ? Frank Lepage: it isn't designed to provide sustainment support or equipment to meet the needs of the community as a whole... aj mcnamara: is there any plans to add the decon supplies Frank Lepage: very often we hear simialr questions from state and locals, its esy to confuse the purpose of PEP with the pressing needs of locals authorities who have to plan for catastrpohic events. ed kostiuk: ? Avagene Moore: Frank, do you want to respond to AJ second question altho out of order? Avagene Moore: About decon supplies? Frank Lepage: A.J. I may have overlooked your question about decon supplies... Frank Lepage: the equipment set in PEP includes limited decon capabilities... Frank Lepage: we have a decon system for the response team(s) but not for mass casulaty decon.. Chuck Jacobi: ? Frank Lepage: please keep in mind that PEP is providing support for only 150 first responders. Avagene Moore: Bary, you are next, please. Everyone input your ?, compose your question and hold until I call you by name, please. Bary Lusby: Have the 11 sites been selected? Frank Lepage: Hi Bary, yes the sites have been approved by DHS... Frank Lepage: formerly by the Department of Justice before we integrated with DHS... Frank Lepage: now that we're physically in the department... Frank Lepage: the sites have been accepted as a matter of record... Frank Lepage: the sites will be located in geographic metro areas... Frank Lepage: we're not mentioning specific cities if we can help it, but do acknowledge... Frank Lepage: their locations in gretaer metroploitan areas... Amy Sebring: We may have lost Frank, please stand by. Frank Lepage: site locations include, Camp Smith, NY, Stewart AF Base, NY, SAlt Lake area, St Louis metro area, Puger Sound area, LA County metro area, Central South Carolina, Pinnelas County, FL., Albuquerque metro area, Hennepin County, MN., and northern Virginia. Amy Sebring: (oops) Avagene Moore: Randy Duncan, you are next, sir. (We thought we had lost you, Frank.) Randall Duncan: How do we get access for local teams getting training for PEP. We are currently an MMRS site (Sedgwick County -- Wichita, Ks.)? Frank Lepage: Sorry for the long response, there's a lot of infromation to provide. Amy Sebring: (It was worth the wait!) Avagene Moore: Yes, not a problem. Frank Lepage: Thank you for asking this question Randall. There currently isn't formal training avaialble for local jurisdictions... Frank Lepage: as we establish operations in specific locations, PEP Support Teams will be hired an trained... Frank Lepage: to work in the program. These individuals will be required to deploy with the equipment whenever... Frank Lepage: attacks occur. Each PST has a compliment of two full time and 12 part time staff... Frank Lepage: who can be called upon for a deployment. These individualas Frank Lepage: are fully trained and will remain in site at the location until we are n longer needed. Avagene Moore: Roman, your question, please. We have a seven in queue with questions so be patient. We will get to you. Roman Kaluta: With Communications Interoperability being the backbone for command and control and incident management, has ODP given any consideration to expand the number of Prepositioned TRP-1000's nationally in addition to those fielded a few years ago, there are a number of jurisdictions looking to add communications interoperabiltiy to their regions, but lack funding. Frank Lepage: Roman, communication interoperability is a huge challenge for everyone at every level of government... Frank Lepage: currently ODP provides state and local agencies with funds to purchase communications equipment as well as other equipment... Frank Lepage: jurisdiction might need... Frank Lepage: ODP doesn't plan on prepositioned communications equipment like the acu or trp 1000... Frank Lepage: instead, agencies can acquire this technlogy to meet their own operational needs... Roman Kaluta: ? Frank Lepage: however, ODP can assist with training and technical assistance to make sure jurisdictions maximize equipment that is currently on hand like TRP- 1000, and integrate these in the communcications infrastructure... Frank Lepage: technical assistance would help with developing requirements analysis, identifying current capabilities,and providing an engineering architecture that would be the road map jurisdictions could use to... Frank Lepage: achieve communications interoperability... Roman Kaluta: I agree fully and public safety appreciates your assistance. Where should agencies look to obtain the information for the assistance (funding and/or training) ODP can provide? Frank Lepage: we expect to be able to provide this type of technical assistance to selected jurisdictions soon, unfortunately there isn't any plan to provide a large stock of TRP-1000 or other similar technologies in th ePEP program. Avagene Moore: Jim, you are up now. Please input your question or comment. Jim Miller: What plans are being made at the local level to receive this equipment and how is planning being funded? Frank Lepage: Hi Jim, the PEP program is not as large as it might sound even though we are planning for a national capability we simply don't have the resources to ensure state and local planning is being accomplished for PEP the way that you have indicated inyour question... Frank Lepage: we are meeting with as many state as we can to notify them of PEP... Frank Lepage: encourage them to integrate PEP in the planning process... Frank Lepage: and make them aware of PEP capabilities, how to request the equipment and what the process is to recieve the equipment... Frank Lepage: basically, the Governor's Homeland Security Adviser will submit the state's request for PEP to DHS... Frank Lepage: DHS will then authorize ODP to activate PEP deplyment operations... Isabel McCurdy: ? Frank Lepage: coordination between the state, ODP, and the local receiving agency will... Frank Lepage: be handled by us to ensure the equipment arrives where it is needed. Avagene Moore: Greg Banner, you have another question - please input now. Greg Banner: Already answered. Thanks. Avagene Moore: All right. Thanks. Bob Paone, you are up now. Bob PaoneMassDPH: Are you working/coordinating with CDC and SNS program and are PEP and SNS requested simultaneously? Don Druitt Ft L OEM: Don Druitt? Frank Lepage: Hi Poane, do you means the National Pharmaceautical Stockpile program? If so, these are not resources that should be or need to be handled simultaneously... Frank Lepage: the questin comes up frequently though... Curtis Mast: ? Bob PaoneMassDPH: ? Frank Lepage: because the CDC/NPS is turn key resource states and locals have to plan to integrate the arrival of CDC assets to provide bodies and other resources in the planning process... Frank Lepage: PEP is dissimilar in that we provide the on site crew to manage, and distribute the equipment when it is needed... Frank Lepage: basically all we need is a location to ste up operations... Frank Lepage: answer to your question, no they do not need to be requested at the same time. Avagene Moore: Rick, you are next. rick alumbaugh: Does the Marine Command act as support for the local unified command and do all decisions still rest with the unified command? Frank Lepage: Hi Rick, we are at the disposal of the incidnet commander but in no way become part of or augment the unified command structure... Frank Lepage: PEP really becomes on of the equipment assets for the IC... Frank Lepage: the Marine Corps Systems Command, although involved in other Federal response programs like CBIRF and CST, are not playing a simliar role in PEP... Frank Lepage: their charge in PEP is to provide logistics support and personnel for PEP. Avagene Moore: Las Vegas, your question please. We are running over time today, folks. Frank will give us about 10 minutes extra and we will try to get everyone's question in - but no more ? for today beyond those in queue, please. Las Vegas OEM: Tim McAndrew @ Las Vegas OEM: dimensions & weight of pod for ground trans & floor space requirements to breakdown? Frank Lepage: Thanks Tim, we need about 6000 square feet of space to set up operations... Frank Lepage: of course depending on the weather we may require indoor space to operate effectively... Las Vegas OEM: Ground trans needs? Thank you