FMACC Activation Drill Completed

Hello, all!

I know, I know. Government people and their acronyms. FMACC is shorter to type than Region F Multi-Agency Coordination Center, so I blame it on the English language!

I jest!

Here’s the first thing you need to know about the activation drill: We have goals. Below you will find the goals for our exercise.

• Demonstrate receipt of Region F Everbridge communication requesting that EMDs report to Cole County Emergency Operations Center located at 401 Monroe Street in Jefferson City to activate the FMACC.
• Demonstrate establishing and maintaining an effective operational coordination process by utilization of WebEOC to report Situation Status Updates communicating status with all Region F entities for the FMACC activation along with any requested resources from the FMACC.

And the second thing to know: What is WebEOC? WebEOC stands for Web (based) Emergency Operations Center. It is a vital software program which allows agencies all over the state monitor and fulfill situation updates/logistical requests. Knowledge and skill with the program is an absolute must to create records of requests, pass information, and seek further help when needed for a county’s Emergency Management Agency.

Below are some photos from our trip up to the Jeff City EOC (located in the Police Station on Monroe St.) and participation in the exercise.

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

We were excited (and a little bit jealous) that the PD has a ROBOT!!!

Completing this exercise gives the State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA) the chance to test our response to a message received via text to the Emergency Management Directors (EMDs) in emergency situations.

For the record, running at posted speeds (including work zones), our response time from Camden County to Jeff City was just under one hour with another 10 minutes for parking, walking to the location, setting up our computers, and formally logging into WebEOC.

We submitted a couple of suggestions to SEMA for the next activation exercise, one of which was having the EMD deploy to Jeff City and the Assistant/Deputy Director stay at the office and simulate a request for resources between the two.

The exercise highlighted some changes needed in the state/region’s emergency plans. As is the goal with any training, the more you learn; the better!

~Assistant Director Sam Henley