EMERGENCY: SUDDEN, UNEXPECTED OCCURRENCE; POTENTIALLY CATASTROPHIC CONSEQUENCE

U.S. Department of State . . .

Office of Emergency Management Support Service

The U.S. Department of State (DOS) Office of Emergency Management ensures the Department's leadership and workforce are prepared to respond to and recover from all domestic emergencies and hazards, and to ensure the continuation of the Department's mission.

Excalibur partnered with the Office of Emergency Management and other emergency management professionals to develop the work, plans, strategy and materials specific to the Department's Continuity of Operations / Continuity of Government (COOP/COG), Enduring Constitutional Government, and Business Continuity Plans (BCP).

Our efforts focused on planning; emergency management center operations; critical infrastructure; testing, training, and exercises (TT&E); outreach and marketing; special assistance to senior management; and IT. We were instrumental in the design and procurement of an upgraded system that allows better communications between the Department and internal and external stakeholders. We coordinated with and provided support to local, state and federal agency points of contact for the planning and conduct of emergency management exercises. Our HSEEP-certified exercise professionals served as the Department's representative at exercise coordination groups such as the National Capital Region Exercise and Training Oversight Panel. Our outreach and marketing efforts kept Department of State (DOS) personnel informed on events that affected them as well as provided training, information, and materials for preparing themselves and their families personally and professionally for an emergency situation.

Excalibur's active partnership helped the Office of Emergency Management achieve its vision "for the Department's workforce to be prepared for responding to and recovering from any domestic incident, and for the interagency to recognize the Department as a center of excellence in emergency management and continuity planning."

U.S. Department of Energy . . .

National Nuclear Security Administration, Technical, Engineering, and Analytical Services

One of the gravest threats the United States and the international community face is the possibility of terrorists or rogue nations acquiring nuclear weapons or other weapons of mass destruction (WMD). The National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) Office of Emergency Operations is tasked with providing the government's primary capability for radiological and nuclear emergency response and for providing security to the nation from the threat of nuclear terrorism.

Excalibur's extensive knowledge of policy, programs and operations provided a perfect backdrop for technical and analytical support. We have supported the implementation of the departmental emergency management program, including emergency operations, radiological assets, emergency operations centers, nuclear forensics, and international programs since 1999.

Our certified professionals developed, conducted, evaluated and documented a full range emergency response exercises. We supported the development, verification, validation, and maintenance of emergency plans and procedures that ensure thorough functional planning to mitigate incidents, minimize adverse effects on workers, the public and the environment, and restore normal operations.

We were instrumental in the development of the DOE Continuity Technical Assistance Program to validate and improve organizational Continuity of Operations (COOP) Programs that enable the Department to provide vital services, exercise civil authority, maintain the safety of the general public, and sustain the industrial and economic base.

The enhanced web-based secure unclassified database we designed, developed, delivered, certified and accredited in only eight months enables management personnel to execute adhoc reports and perform trend analysis of critical issues.

The bottom line is that Excalibur assisted the NNSA Office of Emergency Operations maintain a high level of readiness to serve as a last line of defense in the event of a nuclear terrorist incident or other types of radiological accident and to mitigate the consequences and protect workers, the public, the environment, and national security.

U.S. Department of Homeland Security . . .

Office of Infrastructure Protection, Planning and Incident Management Support

The mission of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Office of Infrastructure Protection is to lead the national effort to protect critical infrastructure from all hazards by managing risk and enhancing resilience through collaboration with the critical infrastructure community. The office conducts and facilitates vulnerability and consequence assessments to help critical infrastructure owners and operators and state, local, tribal, and territorial partners understand and address risks.

Excalibur played a key role in a full range of project management support to include assessing mission needs, analyzing project goals and objectives, developing a concept of operations, analyzing mission and architecture requirements, analyzing technical performance measurement and metrics, measuring program effectiveness, and organizing performance assessments. All of our efforts were focused on helping the Office of Infrastructure Protection realize its vision: "a secure and resilient critical infrastructure across the Nation achieved through sound risk management, collaboration, information sharing, innovation, effective program management, and a highly skilled workforce."

U.S. Department of Homeland Security . . .

Federal Emergency Management Agency, Technical Assistance to the Regional Catastrophic Preparedness Grant Program

As part of the Department of Homeland Security's ongoing efforts to support state, local, tribal, and territorial partners, FEMA's Regional Catastrophic Preparedness Grant Program (RCPGP) initiative targeted homeland security preparedness in designated high-risk, high-consequence urban areas with a focus on fixing existing planning shortfalls, building planning capability, and defining the resources needed to implement successful regional plans.

Our homeland security professionals provided technical assistance for Basic Emergency Operations planning, Continuity of Operations planning, Emergency Operations Center design and management, and Incident Analysis. We coordinated 911 Communications Center best practices, Special Needs Population planning, Public Information planning, and establishment of Regional Working Groups.

Excalibur's contributions facilitated one of the Department's key priorities, "establishing readiness, and providing support and resources to (our) state, local, and tribal partners as they take steps to prepare and build capabilities before events affect their communities."

U.S. Department of Agriculture . . .

Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Coordination Operations Center Support and Facilities Management

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Coordination provides Departmental executive leadership in government-wide initiatives. These initiatives include leading security, preparedness, and response efforts through training, coordination, and the development and execution of policies and procedures to ensure employees and stakeholders are prepared to support the USDA mission. The USDA Watch Operations Center serves as the focal point for emergency management and coordination of natural or man-made disasters within the scope of the USDA mission.

Our Analysts participate in the development and coordination of policies, capabilities, and procedures for reporting and response to emergencies impacting the USDA mission or personnel. They operate the Executive Situation Room and stand 24/7/365 watch to provide USDA a comprehensive ability to gather and receive open source and Top Secret intelligence used to make internal and external notifications. Daily situation reports, including agriculture, local, national, and world-wide issues, are compiled and provided to the Secretary of Agriculture and USDA staff throughout the world.

Excalibur also provides professional facility security management to support the planning and completion of complex real estate transactions and property management activities including serving as a liaison, coordinating construction or renovation schedules, managing projects, and negotiating leases. We assist in devising innovative approaches for negotiating contracts, leases, and agreements for complex and unique properties involving right-of-way relocation issues and environmental concerns. We review the agency space requests, determine space requirements, establish functional criteria, and monitor space build out as well as coordinate projects and management functions for space and asset management.

U.S. Department of Agriculture . . .

Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, National Animal Health Emergency Response Corps Technical, Analytical, and Administrative Support Services

The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) National Animal Health Emergency Response Corps (NAHERC) is a national animal reserve emergency response corps comprised of Veterinary Medical Officers, Animal Health Technicians and Veterinary Medical Students with specialized animal health skills and knowledge for response to animal health emergencies. Disease outbreaks have demonstrated the critical need for surge capacity personnel during an animal health emergency.

To meet this need, we worked side-by-side with APHIS to develop a business plan; deployment and dispatch plan and systems; mobilization and demobilization plan and systems; credentialing and training criteria; recruitment program and materials; and outreach and communication plan and materials. With Excalibur's help, APHIS built and refined NAHERC capabilities that ensure that when an animal health emergency occurs, veterinary staff are ready to provide an immediate and sustained response necessary to protect both animals and humans in support of the National Response Framework and Emergency Support Function #11.

U.S. Department of Defense . . .

U.S. Air Force, Keesler Air Force Base, Emergency Management Support Services

Keesler Air Force Base is the "Electronics Training Center of Excellence" for the United States Air Force. Located on the Mississippi Gulf Coast, the base trains almost 150,000 students annually in more than 2,000 courses. It is also the home to the only military flying unit to provide aerial weather reconnaissance in direct support of the National Hurricane Center.

Our emergency management specialists provided installation planning and implementation of Homeland Security Presidential Directive 5 (HSPD-5), the National Incident Management System (NIMS), and the National Response Framework (NRF). This cross-functional program integrates procedures and standards for contingency planning; logistical requirements; emergency response actions; emergency response guidelines; exercises and evaluations; personnel training; CBRNE detection, identification, and warning; and notification.

Excalibur support contributed to the 81st Training Wing mission at home and its readiness capability to deploy combat and non-combat capabilities to more than fifty different locations around the world.

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency . . .

Office of Emergency Management, National Security Emergency Preparedness

Disaster can strike an organization in any number of ways, often without warning. Planning for disaster response and continuity of operations (COOP) helps the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) better respond to unexpected calamities that can affect the services they provide to the public.

Excalibur has supported EPA since 2003 in the development, coordination, dissemination, and implementation of supporting National Security Emergency Preparedness (NSEP) plans; the selection, and training of NSEP and COOP team members; and the operations, and readiness maintenance of the agency's primary COOP facility and the Emergency Operations Center (EOC) at EPA Headquarters. Excalibur ensured the EOC and Emergency Operations Facility were maintained in a high degree of readiness and prepared to commence operations immediately upon a potential or emergency situation.

Today, with Excalibur's help, EPA is ready to relocate or have virtual access to enable critical functions and support day-to-day activities to continue during a national emergency or disaster.

U.S. Department of Transportation . . .

Office of Emergency Transportation, Human Factors Guidelines for Transportation Management Centers

Traffic Management Centers are increasing in number and are receiving significant upgrades to respond to growing congestion in the nation's roadway system. This growth in traffic management activity entails the installation of more and different types of traffic sensor and control systems. In turn, this growing reliance on automation raises human factors issues on how traffic management operators share tasks with automation and what kind of environment is necessary for their work to be effectively completed. Preliminary Human Factors Guidelines for Traffic Management Centers were developed in 1999 to incorporate human factors principles to the design and operation of Traffic Management Centers for job design, the user-computer interface, workspace, controls and displays, and the systems engineering design process. As Traffic Management Centers coordinate with each other to devise new strategies and to meet regional traffic demands, new issues and new perspectives on the role of the human in traffic management have evolved.

Our senior transportation engineers addressed that critical need by developing a handbook of "Human Factors Guidelines for Transportation Management Center's for use by Transportation Management Center staff, supervisors, managers, and designers with a clear, relevant, and easy-to-use reference of human factors guidance for Transportation Management Centers design and operation.

Department of the Air Force . . .

Air Force Civil Engineering Center AF Installation Emergency Management Plan (IEMP 10-2) Planning Tool

The primary missions of the Air Force Emergency Management program are to save lives; minimize the loss or degradation of resources; and continue, sustain, and restore operational capability in an all-hazards physical threat environment at Air Force installations worldwide.

The Air Force Emergency Management program examines potential emergencies and disasters based on the risks posed by likely hazards; develops and implements programs aimed toward reducing the impact of these events on the installation; prepares for risks that cannot be eliminated; and prescribes actions required to deal with consequences of actual events and to recover from those events.

All Air Force installations currently develop their Installation Emergency Management Plan (IEMP 10-2) to provide comprehensive guidance for emergency response to physical threats resulting from major accidents, natural disasters, conventional attacks, terrorist attack, and chemical/biological/ radiological/nuclear attacks using an AF template to address the physical threats to their base.

Excalibur introduced proven methodology and technology tools that enabled cross-functional subgroups of the Installation Emergency Management Working Group to create comprehensive, installation-specific emergency management plans. Excalibur's revolutionary tool supports rapid development and maintenance of Air Force Installation Emergency Management Plan (IEMP) 10-2 with minimal resources, and less costly than traditional methods. Our Authoritative Guides are "living" documents that are very quick to update and communicate to all stakeholders. Each installation's plan will be accessible, actionable, and current while empowering and enabling cross-functional team performance of local emergency response tasks. AF-wide implementation of the IEMP10-2 Planning Tool will ensure the consistent quality of IEMP 10-2 plans at each installation based on expert, best-practice guidance.

U.S. Department of Transportation . . .

Office of Security, Intelligence, and Emergency Operations, Emergency Management Support to the DOT Crisis Management Center

The Department's Crisis Management Center (CMC) serves as the focal point for the Department's actions during crises. The CMC is designed to monitor the nation's transportation systems and infrastructure 24-hours a day, 7 days a week; hosts the Secretary's Emergency Response Team and other support personnel who provide the Secretary and the Department's Operating Administrations with information during crises; supports the Secretary with secure video teleconferencing and around-the-clock communications for unclassified and classified information; provides information to other Federal agencies, the White House, and DOT headquarters and field staff. Additionally, the CMC is the central point for the Department's interagency liaison and coordination with the Department of Homeland Security's National Operations Center to contribute to the common operating picture for the entire Federal Government, and for state, local, and tribal governments as appropriate, in the event of a natural disaster, act of terrorism, or other man-made disaster; and ensure that critical transportation information reaches government decision-makers for federal preparedness, response and recovery efforts.

Excalibur provided CMC Watch Officers to monitor a variety of communications systems, intelligence feeds, and automated systems to maintain situational awareness of all events affecting the national transportation system and detect and respond to any signs of disruption. Our Watch Officers assisted in the analysis, evaluation, formulation and dissemination of information critical to the national transportation system. They provided information and communications resources to assist DOT in effectively responding to problems in day-to-day operations and to support emergency response and recovery programs. Typical tasks included receiving, analyzing, and disseminating information regarding incidents potentially affecting the national transportation infrastructure; preparing daily situation reports to maintain situational awareness for senior DOT leadership and to facilitate key decisions relating to national transportation infrastructure assets; maintaining duty logs, writing situational summaries and reports, operating secure audio visual and communications equipment, and briefing senior DOT leadership. Our Watch Officers also managed the CMC Sensitive Compartmented Information Facility (SCIF).

Excalibur Watch Officers provided Duty Desk Support in receiving, analyzing, and disseminating information and incidents potentially affecting the national transportation infrastructure. Watch Officers prepared daily situation reports to maintain situational awareness for senior DOT leadership and to facilitate key decisions relating to national transportation infrastructure assets. Excalibur provided Liaison Support for DOT at USNORTHCOM and to FEMA at the ESF#1 desk during declared emergencies. Watch Officers assisted with assessments of potential operations affecting the transportation infrastructure and as DOT representatives with that organization. We maintained a Reserve Watch Officer cadre to augment CMC operations at both the primary and alternate National Capitol Region (NCR) sites, as well as to ensure continuous and adequate coverage on a daily basis.

U.S. Department of Energy . . .

National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA), Emergency Operations Training Academy Support

The Emergency Operations Training Academy (EOTA) provides state-of-the-art training and education for the Department of Energy/National Nuclear Security Administration (DOE/NNSA), to enhance the readiness of personnel in the radiological-nuclear emergency operations community. As a leader in the field of Emergency Management and Response Training, EOTA's business management system is registered as being in full compliance with the ISO 9001:2000 International Quality Standard.

Excalibur supported the EOTA mission by combining subject matter expertise, practitioner experience, and instructor skills to develop and implement training programs. We integrated national standards for incident management and national response into finely honed training that challenged participation, critical thinking and decision-making, and provided the required analysis for continuous improvement.

Excalibur provided technical, analytical, and subject matter expert support services, along with training and education support for training development and special services for emergency preparedness, management, response, and recovery; nuclear and radiological and nuclear detection, diagnosis, and disablement. Our expert staff created and delivered instruction through Advanced Distributed Learning methodologies for specialized training for DOE/NNSA and other government agency personnel involved in emergency operations.

We used the ADDIE (Analyze, Design, Develop, Instruct, Evaluate) Instructional Systems Design methodology to perform course needs assessments, needs analysis, goals and objectives, course design, course development, course implementation for both Instructor-led classroom courses and Web-Based Training (WBT) courses, including course evaluation and after-action reports. Training development included feasibility studies and functional analysis to begin new course design. We conducted annual course reviews working with subject matter experts, DOE program representatives, EOTA Management, and Federal Management Team to first determine revisions needed and then to review, approve, and release courses once completed.

Our training staff facilitated instructor-led classroom courses and training exercises at EOTA and DOE sites nationwide. We worked with instructors to design and develop course presentations using PowerPoint, prepared instructor guides, student guides, course handouts, and any other course materials. We organized and scheduled classroom facilities, presentation equipment, along with assisting students with course registration.