Command-Level Decision Making for Transportation Emergency Managers (2022)

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Page 5 CHAPTER 2: RESEARCH APPROACH Facilitated Exercises 2.1 Facilitated Exercises Format and Objectives ECS conducted 9 Facilitated Exercises for various state DOT organizations. ECS provided one facilitator for two days of on-site support. The first day was setup and one-on-one train-the-trainer instruction. The second day was an on-site exercise, with up to 10 participants. DOT personnel practiced the role of facilitator with ECS personnel in support. These exercises served to reinforce transit, state DOT, and airport use of TERA as a program enhancement tool. The facilitation of multi-agency exercises also served to reinforce effective integration of transportation and other roles during emergency responses. Webinars 2.2 Webinar Format ECS held a series of 12 webinars for DOT personnel who were interested in utilizing TERA. Each webinar covered TERA functionality and how to run an exercise and provided personnel with links to further references and tutorials. To allow interaction and questions from the participants, each webinar was capped at 20 DOT attendees. 2.3 Webinar Dates • 4/29/2019 0800 PDT • 4/30/2019 1000 PDT • 5/13/2019 10:00 PDT • 5/14/2019 1:00 PDT • 10/15/2019 10:00 PDT • 10/23/2019 1:00 PDT • 1/15/2020 10:00 PDT • 1/28/2020 1:00 PDT • 2/4/2020 10:00 PDT • 4/15/2020 13:00 PDT • 4/21/2020 10:00 PDT • 7/13/2020 13:00 PDT Scenarios and Scenario Exercises Listing 2.4 Scenario Validation and Objectives As noted in prior reports, the TERA interface was completed and validated several years ago, and because interface redesign is not the subject of current TRB A-36 Panel focus, scenario validation exercises primarily examine the effective utility of the TERA scenario (content) when played by two or more participants who have both transportation domain and emergency management experience, the latter applied within the transportation domain. The objective of the scenario validation was to engage transit agencies and state DOTs in rigorous validation testing of the 6 TERA scenarios initially developed under this project, along with the validation testing of 4 new

Page 6 TERA scenarios, and to then deploy the program via webinars, other outreach presentations, and facilitated exercises 2.5 Scenario Exercise Dates 9/6/2019 – Wyoming Department of Transportation (WYDOT) 10/3/2019 – North Carolina State University, Institute for Transportation Research and Education (ITRE/AirTAP) 12/19/2019 – North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) 12/20/2019 – Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT) 7/27/2020 – Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT) 8/24/2020 – Utah Department of Transportation (UDOT) Scenario Exercises and Outcomes 2.6 Wyoming DOT – Earthquake Exercise Host: Wyoming Department of Transportation (WYDOT) Exercise Scenario: Earthquake Exercise Location: Conference room adjacent to WDOT’s Transportation Management Center, Cheyenne, WY Exercise Date: Friday, September 6, 2019 Duration of Exercise: Approximately 8:00 am to 12 pm Exercise Facilitator: George Whitney, Complete EM, LLC Exercise Scenario Evaluators: WYDOT State Planning Engineer WYDOT ITS/GIS Manager Number of Exercise Participants: 22 Exercise Roles Available for Play: 7 (DOT Emergency Manager, DOT EOC Manager, DOT EOC Public Information Officer, DOT EOC Operations Section Chief, DOT EOC Planning and Intelligence Section Chief, DOT EOC Logistics Section Chief, DOT EOC Finance and Administration Section Chief).

Page 7 Exercise Facilitator Notes: As was discovered during the TERA 2017 Continuance period, previous TERA scenarios were not necessarily designed to facilitate completion of specific exercise objectives and, as such, were difficult to market to end users as their utility was not apparent until completion of an exercise. Since December 2017, all new TERA scenarios have been developed to focus on achievement of specific transportation EOC training objectives and host confirmation of these objectives has become the first step in exercise support planning. Due to several factors beyond the scope of this report (i.e., maturity of transportation emergency management programs, limited adoption of national emergency management doctrine within the transportation domain, predominance of transportation emergency management falling within the “DOT Maintenance” and “Transit Executive” domains) transportation emergency management training objectives, when found, are largely non-standardized. Consequently, most TERA hosts choose to alter standard TERA exercise objectives to better reflect their local operations. These changes, in turn, require some degree of scenario redesign which the TERA team anticipated in 2017 and subsequently re- engineered the TERA scenario design process to be more efficient. As with all other TERA exercise scenario validation engagements, WYDOT chose to alter the list of suggested TERA exercise objectives which required non-trivial editing of scenario injects and tasks. Using the new, more-efficient scenario design process, scenario adaptations were made within1-2 days and another scenario instance was created that was also available to other TERA users. Exercise Objectives: • Confirm incident • Alert leadership • Brief EOC manager • Develop initial EOC objectives and priorities • Coordinate multiple resource requests • Mobilize EOC • Complete EOC sign in sheets • Develop Situation Report • Develop map of routes and status • Develop Incident Action Plan • Complete position logs • Track response and recovery costs • Facilitate emergency purchasing authority • Perform radio checks Positive Scenario Comments Made by Experts: • The software worked as advertised, with very few flaws. • Having a set scenario is a huge bonus for an organization in the learning stage. WYDOT is holding monthly meetings to answer questions documented during the workshop and we plan on running the same scenario when the questions are answered. TERA allows for us to evaluate the injects at a very controlled rate, then do it again at a faster rate, then at full speed. This single point makes the software worthwhile. • The software excelled at small group level. It was a large benefit to be able to run the scenario with only one or two people after the workshop. This allowed for detailed, one-on-one discussions about their role and expectations.

Page 8 Negative Scenario Comments Made by Experts: None reported Expert Suggestions for Improvement of TERA Interface: • The software platform was accessed on Adobe Flash which caused long delays to get participants computers properly configured. We had planned on 30 minutes to validate computers before the exercise but due to security protocols and the obsolete nature of Flash it took us much longer. • The MSEL seemed difficult to modify. A specific question asked was if the exercise manager could change the timing of individual messages to facilitate discussion and we were told that we had to stick with the schedule on the MSEL. I would suggest that the MSEL have the ability to modify the time of inject. • The software needing updates in its own presentation or email system caused confusion for a new group. Perhaps because of the newness of the group, but a question often posed was “so in a real emergency we would post this data here.” We may have been biting off too much, but we ended up keeping a log both in TERA and in our own system. TERA Facilitator Final Comment: At the time of this TERA exercise, WYDOT did not employ an emergency manager, maintain an EOC, or formally identify an emergency management team. Not unlike most state DOTs, they have developed a TMC to monitor traffic operations and have been prepared to send a representative to the state’s EOC to address any transportation issues. Conduct of this TERA exercise, which involved the state DOT Director, most executive staff, and division leadership, led to a greater appreciation for complex transportation emergency management issues. WYDOT has continued to use TERA and pursued development of additional emergency management capability through planning, training, and exercising. During the hot wash immediately after the TERA exercise, I observed a participant saying to the DOT Director: “I literally recorded 80 items we need to work on as a department.” Regarding expert suggestion 2. (above), there appears to have been a miscommunication. TERA does indeed allow full edit of a MSEL by exercise facilitators, including the content and timing of each inject. WYDOT has provided a copy of their brief exercise after-action report along with a cover letter expressing appreciation for TERA support. Due to the sensitive nature of some of the report’s contents, it was held in confidence and planned for destruction at project completion. 2.7 North Carolina State University ITRE – Airport Hangar Fire Exercise Host: North Carolina State University, Institute for Transportation Research and Education (ITRE) Exercise Scenario: Airport Hangar Fire (Scenario to support airports or DOTs with general aviation oversight elements) Exercise Location: McKimmon Conference and Training Center, Raleigh, North Carolina

Page 9 Exercise Date: Thursday, October 3, 2019 Duration of Exercise: Approximately 12:45 pm to 3 pm Exercise Facilitator: George Whitney, Complete EM, LLC Exercise Scenario Evaluators: Former Fire Chief, North Carolina Air National Guard Director, Stanly County Airport Number of Exercise Participants: ~60 Exercise Roles Available for Play: 7 (DOT Emergency Manager, DOT EOC Manager, DOT EOC Public Information Officer, DOT EOC Operations Section Chief, DOT EOC Planning and Intelligence Section Chief, DOT EOC Logistics Section Chief, DOT EOC Finance and Administration Section Chief). Exercise Facilitator Notes: As was discovered during the TERA 2017 Continuance period, previous TERA scenarios were not necessarily designed to facilitate completion of specific exercise objectives and, as such, were difficult to market to end users as their utility was not apparent until completion of an exercise. Since December 2017, all new TERA scenarios have been developed to focus on achievement of specific transportation EOC training objectives and host confirmation of these objectives has become the first step in exercise support planning. Due to several factors beyond the scope of this report (i.e., maturity of transportation emergency management programs, limited adoption of national emergency management doctrine within the transportation domain, predominance of transportation emergency management falling within the “DOT Maintenance” and “Transit Executive” domains) transportation emergency management training objectives, when found, are largely non-standardized. Consequently, most TERA hosts choose to alter standard TERA exercise objectives to better reflect their local operations. These changes, in turn, require some degree of scenario redesign which the TERA team anticipated in 2017 and subsequently re- engineered the TERA scenario design process to be more efficient. As with all other TERA exercise scenario validation engagements, NCSU ITRE/AirTAP chose to alter the list of suggested TERA exercise objectives which required non-trivial editing of scenario injects and tasks. Using the new, more- efficient scenario design process, scenario adaptations were made within1-2 days and another scenario instance was created that is now available to other TERA users.

Page 10 Exercise Objectives: • Confirm incident • Confirm affected hangers are evacuated • Ensure appropriate responders alerted • Consider evacuation of other, not-yet-affected areas • Ensure responder access to field Make notifications to leadership • Move nearby aircraft • Activate EOC/DOC • Consider notifications to FAA, county and/or state DOT • Complete EOC/DOC sign in and maintain position logs • Integrate or otherwise connect EOC/DOC ops with ICP via comms or agency rep • Prepare to answer media inquires • Prepare to answer owner/operator inquiries • Track disaster response/recover costs • Determine operational status of airport • Post NOTAM Positive Scenario Comments Made by Experts: TERA exercise tool seems very useful. Negative Scenario Comments Made by Experts: None reported Expert Suggestions for Improvement of TERA Interface: • The software platform was accessed on Adobe Flash which caused long delays to get participants computers properly configured. We had planned on 30 minutes to validate computers before the exercise but due to security protocols and the obsolete nature of Flash it took us much longer. • There were a couple of programming glitches noted during the exercise. These have probably been fixed. TERA Facilitator Final Comment: Development of this exercise scenario was requested by NCSU ITRE/AirTAP to help engage general aviation airports and foster a broader appreciation for airport emergencies within in the DOT domain. NCSU provided two subject matter experts to review, play, and edit the scenario before it was played with representatives from general aviation airports throughout North Carolina. At the time of the scheduled (second or public) exercise, the NCSU host asked the TERA exercise facilitator to play all exercise roles from one location where the interface could be seen by all participants, and to play the scenario with all involved (similar to how someone would play a card game with cards face-up in order to teach others how to play). The NCSU host wanted to run this second exercise this way in order to save time and avoid computer and internet troubleshooting. This second, public play of the scenario continued inject-by-inject with frequent pauses so the audience could discuss play and stay engaged. NCSU ITRE/AirTAP has provided a copy of their brief exercise after-action report. Due to the potentially sensitive nature of some of the report’s contents, it was held in confidence and is planned for destruction at project completion.

Page 11 2.8 North Carolina DOT – Hurricane Exercise Host: North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) Exercise Scenario: Hurricane Exercise Location: North Carolina DOT Maintenance Headquarters Exercise Date: Thursday, December 19, 2019 Duration of Exercise: Approximately 9:00 am to 11:30 am Exercise Facilitator: George Whitney, Complete EM, LLC Exercise Scenario Evaluators: State Training and Exercise Engineer, NCDOT State Maintenance Engineer, NCDOT Number of Exercise Participants: 7 Exercise Roles Available for Play: 7 (DOT Emergency Manager, DOT EOC Manager, DOT EOC Public Information Officer, DOT EOC Operations Section Chief, DOT EOC Planning and Intelligence Section Chief, DOT EOC Logistics Section Chief, DOT EOC Finance and Administration Section Chief).

Page 12 Exercise Facilitator Notes: As was discovered during the TERA 2017 Continuance period, previous TERA scenarios were not necessarily designed to facilitate completion of specific exercise objectives and, as such, were difficult to market to end users as their utility was not apparent until completion of an exercise. Since December 2017, all new TERA scenarios have been developed to focus on achievement of specific transportation EOC training objectives. Host confirmation of these objectives has become the first step in exercise support planning. Due to several factors beyond the scope of this report (i.e., maturity of transportation emergency management programs, limited adoption of national emergency management doctrine within the transportation domain, predominance of transportation emergency management falling within the “DOT Maintenance” and “Transit Executive” domains) transportation emergency management training objectives, when found, are largely non-standardized. Consequently, most TERA hosts choose to alter standard TERA exercise objectives to better reflect their local operations. As with all other TERA exercise scenario validation engagements, NCDOT chose to alter the list of suggested TERA exercise objectives which required non-trivial editing of scenario injects and tasks. NCDOT also chose to assign TERA participant roles different from typical NIMS/ICS Command and General staff positions to better reflect state operations. Using the new, more-efficient scenario design process, scenario adaptations were made within1-2 days and another scenario instance was created that is now available to other TERA users. Exercise Objectives: • Confirm incident • Alert leadership • Brief EOC manager • Develop initial EOC objectives and priorities • Coordinate multiple resource requests • Mobilize EOC • Complete EOC sign in sheets • Develop Situation Report • Develop map of routes and status • Develop Incident Action Plan • Complete position logs • Track response and recovery costs • Facilitate emergency purchasing authority • Perform radio checks Positive Scenario Comments Made by Experts: • There will always be something we can change or edit to improve upon, but that would stem from our side as we continue to refine our processes. From the team’s perspective they felt the scenario was authentic and it was interesting to see what was coming next. • We definitely see the advantage and value in using TERA for ongoing and future training. It is one of the only tools I have seen that can come close to replicating the overwhelming requirements of an event. • The TERA interface looked good, was straight forward, and flowed well. We especially liked the changing interface between how messages were delivered and what the correct responses would be.

Page 13 Negative Scenario Comments Made by Experts: None Expert Suggestions for Improvement of TERA Interface: One TERA item for which I will spend more time practicing with my team is controls (where to look for prompts, hints, etc.) so that we can spend more time on the scenario in the future and less on set up. TERA Facilitator Final Comment: At the time of this TERA exercise, NCDOT did not employ a DOT EOC or DOC, rather they staff an ESF-1 cell within the North Carolina State Operations Center. Overall, the scenario supported orientation and supplemental training for several staff, most of whom are involved in disaster cost recovery operations for DOT. NCDOT leadership expressed interest in performing more TERA exercises and extending exercises to the DOT District level. 2.9 Georgia DOT – Ice Storm Exercise Host: Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT) Exercise Scenario: Ice Storm Exercise Location: State of Georgia EOC, ESF-1 Room Exercise Date: Friday, December 20, 2019 Duration of Exercise: Approximately 7:00 am to 11:30 am Exercise Facilitator: George Whitney, Complete EM, LLC Exercise Scenario Evaluators: GDOT Emergency Management Assistant Operations Officer GA Director of Emergency Operations Number of Exercise Participants: 9 Exercise Roles Available for Play: 7 (DOT Emergency Manager, DOT EOC Manager, DOT EOC Public Information Officer, DOT EOC Operations Section Chief, DOT EOC Planning and Intelligence Section Chief, DOT EOC Logistics Section Chief, DOT EOC Finance and Administration Section Chief).

Page 14 Exercise Facilitator Notes: As was discovered during the TERA 2017 Continuance period, previous TERA scenarios were not necessarily designed to facilitate completion of specific exercise objectives and, as such, were difficult to market to end users as their utility was not apparent until completion of an exercise. Since December 2017, all new TERA scenarios have been developed to focus on achievement of specific transportation EOC training objectives and host confirmation of these objectives has become the first step in exercise support planning. Due to several factors beyond the scope of this report (i.e., maturity of transportation emergency management programs, limited adoption of national emergency management doctrine within the transportation domain, predominance of transportation emergency management falling within the “DOT Maintenance” and “Transit Executive” domains) transportation emergency management training objectives, when found, are largely non-standardized. Consequently, most TERA hosts choose to alter standard TERA exercise objectives to better reflect their local operations. These changes, in turn, require some degree of scenario redesign which the TERA team anticipated in 2017 and subsequently re- engineered the TERA scenario design process to be more efficient. As with all other TERA exercise scenario validation engagements, GDOT chose to alter the list of suggested TERA exercise objectives which required non-trivial editing of scenario injects and tasks. Using the new, more-efficient scenario design process, scenario adaptations were made within1-2 days and another scenario instance was created that is now available to other TERA users. Exercise Objectives: • Confirm incident • Alert leadership • Brief EOC manager • Develop initial EOC objectives and priorities • Coordinate multiple resource requests • Mobilize EOC • Complete EOC sign in sheets • Develop Situation Report • Develop map of routes and status • Develop Incident Action Plan • Complete position logs • Track response and recovery costs • Facilitate emergency purchasing authority • Perform radio checks Positive Scenario Comments Made by Experts: • It’s pretty clear that this is a good way to drive conversation but everyone in the room needs to get more comfortable with their roles. We should probably do this 1x a quarterly, preferably 4-6 times a year. • I enjoyed the actual technology and exercise; again, we could do this with a higher frequency and see the payoff. • Long term, we can rotate roles, i.e., cross train. • I like the system. Definitely agree that 3-6 times a year would be beneficial to keep the SAW Sharpened!

Page 15 Negative Scenario Comments Made by Experts: • I think it was a good initial introduction. I believe it will be more effective the next opportunity to just walk into the room with the emergency at hand and then we go to work. The initial training took the live real-time simulation feel away, because we had to be introduced to the system and learn where everything was. I like the system and feel it will be a major help for those of us who don’t operate in this area every day. As we discussed before we left on the day of the training, adding positions and forms more familiar to GDOT will help enhance the training as well. • Need to tailor it more to the “Georgia way” of activation as far as how our State Operations Center operates. Overall, though, very helpful software and the more we use it the more it will help us in our roles. Expert Suggestions for Improvement of TERA Interface: I would like to see some more exercises involving other emergency situations and also maybe to include some of the Maintenance Managers from the Districts. TERA Facilitator Final Comment: At the time of this TERA exercise, GDOT did not employ a DOT EOC or DOC, rather they staffed an ESF-1 cell within the Georgia State Operations Center. Overall, the scenario appeared helpful in underscoring several emergency and disaster requirements for DOT that might not be anticipated by non-DOT staff, and to help DOT staff gain an appreciation for other important EOC functions often performed by others within the Georgia Emergency Management Agency. GDOT leadership expressed interest in performing more TERA exercises and extending exercises to the DOT District level. 2.10 Georgia DOT – Hurricane with COVID-19 Considerations Exercise Host: Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT) Exercise Scenario: Hurricane with COVID-19 considerations Exercise Location: Via web meeting with the State of Georgia EOC, ESF-1 Team Exercise Date: Monday, July 27, 2020 Duration of Exercise: Approximately 1:00 pm to 3:00 pm EDT Exercise Facilitator: George Whitney, Complete EM, LLC Exercise Scenario Evaluators: GDOT Emergency Management Assistant Operations Officer GA Director of Emergency Operations

Page 16 Number of Exercise Participants: 21 Exercise Roles Available for Play: 7 (DOT Emergency Manager, DOT EOC Manager, DOT EOC Public Information Officer, DOT EOC Operations Section Chief, DOT EOC Planning and Intelligence Section Chief, DOT EOC Logistics Section Chief, DOT EOC Finance and Administration Section Chief). Exercise Facilitator Notes: This TERA Scenario Validation Exercise became the first one facilitated remotely due to the COVID-19 Pandemic. All participants joined a web meeting to share audio communication and allow the facilitator to share a common scenario screen. COVID-19 also became part of the exercise scenario when a DOT Hurricane scenario was expanded with COVID-related considerations and tasks. Like the previous remotely facilitated TERA exercise (Trinity Metro, April 2020), GDOT participants indicated that sharing a web meeting while logged-in and exercising with TERA software made for an engaging and valuable preparedness activity, but that exercise activities became less efficient with more participants. Participants responded well to the TERA Hurricane scenario, including the COVID-19 injects and tasks. In addition to the standard TERA exercise objectives listed in the next section. GDOT requested the following over-arching objectives to be factored into the enhanced scenario: 1. Coordinate evacuation and traffic support 2. Secure and stage specialized resources 3. Factor social distancing, PPE, and sanitation considerations into deployment and lodging Exercise Objectives: • Confirm incident • Alert leadership • Brief EOC manager • Develop initial EOC objectives and priorities • Coordinate multiple resource requests • Mobilize EOC • Complete EOC sign in sheets • Develop Situation Report • Develop map of routes and status • Develop Incident Action Plan • Complete position logs • Track response and recovery costs • Facilitate emergency purchasing authority • Perform radio checks Positive Scenario Comments Made by Experts: • Several people commented that GDOT should have these [exercises] several times a year because it was helpful overall to discuss issues and talk thru them about how we would handle. • Our Emergency Ops Staff definitely think the software is a good thing and we will continue to utilize it moving forward to test, train, and exercise our staff.

Page 17 Negative Scenario Comments Made by Experts: One person felt that the injects came a little fast, but most thought it was realistic because emergencies are always chaotic. Expert Suggestions for Improvement of TERA Interface: • TERA is a good program to do exercise training on, but it was difficult to do virtually with so many people on the call. • There were no complaints about the software program as a whole. The main challenge was for some people getting logged on and having their assignments due to the fact that most people were just on the call to listen in and see the software. • The best use will be for GDOT to utilize the program in smaller groups in our 7 districts and have them provide people to play each role in the exercise. TERA Facilitator Final Comment: GDOT employed this scenario validation exercise to examine regional DOT response operations during emergency and TERA’s ability to serve as a regional training tool. GDOT also used the scenario to explore novel solutions for COVID- 19 challenges. Results of this exercise were effective validation of the TERA Hurricane scenario, TERA’s ability to simplify regional (below state level) DOT exercises requirements, and help identify additional policy, practices, and resources needed to mitigate COVID-19 effects on DOT emergency operations. 2.11 Utah DOT – Wildfire Exercise Host: Utah Department of Transportation (UDOT) Exercise Scenario: Wildfire Exercise Location: Via web meeting with UDOT Headquarters and UDOT Region participants Exercise Date: Monday, August 24, 2020 Duration of Exercise: Approximately 11:00 am to 1:00 pm MDT Exercise Facilitator: George Whitney, Complete EM, LLC Exercise Scenario Evaluators: UDOT Sr. Strategic Communications Manager UDOT Region 3 Area Supervisor

Page 18 Number of Exercise Participants: ~10 Exercise Roles Available for Play: 7 (DOT Emergency Manager, DOT EOC Manager, DOT EOC Public Information Officer, DOT EOC Operations Section Chief, DOT EOC Planning and Intelligence Section Chief, DOT EOC Logistics Section Chief, DOT EOC Finance and Administration Section Chief). Exercise Facilitator Notes: This TERA Scenario Validation Exercise became the third one facilitated remotely due to the COVID-19 Pandemic. All participants joined a web meeting to share audio communication and allow the facilitator to share a common scenario screen. UDOT also used local TERA customizations much more than have other TERA users to create region-specific renditions of a TERA scenario. UDOT also used the exercise to examine UDOT HQ and UDOT Region operations including information and command hand-offs to one another. Like the previous remotely facilitated TERA exercises (Trinity Metro in April 2020 and GDOT in July 2020), UDOT participants indicated that sharing a web meeting while exercising with TERA software made for an engaging and valuable preparedness activity. Participants responded well to the TERA Wildfire scenario and the extensive user- entered customizations of injects, titles, and names for simulated players. For example, just before STARTEX, UDOT entered very specific incident and geographic context, applied its own incident command system, and inserted the names of actual UDOT leaders into the scenario. UDOT’s overall objectives for the exercise were to: 1. Establish incident location 2. Effect rapid DOT coordination with Incident Command 3. Establish local jurisdiction requirements and begin support 4. Begin developing traveler and other information General TERA scenario objectives are listed in the next section. Exercise Objectives: • Confirm incident • Alert leadership • Brief EOC manager • Develop initial EOC objectives and priorities • Coordinate multiple resource requests • Mobilize EOC • Complete EOC sign in sheets • Develop Situation Report • Develop map of routes and status • Develop Incident Action Plan • Complete position logs • Track response and recovery costs • Facilitate emergency purchasing authority • Perform radio checks

Page 19 Positive Scenario Comments Made by Experts: • Although not an “in the field” asset, [TERA] really is field/operationally related. • Being able to include [customizations] in the [scenario] make it easier for me in the future to run exercises on my own with my other Regions. • I think that would be useful for other Region folks to look at [TERA] as a way to replay the situation and have them think about the "what ifs" and perhaps lead to more self-improvement. • I think keeping the ICS/NIMS associated issues in place is key to helping DOTs who might not be familiar with the concepts and principles to slowly align themselves with these established norms. • The ease of set up and the ability to insert any Utah location also is a great feature that assists in the reality of play. Negative Scenario Comments Made by Experts: None reported Expert Suggestions for Improvement of TERA Interface: None reported TERA Facilitator Final Comment: UDOT employed this scenario to evaluate TERA’s ability to both enhance region exercising and the manner in which information and command are exchanged between UDOT HQ and its regions during an emergency. In both regards, UDOT was able to validate the tool as useful and effective. Unofficially, or more related to scenario design and application of best practices in TERA scenarios, was the fact that UDOT, as do many other DOTs, doesn’t practice NIMS/ICS outside of the State EOC and Incident Command (e.g., in the field when DOT arrives to support a wildfire incident commander). Neither UDOT HQ nor UDOT Regions employ an EOC or DOC. Rather, they gather a distributed team and augment in with the Traffic Operations Center (TOC) as a 24/7 state duty officer and repository of all key information. Consequently, the typical, nationally- adopted ICS/NIMS roles used by TERA don’t apply. To overcome the differences in UDOT organization, delegation of responsibility and titles, the facilitator employed user-based customizations. In this manner, the facilitator was able to insert “TOC” for “DOT Emergency Manager” or “District Engineer” for “DOT EOC Manager.” It was noted by the UDOT Emergency Manager (and this facilitator concurs with UDOT’s comments), this level of customization is very important to DOT emergency managers who want to preserve operational norms among non-typical responders while also continuing to promote NIMS/ICS awareness.