Thousands braved 95 and 100 degree temperatures over the three days of the event to say “Good-by” to Fort Monmouth.  It was a very bittersweet weekend.

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The exercise was conducted in accordance with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Office of Domestic Preparedness (ODP) Homeland Security Exercise and Evaluation Program (HSEEP), March 2003.  The 2003 edition of the HSEEP Exercise Evaluation Guide (EEG) for Operations Based Exercises was used in lieu of the February 2007 edition since most Fort Monmouth personnel were familiar with the 2003 EEGs and not the 2007 edition. In addition, the 2003 version has an excellent task-condition-standard evaluation element for first responders and the ICS not found in the later version. 

The exercise consisted of the following phases:

The exercise consisted of the following phases:

• TTX Phase,  1230-1530 12 August: Incident Command System, WMD Incident Response.
• FSE Pre Exercise Phase, 13 August-22 September: Information/Intelligence Buildup.
• FSE Phase I, 1000-1500 23 September: Building Evacuation Plan,  WMD Incident Response.
• FSE Phase II, 1030-1500 23 September: WMD Incident Management,  Barrier Plan.
• Post Exercise Phase: After Action Review: Phase I 1500-1600; Phase II 1600-1700. 

The Goals of the exercise were to:

• Implement and evaluate the Incident Command System, and Emergency Planning, Coordination, and Integration Procedures
• Implement and evaluate:  Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD) Incident Management Procedures,  FM Barrier Plan up to and including selected portions of Force Protection (FP) Condition Delta,  FM Building Evacuation Plan (Bldgs 196, 199, 209, and 210)
• Train personnel in implementing response plans and procedures. 
• Develop perspective on the current state of preparedness of Force Protection. 

The Objectives of the exercise were for emergency management and first responders to demonstrate the ability to: notify response agencies and to mobilize emergency personnel; direct, coordinate, control emergency response activities through operations of the IOC; mobilize and manage required resources; establish and maintain communications; signal an alert and provide emergency notification info and instructions to the FM community; coordinate the development and dissemination of clear, accurate, and timely info to the media; and decide upon and direct the implementation of protective actions for the public.

Participants in the exercise included:

• Federal: Fort Monmouth Garrison Activities; U.S. Army Communications-Electronics Research and Development Command and Program Manager DCATS; US Army Life Cycle Management Center’s Emergency Operations Center.
• Monmouth County: Office of Emergency Management and Sheriff’s Office.
• Communities: Little Silver and Oceanport. 

The exercise was considered a success in that all Goals and Objectives selected for the exercise were met.  All personnel participating in the exercise from the workers evacuating the building to the role-playing victims to the first responders were commended for their focus during the exercise and their desire to learn from it. The evacuation of the buildings and the accountability of personnel in the exercise area went very smoothly due to the efforts of the Building Security Representatives and Trustees; additionally, the Garrison’s implementation and conduct of the Incident Command System and its use of the Installation Operations Center and Crisis Action Team was the best TJTG has observed in nine years of conducting exercises for Fort Monmouth.

(For related news articles, click here and here.)

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Emergency response vehicles swarmed outside Fort Monmouth’s Building 199 near the post’s east gate recently as part of the Timely Alert VIII exercise.

Smoke billowed from the entrance of the building as evacuated workers watched firefighters in full protective gear enter to search for “casualties.”

The exercise, conducted by the James Thomas Group, served to test readiness and levels of cooperation between Fort Monmouth and local community emergency responders.

“This is probably one of the best exercises we’ve seen,” Mike Ruane, exercise coordinator and chief operating officer with the James Thomas Group, said.

Participating organizations included the Fort Monmouth Fire and Police Departments and the Monmouth County Sheriff’s Office.

Local agencies participating include Police Departments from Little Silver and Oceanport.

In the exercise, an “attack” using an explosive device was made against a building on the fort.

The scenario was used to test emergency responders’ and organizations’ abilities to function as a cohesive team.

The exercise also coincided with September being the Army’s “Emergency Preparedness” month.

“This is a continuation of a table top exercise in August,” said Ruane.

The scenario evolved over the past six weeks with the cooperation of county and local authorities, which led to the exercise on the fort.

A “table top” exercise is used to test the theoretical ability of a group to respond to different scenarios.

Even though the post is closing, Fort Monmouth personnel who participated in the exercise will be able to use the training and experience in their future positions while participants from local communities will be able to hone their skills for the benefit of their municipalities, Ruane said.

There are no plans for a full-scale exercise next year, he said.  A table top exercise will be run instead.

(For more info, click here.)

Since then it has expanded to its present membership:
Federal: FBI, US Coast Guard-Sandy Hook, Naval Weapons Station-Earle, US Army Criminal Investigation Division, NORTHCOM.
US Army: Ft Monmouth Garrison, Communications Electronics-Life Cycle Management Center CE-LCMC), Communications Electronics Research and Development Center, Systems Engineering Center, G2.
State: NJ State Police (NJSP).
County: Monmouth County and Ocean County Sheriffs and Offices of Emergency Management (OEM).
Local: 17 Monmouth County and 2 Hudson County Police Departments and OEMs.
Other: Monmouth University and Brookdale Community College, Monmouth Park Racetrack,MITRE Corporation, and CSX Railroad.

Monthly programs and presenting agencies have included:
Federal: JTTF (Joint Terrorism Task Force) and Terrorism Trends (FBI); Airport Security (TSA); New York Harbor Security, Sandy Hook Missions (USCG); Katrina Recovery and Restoration (EPA);
State: NJ Prep for Avian Flu (NJ Department of Health and Senior Services); Various Terrorism and Trend Updates (NJ Office of Homeland Security and Preparedness); Urban Search and Rescue, Central Region Missions (NJSP); Identity Theft and Terrorism (NJ Attorney General); NJ National Guard and Force Protection (NJ Department of Military and Veterans Affairs);
Local: BRAC Update (Eatontown); Pandemic (Monmouth County Health Department); Monmouth County Evacuation Plan, Emergency Operations Plan (Monmouth County OEM);  Safety for Seniors (Monmouth County Sheriff);
Military: Alaska Land Mobile Radio Solution, School Security-Beslan (Directorate of Plans, Training, Mobilization and Security); Criminal Investigation Task Force (DoD); Force Protection in Iraq (CE-LCMC); IED & VBIED (754th EOD); Jamaat ul-Fuqra, FATS, Counterfeit ID and Illegals, FM Hazmat Response Unit (Directorate of Emergency Services);
Other: National Sheriffs Association, Search and Rescue Operations.

June 8, 2011: Final CFPC Meeting

On June 8, 2011 the Community Force Protection Council met for the final time in the Ft Monmouth Garrison’s Command Conference Room.  The Garrison Manager, Mr. George E. Fitzmaier, presented the Command’s “Coin for Excellence” to select members of the Council for their participation in and support of the Council.   Mr. John E. Occhipinti , Director of Plans, Training, Mobilization and Security and Council President, presented each Council community or activity which was present with a Certificate of Appreciation.  Mr. Michael Ruane, Executive Secretary and Founder of the Council, highlighted the history of the Council in a short program, often filled with laughter, and spoke of the enormous benefits of the Council with regard to communication, coordination, networking, and the passing of  information and intelligence.  The meeting ended with the cutting of a cake by Mike Ruane and Harry Conover, former Monmouth County OEM Director, the only remaining original members of the Council, and a small social.

FORT MONMOUTH Firefighters rushed past the smoke billowing out the front doorway of a satellite communications building minutes after a 10 a.m. emergency call on Wednesday alerted first responders about an explosion that blew out the rear of a structure near Oceanport Avenue.

Traffic on the post was directed away from the area. Employees were evacuated from nearby buildings. Outside the gates, Oceanport police narrowed Oceanport Avenue to one lane.

Police, fire, paramedics and other emergency personnel descended on building No. 199, the site of a faux domestic terrorist attack that took place as part of Timely Alert VIII, a training exercise for first responders.

The drill was conducted at a communications hub on the post, near Oceanport’s boundary with Little Silver. Alarms in the office building began sounding at 10:13 a.m., after an emergency crew fielded a call about building No. 199 being hit by two rocket-propelled grenades fired by a terrorist from the parking lot of a nearby dentist’s office.

“We never try to test the “powder puff’ scenarios,” said Michael Ruane of the James Thomas Group, a garrison contractor that designed and ran Wednesday’s event. “It all went according to the book.”

Except for one glitch, Ruane said.

Building No. 199 was peppered with “victims” following the attack by a lone terrorist. There were five in total. Within the first hour after the incident, firefighters found four in and around the building, all with varying degrees of injury.

Among them was Imrul Sumit, a 22-year-old engineer at the fort. He played the role of a blast victim so traumatized that he reverted to speaking his native language Bangla, which is spoken in Bangladesh. He was removed from the area and treated for his “injuries.”

Others, such as Richard Shamblin, were in more dire straights. Shamblin, of Neptune, was in shock and had a broken arm. Others were found in the darkness of the building’s maze-like corridors, which had partially “collapsed” as part of the drill.

But it took firefighters nearly an hour to find Christina Sims, a 44-year-old civilian contractor who prior to the drill said she was the only person in her office to answer the call to be a volunteer “victim.”

The explosion caused Sims to suffer a heart attack in a hidden corner of the building. Firefighters had passed several times entering and exiting the building without noticing her. Sims was found after she had made faux cell phone calls to 911, giving a partial description of her location.

“That can be typical,” Ruane said of the time it took to find Sims.

The drill was the culmination of a test that has been ongoing for more than a month, Ruane said. Shards of information  some clues, some red herrings foreshadowing the drill had been left for, or found their way to, local police agencies ahead of the terrorist act.

The Janes Thomas Group disseminated information to local authorities that, taken collectively, could have tipped them off that something dangerous may be congealing: A suspicious gray truck reported here and there, and a man at a hobby shop in Red Bank inquiring about remote control planes and acting suspicious.

The drill was scheduled to run until afternoon, but Ruane said that responders did so well, it would be wrapped up about two hours ahead of schedule.

“My assessment so far is that this is the best I’ve seen Fort Monmouth operate,” Ruane said.  (For more info, click here.)

Because of these factors and as a result of the Timely Alert VII Force protection exercise held in May, 2008, the Director of the DES requested a train-up in the Incident Command System for his personnel.  The training sessions were held duing the month of July and were followed by a TTX on August 12. 

Personnel for the TTX consisted of police, fire, and EMT leadership personnel from the DES and the Emergency Management Officer and the Anti-Terrorism Officer from the Directorate of Plan, Training, Mobilization and Security.  The scenario consisted of an RPG attack on a communications site on the installation.  The objectives of the TTX were to evaluate the ICS training with regard to the set-up and operation of the ICP and to evaluate the communications and coordination through the various layers of the ICS and to/from the Garrison’s Installation Operations Center.  The overarching goal was to prepare the DES for the upcoming Timely Alert VIII Full Scale Exercise.

The site of the TTX was changed at the last minute and, as the below pictures show, a TTX can be conducted just about anywhere.

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This exercise concentrated on emergency public information and warning, biological detection, epidemiological surveillance and investigation, responder safety and health, and the opening of emergency shelters during an approaching hurricane to include sheltering, feeding, and providing mass care to the Monmouth County general and special populations.

The Emergency Public Information and Warning exercise is an area that is getting more attention in recent exercises.

“Its important for people to get the same information consistently from all levels of government to avoid confusion,” said Terry Hudak, a risk communicator from the county health department. “When the information is accurate and consistent, people are more willing to comply with the recommendations that are made because the message comes from a vlid source they can depend on.”

The exercise was written and conducted by The James Thomas Group (TJTG), a counter-terrorism, weapons of mass destruction, and emergency management consulting firm from West Long Branch, and was based on guidance received from Dave Richardson, Manalapan health officer, and Rich DiBenedetto, from the Middletown Health Department.

“This is the third exercise we’ve conducted for the Monmouth Regional health officers and the Monmouth County Health Department,” said Barbara Ruane, founder and president of The James Thomas Group.

“Residents of Monmouth County should be very proud of the professionalism of their health departments,” Ruane said.  “During the past five years, I have seen them continually increase their capabilities to respond to the onslaught of a pandemic. The purpose of an exercise like this is to look at our plans, see what works and what gaps we have to close, and we are constantly closing them as they are identified.”

In addition to the county health officers and their staff, more than 50 members of the health and first responder community participated, including representatives from Community Emergency Response Teams (CERT), the Manalapan Senior Center, and the Health South Rehabilitation Hospital of Tinton Falls. The American Red Cross Jersey Coast Chapter and the Visiting Nurses Association of Central Jersey were represented and were joined by representatives from several local offices of emergency management, including Middletown, Tinton Falls, Colts Neck, Deal, Hazlet, and Freehold Township. 

To achieve this objective, the Homeland Security Exercise and Evaluation Program, February 2007, Response Mission was used and the target capabilities selected included: Emergency Public Information and Warning, CBRNE Detection, Epidemiological Surveillance and Investigation, Responder Safety and Health, and Mass Care (Sheltering, Feeding, and Related Services).  The scenario that was developed to achieve this objective and assess these capabilities was a pandemic influenza breakout that spread to the United States and eventually to New Jersey and Monmouth County; and, because nature does not take a break while mankind is facing one disaster, the scenario included a hurricane which would strike the New Jersey coast in order to satisfy the Mass Care requirement.

The three major strengths identified during the exercise were: communication, coordination and cooperation between agencies from the state to local health departments; plans are up to date and continuously modified or changed as conditions warrant; and training and exercises are ongoing based on identified needs.  The primary areas for improvement were identified for inclusion in the Improvement Plan and the Multi-Year Training and Exercise Plan.

Other participants included the NJ Department of Health and Senior Services, the Visiting Nurse Association of Central Jersey, the American Red Cross Central Jersey Chapter, Health South Rehabilitation Hospital of Tinton Falls, and local Offices of Emergency Management and Community Emergency Response Teams (CERT).

Since 2003, this is the third exercise The James Thomas Group (TJTG) has conducted for the Monmouth County Regional Health Officers (HO) and the Monmouth County Health Department (HD); they have also participated in three other exercises TJTG has conducted for the U.S. Army Garrison-Fort Monmouth.  They are truly professional organizations that have continually increased their capabilities to respond to the onslaught of a pandemic. They look to exercises such as this to review their plans, see what works, find out what gaps have to be closed, and constantly close these gaps as they are identified.

(For related news article, click here.)

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Mr. Russel Hall, the IMCOM Director, selected Fort Monmouth in July 2008 for his September Commander’s Conference and The James Thomas Group (TJTG) was again delegated to make it happen within six weeks.  We assembled our Conference Team from Protocol, Transportation, Housing, Audio-Visual, Gibbs Hall Officers Club and other areas and again put together a seamless experience for our guests.  From the moment they were picked up at Newark airport until they were dropped off  at the airport five days later, conference attendees received five-star treatment.  The Eatontown Sheraton was used for lodging the 80+ attendees while Gibbs Hall at Fort Monmouth was the conference site. Whether having mints on their pillow, eating at an oceanfront restaurant, using world-wide secure and non-secure communications, or having to project a tech-heavy presentation, conference attendees from the NER Director on down found themselves at a World Class Installation with World Class Service.  Mr. Hall awarded his Commander’s Coin for Excellence to Mike Ruane and members of his team for their work in making the conference a great success.