Best practices to train reservists in ICS: joining forces to prepare for contingency response Story by Lt. Cmdr. Jonathan Hsieh, Sector Virginia ICS is designed for the Coast Guard to integrate into any emergency management or response scenario run by government or private organizations. Recent events, such as the COVID-19 response, in which Coast Guard personnel at all levels are integrated into different unified command environments, show the usefulness of ICS qualifications. Realizing the potential for synergy among entities in the Hampton Roads region, Coast Guard contingency planners from Atlantic Area, District Five and Sector Virginia joined their talents together to form a tiger team and hold an exercise solely focused on ICS over a reserve weekend. “Training exercises like this are valuable because they focus solely on practicing ICS,” said Cmdr. Danielle Shupe, Sector Virginia’s ICS coordinator. Unlike exercises that focus on a Coast Guard contingency response, this ICS exercise was modular and flexible to adapt to the training needs of personnel seeking ICS qualifications. Reservists and Auxiliarists from various commands came together to fill double-encumbered ICS leadership and staff roles in the command and general staff ranging from incident commander to demobilization unit leader. Each position was paired with an experienced coach, helping train the personnel filling each role. ICS staff positions were also created in order to form a team for each section, allowing section chiefs to fully participate in meetings and briefings that may happen through the exercise. The exercise followed the "Planning P" and started with an operations briefing held by coaches detailing the exercise: a grounded, private company fishing boat with a pollution scenario near Virginia Beach. Trainees then began work, planning for the new operational period by preparing an Some best practices to consider when training reservists in ICS: • Use a tiger team to link with ICS counterparts at different levels: sector, district, and area in order to distribute the workload in planning a mass ICS exercise encompassing several units. • Hold training activities during a drill weekend; take advantage of planned all hands to maximize participation. • The exercise should focus solely on ICS and allow flexibility and interject scenarios to keep participants thinking on their feet. • Apply online tools, like IMSS, during the exercise. Troubleshooting a problem during an exercise identifies pitfalls that can be corrected before an actual event. • Identify coaches and form a training team from units participating in the exercise so trainees have access to experienced personnel and obtain signatures. • Fold ICS staff into the general and command staff, sections, units, groups and divisions. This will allow the command staff member or section chief to focus on their assignment and provide realistic role-playing experience. incident action plan. During the process, teams strived to complete their respective sections of the IAP, concurrently planning for the tactics and planning meetings as part of the "Planning P." This culminated with an operations briefing held by the exercise participants at the end of the day. Coaches then rated each trainee [using an ICS-225 document], and each command had personnel on-hand to complete task signoffs for qualification. In addition to the poster-sized ICS forms typically used in practice, personnel concurrently used the Incident Management Software System (IMSS) to electronically produce an IAP. During the exercise, all sections were logged into the service through the internet. Personnel were able to simultaneously complete their respective sections of the IAP in preparation for their respective planning or tactics meeting. For instance, the safety officer was able to complete the ICS-208 Emergency Safety and Response Plan while the resource unit leader was able to complete the ICS-215 Operational Planning Worksheet. The use of technology enabled live updates for the exercise along with troubleshooting any potential issues of the software. Reservists from all departments at Sector Virginia, District Five and Atlantic Area, along with Auxiliarists, worked together seamlessly. This exercise provided a valuable opportunity to work together and depart from the routine of a drill weekend. Reservists got a chance to work with a variety of personnel (active, Auxiliary, reservists) in an environment outside of their comfort zone. During the exercise, participants put aside the traditional paradigms of a sector (prevention, response, enforcement departments), and listened as coaches provided injects to stimulate critical thinking and collaborative planning. "Everyone has competencies that are a priority for training during [drills], whether it’s boat crew, boarding officer, container inspector, pollution responder, etc.,” said Lt. Cmdr. Ed Parvin, Sector Virginia’s acting senior reserve officer. “but, most times, when we’re called up to serve the country, we will be structured in an ICS role." � Issue 2 • 2020 � RESERVIST 33
