scholarly journals Improving Situational Awareness Using a Comprehensive Surveillance Strategy

2021 ◽  
Vol 2021 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Martin Cramer ◽  
Richard Santner
Keyword(s):  
Data Collection ◽  
Oil Spill ◽  
Situational Awareness ◽  
The United States ◽  
American Petroleum Institute ◽  
Strategic Decision ◽  
Incident Management ◽  
Time Data ◽  
Surveillance Strategy ◽  
Comprehensive Surveillance

ABSTRACT Having accurate, timely, and relevant situational awareness information is vital during an oil spill response to ensure informed operational and strategic decision making as well as effective coordination of field operations. Recent technological advancements have greatly enhanced situational awareness data collection capabilities such that numerous real-, or near real-time, data streams and inputs into the Incident Management Team are now possible. Although these advancements are generally beneficial, they can easily result in data overload and the subsequent burial or masking of critical information. This issue is compounded by the absence of standardized mechanisms or processes to assess and manage the data. Another area of concern is while surveillance is a key component of situational awareness, it is often comprised of random acts of surveillance rather than an objective driven, fit-for-purpose strategy. To address these issues, IPIECA, in coordination with the American Petroleum Institute (API), held stakeholder workshops in the United States and United Kingdom on situational awareness needs as well as the development of a comprehensive surveillance strategy. The results are being incorporated into an Oil Spill Surveillance Strategy technical support document currently under development by IPIECA. This paper will primarily focus on the key components of situational awareness as well as considerations for developing a comprehensive surveillance strategy. Additionally, it will discuss key findings of the workshops, exercise blind spots, data flow and timing, who should own the data collection process and other related topics.

scholarly journals Integrating Unmanned Aircraft Systems into Alaskan Oil Spill Response–Applied Case Studies and Operational Protocols

2021 ◽  
Vol 2021 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jessica Garron ◽  
Jereme M. Altendorf
Keyword(s):  
Oil Spill ◽  
Wildlife Management ◽  
Situational Awareness ◽  
Federal Agencies ◽  
Unmanned Aircraft ◽  
Unmanned Aircraft Systems ◽  
Incident Management ◽  
Aircraft Systems ◽  
Oil Spill Response ◽  
Federal Management

ABSTRACT> (PS1-02) Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) have a high potential value to support oil spill response activities due to their capabilities to provide real-time situational awareness. A variety of UAS are available to support response activities, and determining the precise aircraft, sensor payload and flight patterns will depend on the operational need for surveillance. In support of UAS integration into America's airspace, the FAA has defined general protocols for the commercial use of small UAS (less than 55 lbs. total take-off weight) in 14 CFR Part 107. However, these regulations do not address any other concerns associated with flight of these small aircraft, such as shared operational airspace within a temporary flight restriction area, or regulations for flight over animals that fall under state or federal management. To address this lack of policy, a UAS protocol for flights of small UAS during oil spill response activities was developed and integrated into a series of tabletop oil spill exercises conducted in Alaska during 2018. The UAS protocol was vetted with state and federal agencies responsible for wildlife management both on and offshore, was modified for execution in remote as well as urban locations, and has been integrated into Area Contingency Plans in Alaska. This presentation will highlight the operational components of the UAS operational protocol, as well as the challenges, both perceived and actual, to UAS integration into the incident management structure of an oil spill response.

Wildfire decision support tools: an exploratory study of use in the United States

2020 ◽  
Vol 29 (7) ◽  
pp. 581
Author(s):  
Claire Rapp ◽  
Emily Rabung ◽  
Robyn Wilson ◽  
Eric Toman
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Decision Making ◽  
Decision Support ◽  
The United States ◽  
Strategic Decision ◽  
Incident Management ◽  
Fire Weather ◽  
Decision Support Tools ◽  
Support Tools ◽  
Behaviour Models

In the United States, many decision support tools exist to provide fire managers with weather and fire behaviour information to inform and facilitate risk-based decision-making. Relatively little is known about how managers use these tools in the field and when and how they may serve to influence decisions. To address this gap, we conducted exploratory interviews with 27 wildfire management and fire weather professionals across the United States. Results reveal that barriers to the use of decision support tools are structural and social. Specifically, fire weather and behaviour models may not generate reliable output and managers may not use the information they provide, but technical specialists on incident management teams (IMTs) play an active role in trying to overcome these barriers through their technical expertise and their relationships with other members of the IMT. Although researchers suggest tools such as the Wildland Fire Decision Support System (WFDSS) inform broad, strategic decision-making for line officers and IMTs, our results suggest fire weather and behaviour models are also important for communication and strategic or tactical planning within the IMT, especially for operations. We find that ultimately, managers may make use of fire weather and behaviour models, but they do not dictate decisions.

INFORMATION TO MINIMIZE IMPACTS FROM FRESHWATER OIL SPILLS

1995 ◽  
Vol 1995 (1) ◽  
pp. 965-966
Author(s):  
David E. Fritz ◽  
Alexis E. Steen
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Literature Review ◽  
Oil Spill ◽  
Oil Spills ◽  
Work Group ◽  
The United States ◽  
American Petroleum Institute ◽  
Freshwater Habitats ◽  
Human Health Effects

ABSTRACT The American Petroleum Institute (API) has the only program in the United States dedicated to freshwater oil spill research. In existence since 1990, the API Inland Spills Work Group consists of representatives from industry and government. Projects have included a manual prepared with NOAA that evaluates cleanup techniques in order to minimize environmental impacts of spills in freshwater habitats, a literature review and annotated bibliography of environmental and human health effects of freshwater oil spills, a study of chemical treating agents for use in freshwater applications, and an evaluation of in situ burning of oil spilled in marshes.

Makah IndianTribe – U.S. Coast Guard Memorandum of Agreement A Model for Meaningful Tribal-Federal Engagement

2014 ◽  
Vol 2014 (1) ◽  
pp. 300663
Author(s):  
Chad Bowechop ◽  
Andrew Connor ◽  
Scott Knutson ◽  
Heather A. Parker ◽  
LCDR Lance Lindgren
Keyword(s):  
Oil Spill ◽  
Homeland Security ◽  
Situational Awareness ◽  
Puget Sound ◽  
The United States ◽  
Coast Guard ◽  
Common Interest ◽  
Department Of Homeland Security ◽  
Indian Tribe ◽  
Work List

On 12 April 2013, the Makah Tribal Council Chairman and the District Commander of the 13th Coast Guard District (D13) signed into effect the “Memorandum of Agreement between the United States Coast Guard and the Makah Indian Tribe Regarding Interoperability and Coordination”. The purpose of this “Makah-USCG MOA” is to establish terms by which the two parties will coordinate and collaborate in the fulfillment of their mutual trust responsibility. The MOA's focus is to enhance consultation, improve leveraging of resources within each party's authorities, and improve collective all-hazards prevention and response posture in the Makah Treaty Area. Such an agreement between a federal agency and an Indian tribe is authorized by Executive Order 13175 - Consultation and Coordination with Indian Tribal Governments, signed in 2000 and is consistent with the 2011 Department of Homeland Security Tribal Consultation Policy. This groundbreaking document represents a 20 year relationship between key members of the Makah Tribe and the oil spill response members of CG D13 and Sector Puget Sound, and the trust developed over that period while working together to mutually support each party's oil spill prevention, preparedness and response readiness, as well as the desire to help and support each other by harmonizing efforts. With recent legislation such as the 2010 Coast Guard Authorization act, authorizing resources to engage tribes into training, exercises and other spill response preparedness activities particularly in the Northwest, it became clear there was a need to memorialize the strong supportive working relationship between the Makah and the CG, and provide some structure to our planning and development efforts. The MOA lays out a minimum of semi-annual meetings during which the two parties discuss overarching items of mutual interest and determine a work list of concrete, achievable goals to complete within the next 6 month period. An initial work list of common interest issues and responsibilities are outlined in the MOA, and fall into three general categories: Prevention; Preparedness and Response. The MOA also addresses the importance of Communication with the goal of enhancing mutual situational awareness via improved communication protocols between the Coast Guard and the Makah Tribe.

scholarly journals (A332) Increasing Medical Situational Awareness and Interoperability via “Virtual USA”

2011 ◽  
Vol 26 (S1) ◽  
pp. s93-s93
Author(s):  
K. Andress
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Real Time ◽  
Situational Awareness ◽  
Care Delivery ◽  
The United States ◽  
United States Department ◽  
Poison Center ◽  
British Petroleum ◽  
Time Data ◽  
Medical Response

IntroductionHistory is replete with interoperability and resource reporting deficits during disaster that impact medical response and planning. Situational awareness for disaster and emergency medical response includes communicating health hazards as well as infrastructure and resource status, capability and GIS location. The need for actionable, real-time data is crucial to response. Awareness facilitates medical resource placement, response and recovery. A number of internet, web-based disaster resource and situational status reporting applications exist but may be limited or restricted by functional, jurisdictional, proprietary and/or financial requirements. Restrictions prohibit interoperability and inhibit information sharing that could affect health care delivery. Today multiple United States jurisdictions are engaged in infrastructure and resource situation status reporting via “virtual” states and regional projects considered components of “Virtual USA”.MethodsThis report introduces the United States' Department of Homeland Security's “Virtual USA” initiative and demonstrates a health application and interoperability via “Virtual Louisiana's” oil spill related exposure reporting during the 2010, British Petroleum Gulf Horizon catastrophe. Five weekly Louisiana Department of Health and Hospital summary reports from the Louisiana Poison Center; Hospital Surveillance Systems; Public Health Hotline; and Physician Clinic Offices were posted on the Louisiana Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness's “Virtual Louisiana”.Results227 total spill-related, exposure cases from five reporting weeks were provided by five Louisiana source agencies and reported in Virtual Louisiana. Cases were reported weekly and classified as “workers” or “population”; associated with the parish exposure locations (8), offshore (1), or unknown (1); and shared with four other virtual states.ConclusionsReal-time health and medical situation status, resource awareness, and incident impact could be facilitated through constructs demonstrated by “Virtual USA”.

TERRORISM AND OIL SPILLS: WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW AND HOW WE SHOULD RESPOND1

1997 ◽  
Vol 1997 (1) ◽  
pp. 743-746 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael de Bettencourt
Keyword(s):  
Oil Spill ◽  
Planning Process ◽  
Oil Spills ◽  
The United States ◽  
Coast Guard ◽  
Incident Management ◽  
Common Denominator ◽  
Environmental Response ◽  
Effective Response ◽  
Incident Command

ABSTRACT An act of terrorism resulting in an oil spill triggers a unique set of response considerations that bring diverse agencies together under crisis conditions. To manage such incidents effectively, a systematic approach is needed to standardize incident response, command, and control methods and to better define the planning process for these demanding scenarios. The National Interagency Incident Management System-Incident Command System (NIIMS-ICS) is the common denominator that has been adopted by the United States Coast Guard for oil spill response. This paper highlights recommendations to adopt the NIIMS-ICS nationally for combined law enforcement and environmental response incidents to ensure efficient and effective response methods.

Mobile Application Development and Testing for Work Zone Activity Real-Time Data Collection

2020 ◽  
Vol 2674 (6) ◽  
pp. 351-362
Author(s):  
Farzaneh Azadi ◽  
Yaw Adu-Gyamfi ◽  
Carlos Sun ◽  
Praveen Edara
Keyword(s):  
Data Collection ◽  
Real Time ◽  
Mobile Application ◽  
The United States ◽  
Mobile App ◽  
Work Zone ◽  
Work Zones ◽  
Time Data ◽  
Application Development ◽  
User Friendliness

Work zones are prevalent in the United States as the infrastructure is increasingly in need of maintenance. Lack of reliable data is one of the main obstacles in work zone research. Reliability suffers because of underreporting of crashes and inclusion in the analysis of irrelevant activities that are not attributable to work zones. In addition, the work zone environment is very dynamic, resulting in differing reasons for crashes. These are barriers to gaining an accurate understanding of safety in work zones. The objective of this paper is to design, develop, and deploy a mobile application (app) for real-time work zone data collection to address these issues. The development process consisted of the following steps. First, a user interface was designed to enable users to collect various work zone activity information. Second, taking advantage of recent advances in cloud computing, a real-time database was designed for efficient storage and instantaneous communication of work zone activity data. Field tests were then conducted at 13 work zone sites in Columbia, Missouri. Finally, the performance of the app was evaluated based on scalability, precision, and user friendliness. The app was able to respond to queries at real-time speeds even as the size of the database and the number of users increased. The precision of sensors was within appreciable accuracy for the geolocation. The app’s user friendliness was acknowledged by the users. The successful deployment of this mobile app would lead to accurate work zone data which is very useful for work zone management, traveler information, contract monitoring, safety analysis, and project coordination.

scholarly journals Large scale exercise in Norway – Exercise Frohavet 2019

2021 ◽  
Vol 2021 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Gry Eide Fiksdal ◽  
Cathrine Floen Fullwood
Keyword(s):  
Oil Spill ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Situational Awareness ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
Management Team ◽  
Accurate Information ◽  
Incident Management ◽  
Incident Command ◽  
Extensive Evaluation ◽  
Exploration Well

ABSTRACT « October 8th at 1630 hours: Equinor reports loss of well control on the exploration well «Staalull». Large amounts of crude oil flow continuously from the seabed at the depth of 1200 feet. An oil spill from the exploration well has a potential for landfall within five days. The oil characteristics are unknown. Equinor is unable to control the well and needs to start planning for a relief well. This may take several months. » This is a potential scenario for a major oil spill and the exercise planned for the Norwegian coast, October 2019. Approximately 600 responders were involved. The intention was to test Equinor and NOFO (The Norwegian Clean Seas Association for Operating Companies) and their ability to handle a long-lasting oil spill in a safe and secure manner – within all barriers. The exercise involved Equinor CMT (Crisis Management Team), IMT (Incident Management Team), NOFO, offshore and nearshore vessels, aircraft, digital SCAT (Shoreline Cleanup and Assessment Technique) surveys and beach cleaning operations at different locations onshore. The main goal of the exercise was interaction and communication within and between the different response organisations. The intermediate objectives were 1) establish a common situational awareness and 2) communicate accurate information at the right time to affected parties. The exercise took place at seven different locations in Norway and establishment and maintenance of situational awareness throughout the response organisation was crucial to the effective handling of the incident. This required effective communication and information sharing throughout all levels. The incident management is based on the Incident Command System (ICS), but modified to align with Norwegian conditions. During the exercise we performed an extensive evaluation of all the organisations; with feedback to and from the personnel involved. The result of the evaluation, lessons learned, and implementation of improvements within the organisations involved, will improve the Norwegian industry's ability to manage long-lasting oils spills in the future.

scholarly journals COVID-19 Exposes Urgent Inequities: A Call to Action for Healthcare Reform

2020 ◽  
Vol 17 (01) ◽  
Author(s):  
Priyanka Bushana ◽  
Brandy Seignemartin ◽  
Ravneet Kaur Waraich ◽  
Whitney W. Wood
Keyword(s):  
Data Collection ◽  
Real Time ◽  
Health Inequities ◽  
Safety Net ◽  
The United States ◽  
Local Health ◽  
Time Data ◽  
Emergency Plan ◽  
Kaiser Family Foundation ◽  
Marginalized Communities

The COVID-19 pandemic has exposed undeniable health inequities among marginalized communities (MC), including black, indigenous, and other people of color (BIPOC) in the United States (Forno and Celedón 2012, Kaiser Family Foundation 2017, US National Center for Health Statistics 2019, Glasgow 2020). The lack of centralized support for local health responses has jeopardized many MC/BIPOC (Baah, Teitelman, and Riegel 2019). We propose the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) implement the following policy steps: 1. Centrally collect patient data on social determinants of health and equity and post-COVID-19 health outcomes (Paradies et al. 2015, Jones et al. 2009, Magnan 2017). Real-time data collection allows for real-time quality improvement and implementation of policies to mitigate inequities in the short-term. 2. Expand and implement Centers for Medicare and Medicaid (CMS) value-based care models (VBCM) to address inequities in the long-term. VBCMs institutionalize data collection initiated in Step 1 while concurrently implementing interventions. 3. Temporarily expand Medicaid coverage for individuals needing subsidized insurance. This provides a safety net for those suffering employment instability during the crisis, alleviating some root causes of health inequities. These steps will centralize resources, empowering local health systems to control and contain outbreaks disproportionately occurring among MC/BIPOC. HHS is positioned to implement these policies and mitigate further damage from COVID-19. HHS agencies such as the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have successfully implemented centralization responses, such as the U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) in response to the HIV/AIDS epidemic, effectively targeting disparities (Valdiserri and Holtgrave 2020). These previous successful responses by the HHS should compel intervention in the present crisis.

FUSING INCIDENT MANAGEMENT/RESPONSE WITH INFRASTRUCTURE PROTECTION/SECURITY … … THE “3 R+” CONCEPT

2008 ◽  
Vol 2008 (1) ◽  
pp. 765-770
Author(s):  
Dennis E. Branson ◽  
Jereme Altendorf ◽  
Marc Hodges
Keyword(s):  
Private Sector ◽  
National Security ◽  
Oil Spill ◽  
Critical Infrastructure ◽  
Terrorist Attack ◽  
The United States ◽  
Incident Management ◽  
Private Industry ◽  
Infrastructure Protection ◽  
Marine Safety

ABSTRACT The terrorist attacks of 9/11 brought an urgent, necessary call to protect the safety and security of the nations Critical Infrastructure/Key Resources (CI/KR). Most of these efforts have been to deter/prevent a terrorist attack through vulnerability assessment and increased physical security (e.g. “gates, guns and guards”). Just as the federal government was getting on solid ground with increased homeland security against the terrorist threat, the devastation of the 2005 Hurricanes Katrina and Rita brought to light the need for a true “All Hazards” approach to response. Added to this is the growing awareness that environmental incidents could significantly impact regional stability, and even threaten national security. Simply stated: “Yesterday'S major oil spill could be tomorrow'S national security incident.” The November 2007 allision (and resulting serious oil spill) of the tank ship COSCO BUSAN with the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge, provided a glimpse into these concerns and brought increased attention back upon this long standing marine safety mission. Ironically the 2006 “Safe Seas” exercise tested almost the very scenario of the COSCO BUSAN one year ago to the day of the spill. “Safe Seas” and other major drills (like “TOPOFF,” etc.) are tremendous tools for government and private sector stakeholders to enhance preparedness to response and test existing security and infrastructure protection systems. Given the above, traditional Oil Spill Response (OSR) is now part of a broader, more complicated systems-approach to domestic Incident Management (IM). The United States Coast Guard'S Marine Environmental Protection (MEP) mission has required the unique military I regulatory service to forge a collaborative relationship with the oil and gas industry - or “sector” (as defined in the National Infrastructure Protection Plan NIPP). This government-to-industry partnership was born out of decades of marine safety prevention/response efforts most visible following the Oil Pollution Act of 1990 (OPA 90). Many involved in the field of emergency management; as well as their security counterparts recognize it is difficult to understand both IM and IP, despite the myriad of new and developing federal plans and doctrine as we pass the half way point of the first decade in the Post 9/11 “new normalcy.” Due to dynamic and synergistic partnership between the U.S. Coast Guard and the American Petroleum Institute (API) a coordination and communication opportunity was identified that resulted in a concept of simplifying the landscape via a” 3 R+” concept. The focus areas of this paper are:To bring increased clarity to the current and emerging state of interoperability between the government and the private industry sector.Provide a simplified “Big Picture” view of what private sector professionals (middle to upper management in the emergency response/safety & health fields) need to know regarding the framework of the national system for our critical infrastructure and first line response, using the oil & gas sector as an example; Note: Although the target audience for this papen/presentation are private sector professionals, primarily in the response and security fields, the plans highlighted and information outlined could apply to those working IM or IP in any industry or government sector.

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