Disaster Emergency Communications (DEC) Group Overview 5/13/2013 Greg Boren Region VI RECC Coordinator 1
Denton FRC Communications Capability HF Two groups of transmitters Voice/Phone Patch/Data (Rockwell Collins) One Group Transmitter E-Mail/Data (Rockwell Collins) One Group 1kw Transmitter MARS One Group 125w Transmitter ARES/Amateur (TenTec OMNI VII) One Group 100w Transmitter MARS PACTOR (ICOM IC-7200) VHF/UHF VHF P25 Quantar Repeater Local/National Radio Network VHF P25 Mobile & Handheld Cache VHF Analog Dallas Area Amateur (ICOM V-8000) VHF/UHF D-Star Voice/Data (ICOM IC-880) Satellite On-Call BGAN MSAT-G2 & Satphones 2
Denton Site Photos 3
Denton Site Photos 4
History - Federal Regional Center 5
FRC DENTON The Denton Federal Regional Center (FRC), constructed in 1963 at a cost of $2.7 million dollars on a 20-acre tract of land donated to the Federal Government by local citizens, was the first protected underground federal regional emergency-operating center built in the nation. Five additional underground regional facilities were built around the country similar to this facility. The Federal Regional Center (FRC) was constructed principally to support a plan to assure the continuity and preservation of our constitutional form of government. During a national emergency, the FRC was designed to serve as the primary alternate headquarters for the essential uninterruptible operations of the regional offices of about 25 federal agencies represented by more than 400 key officials and other emergency support personnel. On a daily bases, the facility was the working office for about 100 regional employees of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). Working with state and local governments, FEMA provides mitigation, response, and recovery from natural disasters such as flooding, hurricanes and tornadoes and manmade calamities as extreme as a nuclear attack. FEMA s is also responsible for preparing the nation to face these types of emergencies by managing the regions national preparedness'. 6
FRC DENTON The facility is actually three facilities, one of which is not readily apparent from the outside. The above ground office/reception area covers about 4,000 square feet, is made of metal and was designed to literally be blown away in the event of a nuclear attack. Located behind this above ground structure is a two-story 50,000 square-foot combination office annex and is solidly constructed of reinforced concrete. Although the facility would not survive a direct hit from a nuclear weapon, it does have a certain degree of protection from direct effects of a blast. Equipment and fixtures of the underground structure are designed to withstand significant shock. In the event of a national emergency, the FRC was designed and equipped to sustain survival and continuation of governmental operations for 30 days or longer. Some of the unique features of the FRC include: 7
FRC DENTON Observation Towers The octagon-shaped towers (at opposite corners of the FRC) are blast protected and can be used to monitor outside activities as well as radiation levels. The towers also have mini-blast doors which can be sealed for added protection for the underground facility. Pop Up Survivable Antennas The three above ground white, cone-shaped lids located on the FRC grounds cover survivable antennas, which would have been used if the primary communications antenna system was damaged or destroyed. They extend upward 126 feet in eight sections. The cone-shaped lids are designed to clear away any ground level debris so that antennas can be extended. Blast Doors Two 13 ½ ton lead and steel blast doors are located over the stairwells in the FRC leading below ground. A third blast door, weighing about 25 ½ tons, is located atop an elevator shaft leading underground and is designed to seal off this area from ground level. 8
Radio Room 9
DEC GO-KIT 10
Current Radio Room 11
Current Radio Room 12
Current Radio Room 13
MERS Vehicle Inventory MERS Emergency Operations Vehicle (MEOV) Mission To provide Communications, Work Space and Limited Admin Support to Federal, State and Local Decision Makers 14
MERS Multi Radio Van (MRV) Capabilities: KU-Band Satellite HF/VHF/UHF VHF/UHF Repeater LOS Landline Self-contained Power Generation Secure Voice/Facsimile 15
Portable Satellite Antenna Trailer Pulled by MEOV Self-Contained Makes MEOV a Standalong Platform 16
Typical Deployment 17
MERS Rapid Needs Assessment (RNA) Base of Operations Pickup and Trailer (BoO) Assessor Vehicle (3) Capabilities: For initial damage assessment - Supports a team of 13 people with equipment for 72 hours Assets include: INMARSAT- AMSAT, Cell Phones, Laptop Computers, VHF/UHF radios, Generators, and Life support (water, food, batteries. etc) 18
MERS Fleet 19
DEC Responds RESPOND DEC provides disaster communications support when requested during an incident Helps enable the emergency response community to effectively communicate, exchange information, and manage all-hazards events Provides communications capabilities at command and control facilities when requested Connects incident area responders and commanders to officials at the Regional and National levels Facilitates short and long-term restoration of communications networks in affected areas to include tactical communications infrastructure for emergency responders at all levels of government Conducts damage assessments and short-term solutions for damaged critical communications infrastructure 20
MERS RESPOND MERS serves as a key Federal tactical communications support element for emergency responders during an incident Provides tactical capabilities by creating effective deployable field offices and establishes or bridges existing communications systems Deploys, installs, operates, and protects communications equipment in support of an all-hazards incident or a National Special Security Event (NSSE) Supports State and local response organizations at the incident site Emergency responders may request MERS support during an incident through their respective State Emergency Operations Center (EOC) 21
MERS Services RESPOND Portable radios and repeaters Interoperability packages Communications technicians Facility communications support Backhaul connectivity Backup dispatching capability Backup EOC capability Temporary communications infrastructure Sheltering communications Public Alert and Warning 22
Recover RECOVER Provide support to all responders for the entirety of the incident Assess communications infrastructure damage Identify short- and long-term technical solutions Facilitate interactions with other responders supporting the recovery process Provide technical and operational support by distributing equipment and establishing connectivity 23