Meeting Minutes 8/29/17

Status of Connex Boxes

-       solar vents installed – working great and keeps things cool

-       working on attaining 3 “pop-up” tents for Open House

-       Moving containers/reconfiguring Electrical sometime soon??

-       Peter will try to move the Flt Ops container so the doors stay open!!

-       Paul is our go-to KWVI staff member

WOW 9/2/17

-       booth signed up for

-       Need helpers

-       Peter, Tom & Bob working with Young Eagles, Theresa out of town, Joe may come over   around noon, Jacob and Daniel…..come on out  if you can!!

-       Rayvon asked that we pass out water bottles to pilots

WEACT Open House – 9/9 from 9am to 4pm

-       Signs around KWVI/emails out 99s, WPA, EAA, KWVI Blast

-       Water/Snacks/Food – could everyone bring some cookies to share?

-       Can everyone attend and man their station to share info??  Yes

$5,000 from city

-       Great but we can’t get it until we’re 501.3c

-       Tom and Marjorie will make a checklist and start working on it

9/14/17 – Flying to Tahoe with Paul Marshall of SCAPA DART

-       ACA Conference – Airport Managers

-       Rayvon, Paul & Marjorie were to speak about getting DARTs started

-       Marjorie decided not to attend due to conflicts in schedule

December 9, 12-2pm WEACT Table Top Exercise

-       Tom will put together another great table top exercise

-       no meetings until then

-       Marjorie will be in Florida from Sep 20 til December 1^st

-       the forms are stocked in the files so we’re ready to mobilize!!

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WEACT Exercise Summary on May 20, 2017

            On May 20, 2017, WEACT, the Watsonville Emergency Airlift Command Team conducted a full-scale exercise.  A 6.9 magnitude earthquake in the Santa Cruz mountains was simulated, closing off the roads in and out of Santa Cruz County, damaging the Watsonville levee system and shutting down the phone lines, including cell and land lines.

            WEACT self-mobilized to the Watsonville Municipal Airport at 9am.  Ground and pilot volunteers arrived throughout the morning to support WEACT.  The flying conditions were clear skies and no ceiling present.  Throughout the exercise, WEACT simulated various requests as follows:

1. Damage assessment of roads in and out of Santa Cruz County
2. Damage assessment of the Watsonville levee system
3. Pick up Red Cross Comfort Care packages at outlying airports (4 missions)
4. Pick up key personnel for the Santa Cruz County EOC staffing
5. Search flight for downed aircraft in Eureka Canyon
6. Transport a specialized doctor & 100# of his medical equipment, stationed at the Watsonville Community Hospital, to KPAO so he can get to Stanford for an important procedure.
7. Transport a 28 year old, 180# man to KTOA for a special medical procedure at the Harbor-UCLA Medical Center near KTOA.  The patient needs no medical attention for the flight.
8. Transport Official, Time Sensitive Documents to the Napa County Sherriff
9. Pick up a 50# Rescue Dog from CAL FIRE at the Hollister Airport.  Send one passenger along to help tend to the dog on the return flight.  The dog will be used to search for survivors in the earthquake rubble.

            Overall, 12 missions were successfully launched, recorded and tracked for completion.  WEACT utilized their newly created Operational Procedures Manual (see attachment) which incorporates lessons learned from previous WEACT & DART exercises and table top exercises. 

            In planning the May 20^th exercise, WEACT Managers coordinated the event with the Santa Cruz County EOC, Watsonville EOC, Watsonville Policer and Fire Chiefs, Red Cross and numerous DARTs.  Originally, the SCC EOC had agreed to activate their EOC, and simulate the earthquake scenario and communicate mission requests to WEACT in an attempt to create a real world situation.  Unfortunately, a few days before the exercise, the director of the SCC EOC  decided they couldn’t work with WEACT because we weren’t an established organization, meaning a 501.3c tax exempt status organization.  WEACT continued on with the 5/20/17 exercise by injecting the mission requests in a simulated manner, on their own.

 

            WEACT has no funding at this time but is fully supported by the Watsonville Municipal Airport Manager, Rayvon Williams.  KWVI has provided two old storage containers off the runway for WEACT operations, installed electrics in the containers and purchased some basic supplies for WEACT to use.  WEACT has collected numerous donations of tables, shelves, containers, white boards and miscellaneous items to set up the storage containers so that WEACT can be activated and start launching missions in the shortest time possible. 

            The May 20^th exercise was publicized in the Watsonville Pajaronian and the Santa Cruz Sentinel.  The Sentinel article can be found at http://www.santacruzsentinel.com/environment-and-nature/20170520/watsonville-airlift-team-hosts-full-scale-training.  KSBW produced a great story about the exercise:  http://www.ksbw.com/article/watsonville-pilots-prepare-for-next-natural-disaster-with-earthquake-simulation-drill/9901596.  WEACT achieved their goal of informing the local community about the positive support WEACT is ready to provide.

            In the future, WEACT plans to work on the following goals: 

• 501.3c tax exempt status in order to accept financial donations,
• Achieve DSW, Disaster Service Worker, certification for all WEACT Managers
• Maintain communications between the Santa Cruz County EOC, Watsonville City Manager, Fire & Police Chiefs to remind them that WEACT is a valuable resource for the community.

            WEACT has tentative plans for the following events:

• September 9, 2017 - WEACT Open House (local pilot groups, DARTS,  city, and county to be invited)
• December 2, 2017 – WEACT Managers Table Top Exercise
• May 2018 – WEACT Full Scale Exercise

Minutes WEACT Meeting April 18th, 2017

Introduce Joe Shelton as Flight Ops Manager

Electric Installed – Rayvon had city inspect/connex boxes need to be bolted to ground and electrical conduit moved overhead

City staff working on vents for connex boxes / waiting to install whiteboards till dry/more tables & chairs soon from Jim Carter/ look into solar vent

Generator Update –

• backup power will reach WEACT area/date to be determined
• let’s keep it simple/unplug it and move to WEACT/ run it every 6                                                 months/we don’t need transfer switch

NORCAL Update –

• Joe has a friend at NORCAL; suggested writing up a LOA with NORCAL to delineate that WEACT IFR traffic will get ATC priority in the event of a mobilization; Joe will write up letter

Website Update – Tom – looks great!!  Will be online soon!

Comm Update – Repeater Freqs, ICS Form 205 to be added to WEACT OPM soon

ICS Training coming soon / 4/3/17 trng

Meeting with Rosemary /Michael Beaton (EOC)/Steve Hall (Central Fire) - 4/14/17

Exercise Update – presented the WEACT Exercise Plan
- Interfacing with  SCC EOC
- CAP/Red Cross/DARTs
- Hospital- Matt Vranges
- City of Watsonville personnel – meeting 4/25 @ 2:30 at City Manager’s Office City Manager, Asst. City Manager, Fire Chief and Police Chief, Rayvon

           

Commitment from everyone to attend on 5/20?? Everyone yes; Daniel may have a conflict but working to get a flight back on Friday, 5/19

Volunteer Notification- Direct Email going out soon/KWVI Blast/WPA & 99 & EAA Meetings     

 -we discussed the options for notifying volunteers when WEACT is mobilized                               -email, phone tree?, phone calls from list
Emails out to Watsonville Comm Hospital, CAP, Red Cross, DARTs

Anyone have contacts with Grocery/Restaurants/Cosco??/Will canvass for snacks on 5/20
-maybe we can ask airport for money for some food??

Signs ordered with Freedom Signs/Mitch Robinson donated/KWVI provide sign boards

- if you see Mitch, please thank him!

Coordinate packages to be picked up with DARTS/Airports??  Necessary??  No but some may    provide a package of their choosing

Rope off ramp area so CAP Cadets know where to monitor security??  Probably not!

Notify TV, Radio, Newspaper soon

Write up Manager’s Notebook/After Action Critique Sheet/ Print WEACT OPM & Forms

-Request to use airport donations to pay for printing/supplies- everyone approved

NEXT MEETING - 5/9/17 @ 6pm – already on the website calendar!!!