Fleet and Family Support Center (FFSC) conducted an Emergency Family Assistance Center (EFAC) drill on January 25 as part of an on-going effort to improve the quality of support services on board NSA Mid-South.
The drill trained FFSC staff on various aspects of response during and after an emergent incident at the installation. The mission of an EFAC is to serve as central point for promoting short and long term recovery. This includes the return to a stable environment and mission ready status for Department of Defense (DoD) personnel and their families following an all-hazards incident. The EFAC provides a consolidated staging area where DoD families and individuals can obtain disaster relief assistance and/or support, current information from leadership, and contingency services and provides a point for continuous, authoritative and factual family information and referral assistance for Service members, families, service providers, leadership and other stakeholders.
“There were really two reasons for running this EFAC drill. First, it is a requirement that all FFSCs conduct a yearly drill and this drill meets that requirement,” said Richard “Train” Hatton, FFSC director. “Second, because it has been a few years since we have conduct a fully integrated drill and because only 15 percent of the staff had even been involved with an EFAC we determined it was a great opportunity for training and an opportunity to reconnect with partner organizations.”
While the installation runs security and emergency operation drills consistently throughout the year, due to time constraints, the EFAC is rarely fully exercised during these events.
“This drill is very different than other drills. Most drills on the installation are conducted as a response to an ongoing situation, like an active shooter and typically these are fast moving events with a limited timeline,” said Hatton. “Our EFAC drill is in response to a situation that has happened in the past and as part of the recovery phase of an incident. This allows us to focus, not on the event itself, but on the support of the Service members and their families impacted.”
According to Hatton, the FFSC team did in-service training for this drill on crisis management and Psychological First Aid (PFA) using past events as a platform for focusing our efforts during the drill. FFSC is staffed with social workers that are trained to provide services during a crisis and all staff members are trained in PFA. PFA training is online and includes a 6-hour interactive course that puts the participant in the role of a provider in a post-disaster scene. In addition, the FFSC Team reviewed its Emergency Response Preparedness and Emergency Family Assistance Standard Operating Procedures along with the CNIC Emergency Family Assistance Center Desk Guide.
While the drill was focused on FFSC, it incorporated several departments and mutual aid partnerships to mimic a real-world emergency response.
“Several departments are critical to the success of an EFAC, including Housing, MWR, Chaplain, Security and Legal,” Hatton said. “Additionally, we included some on installation organizations, like Navy and Marine Corps Relief Society and the Navy Wives Club. Partnerships tested during this drill will be of great benefit in the event of an actual EFAC.”
In addition, the partnerships that have been renewed, particularly with the Red Cross and the on-installation Army Vet Clinic, will be key to providing assistance and shelter and in ensuring that our pets and food supplies are safe if the installation is faced with the aftermath of an event that damages our housing units. During emergencies the Red Cross is trained and resourced to provide a variety of support elements to military personnel and families. They have a dedicated department committed to supporting the armed forces in times of need.
“During an actual emergency like in the scenario we were drilling to, the Red Cross would be key to providing services and support to those impacted on the installation and in the community,” said Hatton. “During a real emergency in which servicemembers and their families might be displaced from their housing unit we would coordinate with the Red Cross for shelters, if needed. By including the Red Cross in our drill, it allows us to renew our partnership with them, gives us a look into what a shelter setup looks like and affords the Red Cross an opportunity to highlight what services would be available to personnel on the installation.”
FFSC spent many hours during the drill reviewing processes and resources that may be needed during an emergent event. The drill was almost 4 hours long. This afforded them an opportunity to safely assess each servicemember and their family and to develop a solution to address their needs.
In a real-world emergency, an EFAC is stood up by direction from the installation commanding officer. For example Naval Air Station Pensacola stood up an EFAC after their active shooter incident with the focus of providing crisis response and PFA to those impacted by that event.
To exercise and train to so many possible needs following an emergent event, the drill required many personnel to support the EFAC and to act a “white cell” members who were role players during the event bringing hypothetical problems to the FFSC to respond to.
“Including the FFSC Staff, Red Cross, departments, partners and role players we had over 40 personnel directly involved in the drill,” Hatton said. “We were lucky to have great support from NMCRS, Navy Wives, Red Cross, Service members and their families in executing a realistic drill.”
Drills like this don’t happen overnight. Coordinating with command leadership and the installation training officer, FFSC spent many months developing the plan to ensure a successful and beneficial exercise.
“Planning for this drill happen over the last 12 months or so,” said Hatton. “Close coordinating was done with departments and partners and in reviewing all requirements related to our current operating status as it relates to COVID. In addition, the Installation Training Officer, Mr. Lane Jones, was critical in helping with the drill package and briefing command leadership on the drill.”
Jones said that the complexity of the drill would not have been possible without a large crew of volunteers who helped during the event.
“Because FFSC offers such a wide variety of resources, this drill was very complex in regards to the number of scenario injections we had scheduled. We relied heavily on volunteers to participate as role players. They all did an amazing job acting as servicemembers in need to during a crisis. I am thankful for their participation to make this as realistic as possible.”
The drill successfully trained 16 FFSC staff members on the EFAC process and potential scenarios. Additionally, the work with external agencies strengthened relationships with tenant commands and local organizations.
“Because of this drill, the FFSC staff is better prepared to execute an EFAC in the case of a real emergency and will be able to quickly provide services and support,” said Capt. Mike Mosbruger, commanding officer, NSA Mid-South. “In addition, the partnerships that have been renewed will be key to providing assistance and shelter if the installation is faced with the aftermath of an event that damages our housing units. I am proud of FFSC and our entire team for the work they put into this drill to improve emergency response to better support our personnel and families.”
| Date Taken: | 02.08.2022 |
| Date Posted: | 02.08.2022 10:15 |
| Story ID: | 414245 |
| Location: | MILLINGTON, TENNESSEE, US |
| Web Views: | 241 |
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