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Mass Receiving is the ability to take care of a large number of evacuees. Through a multi-phased project, the Western Region Homeland Security Advisory Council has been studying the region’s capacity and capabilities to accommodate people who may evacuate to the area. The project will also identify ways that WRHSAC can assist to improve any identified gaps in capacity and capabilities. Click here to learn more.
Reference: Mass Receiving, western Massachusetts
The Western Region Homeland Security Advisory Council has established four caches of handheld Global Positioning System (GPS) Units in western Massachusetts. The caches are housed at the Sheriff Office of each county and are available to first responders for both planned and emergency events. The caches will be available after May 12, 2014.
Each cache contains ten (10) Garmin 655t Rino handheld GPS units, power cords, GPS unit to computer cord, and quick start guides. The GPS units are housed in a hard-cover carrying case with handles and wheels.
The GPS caches are available to all local and state government first responders and are available on a first come, first served basis in response to an emergency or a planned event. The units may be borrowed for a total of five days for a planned event. The units must be picked up by the borrower.
Borrowers of the GPS unit are responsible to return the equipment in the same condition as when loaned. The borrower is responsible for any repairs and/or extraordinary maintenance left to be performed by the Sheriff Office in order to restore the equipment to the condition when loaned.
A training was conducted to roll-out the GPS Caches. The slides from the training may be viewed here.
The borrowing procedure and contact information for the Sheriff Offices are located in the WRHSAC Equipment Resource Guide.
WRHSAC encourages first responders to utilize the GPS units for planned trainings and exercises to familiarize themselves with this equipment that can be a valuable tool in incident response and recovery.
Please address questions to Raine Brown, Homeland Security Program Manager.
Reference: GPS Cache
The Western Region Homeland Security Advisory Council awarded funds to the Western Massachusetts Fire Chief Association for the Mobile Data Terminals project. The Mobile Data Terminals project has created an expansive, technology based emergency response system. The project has installed “Toughbook” laptops and geographic information mapping software into the fire departments of throughout all of Western Massachusetts, and continues to roll out more. The laptops provide fire fighters with the ability to obtain accurate timely information about their community’s infrastructure and their emergency response plans. Another major benefit of this program is that it allows for communities to share information. The information sharing aspect of the program gives firefighters and Incident Commanders easy access to critical response data concerning any mutual aid community they are responding to. A software upgrade and additional MDTs were added in 2013.
Reference: Fire, GIS, Information Sharing, MDT
WRHSAC has assisted the region in establishing police and public safety data information sharing networks for each of the four western Massachusetts counties. These systems are either IMC or Spillman based. Each county has a main hub or “node” that is the main communication point for data in that county. The most recent law enforcement data information sharing project provide hub or “node” linking for the IMC system in each county. Previously law enforcement agencies only had access to data from their own county. This project has expanded that access to all counties in western Massachusetts. Law enforcement departments must be using the most recent version of IMC to access this multiple county information. This project was completed in 2013.
Reference: IMC, Information Sharing, Spillman
The Western Massachusetts Law Enforcement Council (WMLEC) UHF emergency communication system has been upgraded from a five-site system, to a ten site fully digital system. The system is used as a daily operations system for many police departments in Hampden and Hampshire County and serves a secondary, mutual-aid system for fire, EMS and police throughout the three counties. The upgrade converted current equipment to digital, installed digital equipment at 5 additional sights, expanded system coverage into Berkshire County and addressed gaps in the Hampshire Hills region. The project also linked the WMLEC system and the Massachusetts 800 digital trunked system through an IP Cloud. Several microwave links were also made redundant through fiber links. This project is complete. The system became fully dual-mode functional in the fall of 2015
Reference: Interoperability, Public Safety Communications, WMLEC
Funds were awarded to Western Massachusetts Emergency Medical Services (WMEMS) to purchase Mobile Data Terminals – Toughbook laptops for ambulance services in western Massachusetts. The project also provided Office of Emergency Medical Services (OEMS) compliant reporting software. MDTs were supplied to 42 ambulance service departments. OEMS now requires all ambulance run reports to be filed electronically. The MDTs and software allow EMS personnel to enter and record data while they are on a call and then to easily submit that data when the call is finished. This streamlined process greatly enhances the efficiency of the EMS reporting process. This project was completed in 2013.
Reference: EMS, Information Sharing, Mobile Data Terminals
WRHSAC continues to provide regionally based training and exercises. Following are a few examples.
Tactical EMS / Officer Down
Rapid Intervention Training
Hazardous Materials Response Teams
Clandestine Laboratory Training
Tri-State Fire Mutual Aid Incident Management Team
Technical Rescue Team Development
Berkshire Medical Center “Code Silver” Full Scale Exercise
Hampshire Regional Emergency Planning Committee “Operation Rolling Cloud” Functional Exercise
Northern Berkshire Emergency Planning Committee “Operation Invisible Susan” Tabletop Exercise Pre Hospital Trauma Life Support
Pediatric Assessment (PEARS)
Hazmat Ethanol Tabletop Exercises
Communciation Training
GPS Training and Drills
Reference: exercises, training
WRHSAC continues to provide backfill/overtime reimbursement for the required NIMS/ICS training for first responders. The backfill/overtime is available for classroom sessions only. This is ongoing.
Reference: Federal Training, ICS, NIMS
This project studied the critical infrastructure of the water and energy sectors using an all-hazards method in an effort to understand the myriad of threats in both the short and long term using an evidence-based approach. Critical infrastructure is a term used to describe assets that are essential for the functioning of a society and economy. Critical infrastructure protection is a concept that relates to the mitigation, preparedness, response and/or recovery to serious incidents that involve the critical infrastructure of a region in a focused effort to assure these systems remain functional at all times. Click here to learn more.
Reference: Critical Infrastructure
The Franklin County Emergency Communications System (FCECS) serves the public safety agencies in Franklin County and is owned by the Franklin Regional Council of Governments. The system is supported through user fees. Over the past several years, WRHSAC has funded the buildout of the system from its original 1950’s design of a three-tower VHF system to its current 14 tower duplex UHF simulcast system. A recent upgrade to the system was completed to address coverage gaps in Western Franklin County along the Rt. 202 corridor, particularly in the towns of Orange and Shutesbury. A new tower was built in Orange, and additional repeaters were placed there and in Shutesbury. The upgrades were complete June 2013.
Reference: FCECS, Franklin County Emergency Communications System, Interoperability, Public Safety Communications
