Vermont Homeland Security Unit

• 19 pages
• For Official Use Only
• January 12, 2009

PREFACE

State of Vermont

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (USDHS) National Preparedness Directorate requires that every State and Urban Area conduct a Multiyear Training and Exercise Plan Workshop (TEPW) annually. As a result, Vermont recently conducted its 2009-2011 Multiyear TEPW and has since produced this Multiyear Training and Exercise Plan (TEP).

The Vermont Multiyear TEP is the roadmap for Vermont to accomplish the priorities described in their Homeland Security Strategy. The State of Vermont has pursued a coordinated homeland security strategy that combines enhanced planning, new equipment purchases, innovative training, and realistic exercises to strengthen the State’s emergency prevention and response capabilities. Training and exercises play a crucial role in this strategy, providing the State with a means of attaining, practicing, validating, and improving new capabilities.

The State’s training and exercise programs are administered by the Vermont Homeland Security
Unit (VTHSU), in coordination with Vermont Emergency Management, Vermont Health
Department, Vermont Criminal Justice Training Council, Vermont Fire Service Training, and
local emergency response agencies. The training and exercise agenda described in this plan is
binding for all State-level response agencies, as well as any municipal response agencies
receiving State Homeland Security funds. The plan helps prepare the State to optimally address
both the natural and technical hazards that it faces.

…

PROGRAM PRIORITIES

State of Vermont

By joining together representatives from state and local agencies with an interest in the subject of
training and exercising, the Vermont Training and Exercise Working group was able to develop
common goals and objectives in order to develop this multi-year plan. Each agency drew upon
their experiences, previous exercises and requirements to develop a cohesive and comprehensive
plan.

Priorities identified to be addressed during this multi-year plan include the following:

Priority 1 – Interoperable communications
Priority 2 – CBRNE Detection, Response & Decontamination
Priority 3 – Medical surge and mass care
Priority 4 – Increased Planning Efforts
Priority 5 – Law Enforcement Activities
Priority 6 – Citizen Preparedness

The following goals and corresponding objectives from the State of Vermont Homeland Security
State Strategy were incorporated into the training and exercise plan:

1. Establish interoperable communications throughout the state of Vermont. VCOMM
directly supports the Communications capability by the purchase and deployment
of effective communications systems for the first responder community. This goal
ensures first responders are equipped, trained and exercised with the tools to
effectively communicate during all hazards events.

Objective: Implement phase one, the Lifeline System, of the statewide interoperable
communications system and start developing phase two.

Objective: Implement the DHS approved Statewide Interoperable Communications Plan,
including the development and dissemination of a statewide Standard Operating
Procedure (SOP) template.

Objective: Utilization of the National calling and tactical channels for multi-agency
response to incidents and events by all first responders.

Objective: Identify sustainability funding to maintain the statewide interoperable
communications system and to meet future mandates (e.g. FCC narrow-banding
compliance by 2013).

2. Strengthen the State of Vermont’s Capability to respond to a Chemical, Biological,
Radiological, Nuclear or Explosive (CBRNE) Events, including the response to an
Urban Search and Rescue (USAR), Swift Water, IED and HAZMAT.

Objective: Complete equipping USAR and Decontamination teams throughout the State.

Objective: Enhance the State USAR Task Force and Regional Strike Teams to be fully
operational and deployable at a USAR Type II Level.

Objective: Continue to implement ICS training in accordance with the Vermont NIMS
Implementation Plan. Continued WMD, USAR, IED and other CBRNE/WMD training
as required by federal regulations and/or to meet the needs of new national priorities.

Objective: Develop a mechanism and process to increase the level of retention of
members throughout Vermont’s First Response Agencies.

Objective: Increase the ability of Vermont’s First Responders to safely handle
emergency situations

Objective: Increase the level of written Standard Operating Procedures and plans
throughout Vermont.

3. Address hospital based medical surge needs, provide needed community based
medical surge and mass care services for both general and at-risk populations and
support the need for domestic animal sheltering. This will incorporate the ability to
effectively provide triage and pre-hospital treatment.

Objective: Identify large capacity shelters and med-surge facilities to have two facilities
strategically located in each of the four Public Safety Districts.

Objective: Develop staffing for each of the shelters.

Objective: Equip each of the shelters with appropriate mass care, medical surge and
animal shelter Supplies

Objective: Exercise each shelter.

Objective: Establish Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Task Force Response

4. Enhance preparedness planning at a state and local level through the
implementation of key activities.

Objective: Continue the development and use of web-enabled disaster management
software, DisasterLAN.

Objective: Update the current State Emergency Operations Plans to integrate it with the
NRF and to include Dam Emergency Action Plans and long term recovery planning.
Objective: Initiate development of a statewide system to credential emergency
management and response personnel for deployment outside the state through EMAC
established procedures

Objective: Establish a baseline of emergency preparedness for all Schools throughout the
state of Vermont

Objective: Develop statewide plan for Commodity Points of Distribution (CPOD)

5. Strengthen the identification of patterns and indicators of criminal and terrorismrelated
activity in the state to enable successful prevention and enforcement actions.

Objective: Enhance the ability of the VTFC to collect, analyze and disseminate
intelligence information to Federal, State and local law enforcement, as well as public
and private sector entities, to maintain an accurate statewide threat, vulnerability and risk
assessment.

Objective: Enhance the ability for local law enforcement officers to share information
and intelligence with the VTFC by equipping local law enforcement with Mobile Data
Terminals.

6. Enhance community preparedness and participation.

Objective: Provide volunteers with the skills necessary to assist in response to all hazards
incidents.

Objective: Develop more effective and efficient information flow and coordination
between the state of Vermont and the local communities to aid in enhancing the state’s
preparedness.

…

V. INCREASE INFORMATION SHARING, ANALYSIS AND DISSEMINATION CAPABILITY

The mechanisms for the identification of patterns and indicators of criminal and terrorismrelated
activity in the state should be strengthened to enable successful prevention and
enforcement actions. Specifically the ability of the Vermont Fusion Center to collect, analyze
and disseminate intelligence information to Federal, state and local law enforcement, as well
as public and private sector entities should be enhanced to maintain an accurate statewide
threat, vulnerability and risk assessment.

Corresponding National Priority:
• Information Gathering and Recognition of Indicators and Warnings
• Strengthen Information Sharing and Collaboration capabilities
• Information – Intelligence Sharing and Dissemination
• Intelligence Analysis and Production
• Law Enforcement Investigation and Operations

• Public Safety and Security Response Training Courses and Exercises that Support this State Priority and Associated Capabilities:
– Seminar on the Vermont Fusion Center to federal, state and local law enforcement partners
– Training on the Mobile Data Terminals
– Workshops, Tabletop, Functional and Full-scale exercises to demonstrate information and intelligence fusion.

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