RD377 - Virginia Department of Emergency Management (VDEM) 2010 Virginia Emergency Response Team Exercise (VERTEX) Functional Exercise (FE) After-Action Report/Improvement Plan (AAR/IP)


Executive Summary:
The Virginia Department of Emergency Management (VDEM) 2010 Virginia Emergency Response Team Exercise (VERTEX) Functional Exercise (FE) was developed to test the Virginia Emergency Response Team’s (VERT’s) Communications, Critical Resource Logistics Distribution, Emergency Operations Center (EOC) Management, Emergency Public Information and Warning, Mass Care, and Volunteer and Donations Management capabilities. The exercise planning team comprised numerous and diverse agencies that make up VERT. Discussions during planning focused on the creation of a realistic and challenging scenario for VERT participants to address the day of the exercise. The solution was a hurricane scenario that would cause widespread damage to the Hampton Roads Region and then move inland and cause widespread flooding and a dam failure in Western Virginia.

VERTEX 2010 was conducted through the use of three different types of exercises. The first, conducted on January 6, 2010 was the Virginia Emergency Response Team, Incident Management Cadre (IMC) Tabletop Exercise (TTX).

The VDEM ICM TTX was developed to examine the Virginia Emergency Response Team’s EOC management and critical resource logistics and distribution procedures and protocols. The exercise planning team was composed of numerous divisions within the agency to include Public Affairs, Operations, Local Support Services, and Office of Training and Exercises. The planning team discussed logistical support to local jurisdictions and gubernatorial inauguration activities during a severe winter storm. The TTX served as an opportunity for newly assigned personnel within the Operations Division to validate their understanding of the VEOC’s policies and procedures.

The next exercise in the 2010 VERTEX Exercise Series was the Virginia Evacuation Coordination Team for Operational Response (VECTOR) Workshop held on Wednesday, May 5, 2010 at VDEM Headquarters, Trade Court Facility. The purpose of the 2010 VERTEX VECTOR Workshop was to assess the preparedness system and effectiveness and efficiency of the Commonwealth of Virginia Emergency Operations Plan (COVEOP), Virginia Emergency Operations Center’s (VEOC’s) Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs), and VECTOR SOP.

Finally, on June 2, 2010 The 2010 VERTEX Functional Exercise focused on the actions that would be taken after the hurricane made landfall and moved inland. The exercise sought to test VEOC participants and their ability to handle the ongoing issues of a hurricane that caused widespread damage in the Hampton Roads Region while dealing with flooding issues that unfolded in and around Covington, VA. The 2010 VERTEX FE was designed to establish a learning environment for players to exercise emergency response plans, policies, and procedures as they pertain to floods. The format of the exercise was an inject-driven event exercising all VEOC Emergency Support Functions (ESFs).