Photo By Staff Sgt. Leia Tascarini | Florida National Guard, Maj. Joshua G. Franqui, 260th Military Intelligence Battalion...... read more read more
MIAMI - When a hurricane or a natural disaster strikes, Florida National Guard Soldiers are on the front lines of relief and recovery efforts, alongside first responders. This approach has not changed during the current COVID-19 response operations in Florida. However, prior to any mission there is always coordination between local authorities and the Florida Guard. The joint coordination happens due to Florida Guard liaison officers or LNO's.
“I’ve been an LNO at least five times during state active duty operations as part of the Florida Guard’s response to Hurricanes,” said Capt. Shakera Bucknor Ingram, commander of A Company, 260th Military Intelligence Battalion, headquartered in Miami, and the 50th Regional Support Group’s (RSG) LNO at the Miami Beach Convention Center alternate care facility. “My role always centers around helping our partners coordinate requests and working with them to deconflict any issues before they bubble up and become a problem.”
In South Florida, during the state’s COVID-19 response, the 50th RSG has relied heavily on LNOs to assist in ensuring that proper coordination takes place between local stakeholders and state agencies, as well as with the National Guard. LNOs have been critical in the establishment of Community Based Testing Sites in Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach Counties, as well as during the initial phase of the screening missions at South Florida airports.
“When the C.B. Smith Park testing site was preparing to open, we helped the incident commander by identifying and addressing potential needs ahead of time,” Bucknor Ingram said.
For Maj. Joshua Franqui, the 50th RSG’s intelligence officer, serving as an LNO is nothing new. He has served as one almost yearly since 2009, although this is the first time he is assigned to the Miami-Dade County Emergency Operations Center (EOC).
“To me, the role of the LNO is to serve as a guide for our civilian counterparts at the EOC, so they can better understand what our Soldiers can do,” Franqui said. “Because we are in the Florida National Guard, our Soldiers are not only Soldiers. They have other skills that can help complement an existing or future mission. If tasked properly, we really can be a force multiplier for many counties and municipalities.”
The concept behind LNOs is simple: by developing a partnership between the Florida Guard and county emergency management officials, as well as local stakeholders, information flows can be improved, support requests can be streamlined, and troubleshooting can happen at the lowest possible level during stressful, high-intensity operations.
“We appreciate the strong partnership we have with the Florida National Guard,” said Frank Rollason, Miami-Dade County’s director of emergency management. “During the COVID-19 response, it has proven invaluable to have a Guard representative at our EOC. We look forward to working hand-in-hand with them daily.”
| Date Taken: | 04.21.2020 |
| Date Posted: | 04.21.2020 14:58 |
| Story ID: | 367957 |
| Location: | MIAMI, FLORIDA, US |
| Web Views: | 192 |
| Downloads: | 1 |
This work, Liaison Officers make a difference in Florida’s COVID-19 response, by MAJ Jesse Manzano, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
No keywords found.
