SEARCH AND RESCUE EXERCISE GREENLAND SEA 2013 (SAREX Greenland Sea 2013)
FINAL EXERCISE REPORT
Product Status: Version / Release: 2.0
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PRELIMINARY PAGES
DATE: 01 November 2013 SUBJECT: SAREX GREENLAND SEA 2013 Final Exercise Report (FER) REFERENCES: Authority. JOINT ARCTIC COMMAND (JACMD) as the Officer Scheduling the Exercise (OSE) and Officer Conducting the Exercise (OCE) authorizes the Documentation SAREX Greenland Sea 2013 Final Exercise Report (FER). Promulgation. The SAREX Greenland Sea 2013 FER has been developed in accordance with SAREX Greenland Sea 2013 Exercise Plan Part Three (EXPLAN Part 3) - Evaluation, Analysis and Reporting. Distribution. According to Annex A. Addressees are authorized and encouraged to distribute copies of this document to all stakeholders and interested parties as they see fit.
RECORD OF CHANGES: Version 1.0 1.1 2.0 Date 2013-10-01 2013-10-22 2013-11-01 Description Draft - for review PXD Working Document Final version
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Table of Contents
1. 2. 3. Letter of Promulgation .................................................................................................................. 6 Summary of Action Items ............................................................................................................. 7 Exercise Abstract .......................................................................................................................... 8 3.1. Command and Control ............................................................................................................. 9 3.2. Participating Units and Organizations ..................................................................................... 10 3.3. Exercise Aim and Training Objectives ..................................................................................... 12 3.4. Training Audiences vs. Training Objectives ............................................................................. 12 4. Exercise Description ................................................................................................................... 14 4.1. Exercise Setting .................................................................................................................... 14 4.2. Scenario and Conduct of the Exercise ..................................................................................... 14 4.3. Background for the Scenario .................................................................................................. 18 4.4. Evaluation, Analysis and Reporting Design .............................................................................. 18 5. Achievement of the OSEs Training Objectives .............................................................................. 19 5.1. SAREX Greenland Sea 2013 Training Objectives ...................................................................... 20 6. Subject Area Enclosures ............................................................................................................. 21 6.1. Search Operations (Training Objective no. 1) .......................................................................... 21 6.2. Rescue Operations (Training Objective no. 2) ......................................................................... 22 6.3. Evacuation Operations (Training Objective no. 3) .................................................................... 24 6.4. Medical Support (Training Objective no. 4) ............................................................................. 24 6.5. Use of Air for Medical Evacuation (Training Objective no. 5) .................................................... 24 6.6. Media and Press Management (Training Objective no. 6)......................................................... 25 6.7. Counter Maritime Pollution (Training Objective no. 7) .............................................................. 25 6.8. Experimentation (Not a Training Objective) ............................................................................ 26 6.9. Post Exercise Discussion (PXD) in Nuuk .................................................................................. 26 Annex A: Distribution ........................................................................................................................ 28
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List of Abbreviations
AO AOR ARCC CONOPS Area of Operations Area Of Responsibility Air Rescue Coordination Centre Concept of Operations SA SAR SMC SITREP SOP SRU Situational Awareness Search and Rescue SAR Mission Coordinator Situation Report Standard Operating Procedure Search and Rescue Unit
COMPLAN Communications Plan DV ENDEX EO EXBRIEF EXCON EXDIR EXPLAN FCC FER FIR IPC IAMSAR JRCC Distinguished Visitor End of Exercise Exercise Objective Exercise Brief Exercise Control Exercise Director Exercise Plan Final Coordination Conference Final Exercise Report First Impression Report Initial Planning Conference International Aeronautical and Maritime Search and Rescue Joint Rescue Coordination Centre
STARTEX Start of Exercise TA PTA TO TTX Training Audience Primary Training Audience Training Objective Tabletop Exercise
MEL/MIL Main Event List and Master Incident List MPC MRCC O/T OCE ODE OPV OSC OSE POB PXD Main Planning Conference Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre Observer/Trainer Officer Conducting Exercise Officer Directing Exercise Offshore Patrol Vessel On-Scene Coordinator Officer Scheduling Exercise Persons On Board Post-Exercise Discussions
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1. Letter of Promulgation
In order not to lose the Arctic SAREX momentum following The Arctic Council SAREX Agreement in 2011 and in the wake of the Greenland Sea 2012 SAREX (10-12 September 2012) Denmark decided to plan for SAREX Greenland Sea 2013 at a fairly late stage. Due to a short planning cycle it was decided to re-use the SAREX Greenland Sea 2012 scenario with some adjustments. In order to bring Arctic SAREX into a more suitable and long term planning cycle the Danish Arctic Ambassador recommended to the Arctic Council that responsibility for future SAREX should follow the chairmanship of The Arctic Council. This recommendation has been well received by Canada, the incoming Chair of the Arctic Council. Canada will be planning and hosting the Arctic SAREX in 2014. SAREX Greenland Sea 2013 (02-06 September 2013) served several purposes; Firstly to follow up on Lessons Identified (LI) from SAREX Greenland Sea 2012 and secondly as an add-on from 2012 a tabletop exercise (TTX) to plan and coordinate counter maritime pollution. Unlike the 2012 SAREX, an external staff of Exercise Control (EXCON) was planned to take over the EXCON responsibilities during the SAREX 2013 execution giving the staff of the newly established Joint Arctic Command opportunity to become fully engaged as exercise players. Finally a number of trials related to communications, surveillance and search were incorporated in the exercise. Some 1.000 people from different organizations across the Arctic were involved in the exercise. The scenario was once again centered on a cruise ship in distress in a remote Arctic area, necessitating a large and complex maritime search and rescue (SAR) operation. As such, SAREX Greenland Sea 2013 illustrated the importance and usefulness of international cross-border cooperation and coordination. Maritime SAR off Greenlands coastline is principally a national responsibility of the Kingdom of Denmark but the exercise showed bilateral and multilateral cooperation to be of paramount importance in order to avoid extensive loss of lifes following a ship disaster. At the same time, the exercise provided an excellent opportunity for testing the counter maritime pollution state of readiness as a TTX but also to follow-up on Arctic SAR plans and procedures on a larger scale. Gaining experience in cooperation amongst the stakeholders was a key priority and for this reason, the exercise can be described as a success. Exercises like SAREX Greenland Sea 2013 are primarily conducted to develop organizations' ability to handle disasters. Subsequently, the knowledge and learning achieved through exercises must be operationalized through analysis and evaluation. The evaluation of SAREX Greenland Sea 2013 generally shows that the participating organizations were able to coordinate and coorporate in a remote area. The personnel in the tactical field response demonstrated very high professional skills and dedication in their efforts to save lives. However, while it is encouraging to note that many actions and procedures worked well during SAREX Greenland Sea 2013, the areas where weaknesses or room for improvement have been pointed out have precedence in this Final Exercise Report. More specifically, the evaluation highlights inadequate means of communications; ; The need for an Air Task Organization for handling a large number of aircraft; the need for a formal SAR cooperation agreement between the national coordination forums at the strategic level in Denmark/Greenland and Iceland focusing on national coordination and cooperation in case of emergency responses; the need to develop a contingency plan for deploying counter maritime pollution equipment most effectively to Greenland etc. etc.
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SAREX GREENLAND SEA 2013 Final Exercise Report It is important that these and other relevant conclusions and learning points from SAREX Greenland Sea 2013 are now being followed up upon. Readers are therefore encouraged to closely consider the LI and action items suggested in the FER with a view to implementing changes that may strengthen emergency preparedness in both a national and in a wider Arctic context. Given that the exercise was organized by Danish authorities, the lessons identified and action items set forth in the FER (sections 6) are mostly aimed at emergency preparedness within the Kingdom of Denmark but some of them are of a more general character and may be of concern to organizations and cooperation forums in all eight Arctic Nations; Canada, the Kingdom of Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, Russia, Sweden and the United States of America. Finally, it must be stressed that although the overall conduct of the exercise was successful, not everything went according to plan. Technical difficulties were encountered which not only affected the performance and opportunities of the Training Audience (TA) but also forced Exercise Control (EXCON) to engage in dynamic scripting for the Main Event List/Master Incident List (MEL/MIL). The difficulties were especially related to weather conditions, transportation of TA to the Area of Operations (AO) and inadequate technical means of communications but also to issues such as limited experience with the common C3 SAR log system. As the exercise progressed most challenges were resolved in a satisfactory manner but there is still a need to evaluate the technical lessons closely in order to implement simple and effective means of communication in the Arctic region. Communication and relay stations are crucial to enable effective SAR operations in the high Arctic.
Investigate if MRCC Nuuk have all needed communication systems at disposal for SAR. Consider developing a common international SAR log to be used by all SAR organizations in the Arctic region. Consider having a fixed wing search craft on SAR alert in Greenland throughout the summer season. Consider strengthening the JACMD manning on the Air and on the Logistical side. Test mobile self-sustained satellite internet transceiver solutions capable of covering at least 10 NM with internet. The OSC is responsible for the SAR coordination and as such responsible for including all the on scene actors including the captain of the ship in distress. Consider developing a Standard Operational Procedure (SOP) for local emergency plan for casualty assemblies delineating local responsibilities. Consider establishing a formal SAR cooperation agreement between the national coordination forums at the strategic level in Denmark/Greenland and Iceland focusing national coordination and cooperation in case of emergency responses. Consider establishing an Air Task Organization for handling a large number of aircraft as a part of JACMD contingency plans.
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Develop a contingency plan for deploying counter maritime pollution equipment most effectively to Greenland. Update the JACMD SOP for countering maritime pollution to include the international operational guidelines on maritime pollution operationalized in accordance with JACMD responsibilities. Consider updating bi-lateral and multi-lateral cooperation agreements on countering maritime pollution. Consider expanding JACMD environmental section to become a knowhow center for countering maritime pollution in the Arctic.
Future exercise recommendations: Investigate if JACMD can get an unclassified exercise frequencies package to be used in future exercises. Facilitate that the On Scene Coordinator (OSC) and the Police are able to plan for investigating criminal activities on board ships in distress in parallel to rescue/evacuation operations. National representatives are responsible for that own national safety regulations are included in the EXPLANs safety Annex while safety at all times is a national responsibility. Develop a communication plan for handling the Media and Press at JACMD and continue training the Media and Press handling in future exercises also with external counterparts. When JACMD is Primary Training Audience (PTA) JACMD should not be the Officer Scheduling the Exercise (OSE) and the Officer Conducting the Exercise (OCE). Have an external Core Planning Team in charge for planning and executing future similar exercises. Consider separating the Distinguished Visitors Day (DV-Day) Program from the exercise play and have the DV-Day as an Arctic SAR introduction show letting the units introduce themselves as Arctic SAR capacities. Consider running experimentations at the DV-Day.
3. Exercise Abstract
SAREX Greenland Sea 2013 was a live full-scale SAR exercise using the main planning products for SAREX 2012. The exercise was executed as realistically as possible given prevailing circumstances in a remote Arctic area. Meteorological data, geography, borders, infrastructure, political and economical conditions, etc. all corresponded with reality. The AO for SAREX Greenland Sea 13 (i.e. the primary exercise arena) was the Greenland Sea, King Oscars Fiord, Ella Island and Mestersvig Airstrip in northeastern Greenland. Reykjavik and Keflavik in Iceland, approximately 600 nautical miles or 1.000 km from the AO, were used as the main maritime and air hubs for maritime and air assets proceeding into the AO. The exercise took place from 02-06 September 2013. It was divided into three phases and three events: Phase 1 Pre-STARTEX Phase (Greenland Sea): Before 02 Sep 2013 Phase 1 was the pre-STARTEX phase to get all Training Audiences (TA) ready and in place before SAREX Greenland Sea 2013.
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SAREX GREENLAND SEA 2013 Final Exercise Report Phase 2 Search Phase (Greenland Sea): 02-03 Sep 2013 Phase 2 including STARTEX and the initiation of the SAR operation focused the effective use of all available units and how the search for the missing cruise ship was organized and conducted. Phase 3 Rescue and Evacuation Phase (King Oscars Fiord): 04 -05 Sep 2013 Phase 3 focused the rescue and the evacuation of the cruise ship crew and the passengers from King Oscars Fiord with only two small airstrips and no other infrastructure or a major air/sea port. In parallel, the TAs had to handle a counter maritime pollution disaster from the cruise ship. Day five of the exercise, 06 September 2013, was used for hot wash-ups and other post-ENDEX activities. The execution of the exercise was mainly driven by the MEL/MIL, which was uploaded to the Apan Exercise Management WEB-page www.apan.org (only available to EXCON). Throughout the exercise the MEL/MIL injects were dynamically adjusted by the EXCON as needs arose, e.g. handing out new TetraFlex radios to all the relevant on-scene TA prior to Phase 3.
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SAREX GREENLAND SEA 2013 Final Exercise Report Country Units Greenland Emergency Management Commission (GEMC) 1 Police Observer/Trainer in GEMC Greenland Department of Housing, Nature and Environment Greenland Department of Health and Infrastructure 1 Department of Health Role-Player Danish Maritime Authority in Greenland Air Greenland Operation Centre 1 Air Greenland AS-350 helicopter including sling Mestersvig Airstrip 1 NAVIAIR AFIS controller located in Mestersvig 2 Greenlandic journalists (KNR+Sermitsiaq) 2 Danish journalists (Danish Radio+JyllandsPosten) MRCC Torshavn 1 MRCC Torshavn Observer/Trainer on board HVBJ 18 Role-Players and Observers with different Training Audiences Iceland ICGV TYR incl. 1 Observer/Trainer 1 Coast Guard Maritime Surveillance Aircraft DASH-8 (300) 1 DASH-8 Observer/Trainer Keflavik Airfield ICE-SAR Teams (16 persons) 15 ICE-SAR Roleplayers as casualties SAR-TECH Jumpers (8 persons) Joint Rescue Coordination Centre Iceland (JRCC Iceland) National Crisis Coordination Centre (NCCC) 1 NCCC Observer/Trainer 1 OPS-Officer in Keflavik 1 Response Group (Fire and Rescue Services) National and Municipality Police The Environment Agency of Iceland The National Health Sector Host Nation Support (HNS) 1 EXCON in VDRN Personnel for staff elements at different command levels 1 Police Liaison Officer at Mestersvig Airstrip Norway USA Joint Rescue Coordination Centre (JRCC) Bodoe 2 Air National Guard, AW109 C-130 JRCC BOSTON 1 USCG Observer/Trainer on board VDRN 3 USCG Observer/Trainers at MRCC Nuuk 1 ANG 109AW Observer/Trainer at MRCC Nuuk X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X TA X X RP EXCON
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The seven TOs form the framework for evaluation in this report and the observations, discussions and conclusions in section 5 and 6 are structured according to the TOs.
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SAREX GREENLAND SEA 2013 Final Exercise Report TO no. 2. The PTA during the Rescue Phase (Scenario Phase 3) were extended to include participating nations highest emergency coordination committees for national and bilateral coordination and support. Consequently, nations identified and suggested expeditionary capacities ready and relevant for the ongoing SAR rescue operation in King Oscars Fiord. MRCC Nuuk was responsible for identifying the needed capacities, to coordinate national and international deployments and the re-enforcement of the SAR operation in the AO in coordination with the OSC. In addition to the emergency coordination committees Greenlands Police and the department of Health and Infrastructure and the department of Housing, Nature and Environment within the Government of Greenland were included as PTA. Greenlands Police was responsible for registering the crew and passengers from the cruise ship in distress and the departments within the Government of Greenland to prepare and coordinate within their responsibilities, respectively. Again, SMEs co-located with the PTA as O/Ts observed, trained and reported to the EXCON on board HDMS VAEDDEREN. Role-players simulated cruise ship casualties and different relevant national authorities. TO no. 3. The PTA during Evacuation Phase (Scenario Phase 3) were as mentioned in the description of TO no. 2. MRCC Nuuk was still responsible for the ongoing rescue while the Greenlandic Police were responsible for planning, organizing and executing the evacuation in accordance with the issued Evacuation Plan. Again, SMEs co-located with the PTA as O/Ts observed, trained and reported to the EXCON on board HDMS VAEDDEREN. Role-players simulated cruise ship casualties being evacuated but also different relevant national authorities. TO no. 4. The PTA related to TO no. 4 were medics deployed into theatre and their reach-back organizations plus the doctors and their triage at all levels. Achieving the TO depended on the deployment and the reachback effectiveness but also on the cooperation and the triage at both the tactical and the operational level. O/Ts observed and reported their observations to the EXCON on board HDMS VAEDDEREN. TO no. 5. Effective use of Air for Medical Evacuation needs careful planning and coordination between all the stakeholders. The PTA related to TO no. 5. were the Police as responsible for the Evacuation, MRCC Nuuk as the Air Task Coordinator (ATC) and all other Air Planners involved. The Police forwarded their Evacuation requirements to MRCC Nuuk and O/Ts observed how effectively Air was used for Medical Evacuation and reported their observations to the EXCON on board HDMS VAEDDEREN. TO no. 6. This year the Media and Press PTA were Joint Arctic Command, the Greenlandic Police and Greenlands Emergency and Management Commission in Nuuk. O/Ts observed and reported how professional the PTA handled the massive pressure from 25 journalist students simulating the local, the national and the international media and press like the BBC, CNN and the New York Times. TO no. 7. As an add-on from SAREX 2012 a Maritime Pollution TTX played an important part in this years SAREX. O/Ts observed the planning and the cooperation between the stakeholders and the efficiency of the
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SAREX GREENLAND SEA 2013 Final Exercise Report current contingency plan for getting Counter Maritime Pollution equipment into theatre and reported to the EXCON on board HDMS VAEDDEREN.
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SAREX GREENLAND SEA 2013 Final Exercise Report Greenland. The situation called for efforts to establish communication with the cruise ship, subsequent notification of other Rescue Coordination Centers (RCCs) in the high Arctic region, and tasking of all available aircraft and surface vessels for a search operation in the Greenland Sea. MRCC Nuuk acted as the SAR Mission Coordinator (SMC), while the Royal Danish Air Force (RDAF) CL-604 Challenger initially assumed the role of On-Scene Coordinator (OSC), being the first asset in the area. It later handed OSC duties over to HDMS HVIDBJOERNEN (HVBJ), which was the first ship to arrive. For training purposes, a number of handovers were conducted of the OSC and Aircraft Coordinator (ACO) roles throughout Days 1 and 2, something that in a real-life operation should of course be limited to a minimum in order to prevent confusion and loss of situational awareness. On Day 1 EXCON was forced to withdraw the HDMS KNUD RASMUSSEN (KNUD) with the purpose of predeploying participants to Ella Island for phase 2 of the exercise. The RDAF Challenger, the Icelandic Coast Guard (ICG) vessel TYR, and HVBJ and HVBJs organic helicopter executed a search in the open sea including an OSC chop from the Challenger to the HVBJ. No actual search targets were deployed, as this would have been the scripted task of KNUD otherwise engaged. During the search the RDAF Challenger successfully dropped 4 x US Coast Guard Self Locating Datum Marker Buoys (SLDMBs) used by RCC Boston and MRCC Nuuk to develop the Search Area. Day 2 was in general nicely conducted in accordance with the script. As an example the search area assigned by MRCC Nuuk corresponded precisely with the search area developed by RCC Boston. Day 2 was primarily focused on the search for a missing life raft from the ARCTIC VICTORY with 12 persons on board. Furthermore, MRCC Nuuk was a part of a satellite experimentation project of getting satellite photos from the search area. At the end of Day 2 the ARCTIC VICTORY reported their position and it was confirmed that all 12 passengers from the missing life raft were safe which concluded the search phase and Event 1. In the morning on Day 3, ARCTIC VICTORY with all 250 crew and passengers suddenly ran aground near Ella Island in King Oscars Fiord. The ship initially reported the situation well in hand, with minor fires and no widespread panic. However, it soon became apparent that the ships crew did not, in fact, have the situation under control. Subsequently, an explosion in the engine room resulted in multiple injuries, fire on board and tilting of the ship. Hence, the need arose for an extensive rescue operation to save the crew of 50 persons and the 200 passengers (simulated by Greenland Police Students and crew from HDMS VAEDDEREN), who were either still on board or had entered life rafts. Full evacuation was necessary and, as exercise artificiality, in order to train the land-based rescue teams, including the police, this involved establishing a land based reception facility on Ella Island, rather than use the space on board the ships in the area. Emergency medical support assets were shipped, flown, and parachuted in to conduct triage and to treat the casualties. An evacuation chain was established to transport evacuees, first by small boats to Ella Island, then by helicopters and small aircraft from Ella Island to Mestersvig Airstrip, where a Casualty Staging Unit for triage was established, and then onwards by large aircraft to Iceland, where the nearest full hospital was located. Unfortunately, this evacuation chain was somewhat delayed on Day 3 by a number of factors: EXCON had to freeze the exercise in the morning on Day 3 to ensure that all relevant TA had
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SAREX GREENLAND SEA 2013 Final Exercise Report received and been instructed in operating the new Tetra-Flex VHF radios. TA using the same radios and frequencies was a Lesson Identified from SAREX Greenland Sea 2012 to be tested in SAREX Greenland Sea 2013. Unfortunately, it had not been possible to distribute the radios prior to SAREX Greenland Sea 2013 leaving EXCON no other options than to freeze the exercise in the morning of Day 3. EXCON also had to freeze the exercise prior to deployment of the Canadian SAR-TECH Teams from the Canadian C-130 Hercules in order to ensure that all safety precautions including clear lines of communication, pre-positioning of safety-boats prior to the parachute drop etc. Establishing local satellite internet connection in the fiord systems above 72N was also a recommendation from SAREX Greenland Sea 2012 to be tested during SAREX Greenland Sea 2013. During Day 1 and 2 the Danish Telegraph Regiment (TGR) was responsible for establishing an internet link from Mestersvig to Ella Island for testing purposes. Unfortunately, the link system never became operational due to failure in one of the relay stations. Not having internet connection hampered using the common C3-log system but also EXCONs ability to coordinate the exercise play using Apan as the EXCON steering and management tool. The Distinguished Visitors Day (DV-Day) was held on Day 3. Due to other tasks in Daneborg the Sirius Sledge Patrol was not as strongly manned as expected on Ella Island. Subsequently, the DVDay program had to be adjusted. EXCON decided to use KNUDs SAR vessel to transport VIPs to the participating TAs to watch the exercise unfold. HDMS HVIDBJOERNENs rubber dinghy was also used as VIP transportation leaving the OSC without Response Team transportation. The decision of including the SAR vessel and the rubber dinghy in the DV-Day program led to confusion within the TA, not having the SAR vessel and the rubber dinghy at disposal; on the other hand the decision resulted in a successful execution of the DV-Day.
HDMS HVIDBJOERNEN, as the OSC, organized the rescue assistance with available resources such as the rescue/boarding teams from ICG TYR, HDMS KNUD RASMUSSEN, and HDMS HVIDBJOERNEN but also the Canadian SAR-TECH Teams dropped from the Canadian C-130 Hercules. When the rescue/boarding teams had gained control with the widespread panic, when the fire from the engine explosion was extinguished and the casualties were carefully organized, the OSC, in close coordination with the Police Command Post (CP) leader on Ella Island, decided to evacuate the 248 crew and passengers, leaving the captain and the chief engineer on board for interrogation and blood sampling by the Police. The boarding teams carrying out the damage control, the hands-on rescue and the evacuation effort on the ARCTIC VICTORY and elsewhere on Day 3 were professional and the cooperation was good between all the units of different nationalities. However, it was observed that the OSC should have focused more on the need for assistance on board the ARCTIC VICTORY rather than focusing on taking charge leaving the captain without influence. Another observation was that the boarding teams prioritized fire and damage control higher than taking care of the casualties (which of course also could have been the right decision based on how dangerous the situation was), and finally the boarding teams did not immediately request a passengers list making it impossible to check if passengers were missing. It took the boarding team a while to figure out that a number of passengers had entered some of the life rafts. It was also observed that a number of unma rked No-Players interfered with the Ex-Play like VIPs and EXCONs making it very hard for the Response Teams to separate No -Players from the Training Audience.
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SAREX GREENLAND SEA 2013 Final Exercise Report The most injured casualties were evacuated first and the rest followed in prioritized order. At Ella Island the Police CP registered the incoming crew and the passengers, and organized the further evacuation to Mestersvig Airstrip. In general, the evacuation was delayed based on the previous mentioned factors, but another initial delaying factor was that Air Greenland had to extract the AS-350 helicopter on Day 3 due to a real life or No Play task, which severely reduced the evacuation capacity from Ella Island to Mestersvig to be only one LYNX helicopter. The VIPs arrived with TWIN OTTERs (TWOs) on Day 3 and a bright TA member decided to enroll the TWOs in the evacuation chain, which naturally speeded up the evacuation and made it up for the missing AS-350. On the morning of Day 4 the EXDIR reset the situation having all the 250 crew and passengers back on the ARCTIC VICTORY and the evacuation was started over once again. Not having the VIP program running in parallel and having all SAR resources available, including Air Greenlands AS-350 helicopter, HDMS KNUD RASMUSSENs SAR vessel and HDMS HVIDBJOERNENs rubber dinghy, the rescue and the chain of evacuation was improved on Day 4. The exercise play on Day 4 started as Day 3 with ARCTIC VICTORY running aground, engine explosions, widespread panic etc. The conclusion of rescue of Day 4 was that everything was fast and highly professional handled by the TA. During Day 4 the Danish Emergency Management Agency (DEMA) Search Team searched the ARCTIC VICTORY with special cameras and listening equipment to make sure that all persons on board were located and evacuated. The effort by the trained personnel coming on board the ARCTIC VICTORY was excellent and their conduct and cooperation was professional. Good use was made of floor plans of the ship in conducting the search efficiently and in handing over search responsibilities between the teams. After the ship had been confirmed empty, and the evacuation had been concluded with the last of the evacuees arriving in Iceland, Event 2 ended and ENDEX was called. During Day 3 and Day 4 a counter maritime pollution tabletop exercise (TTX) was conducted in parallel with the rescue and evacuation operations. The Government of Greenlands (GoG) Ministry of Housing, Nature and Environment (MoHNE) was responsible for handling the oil spill from the ARCTIC VICTORY. The GoG only had limited resources to deploy for countering the ARCITC VICTORY oil spill, and consequently the MoHNE immediately requested counter maritime pollution assistance from Denmark. After a political decision CHOD DEN ordered JACMD to take all necessary steps to plan for countering the oil spill from the ARCTIC VICTORY. JACMD used the counter maritime pollution Standing Operational Procedures (SOP) and requested floating boomers at ADMIRALDANFLEET HQ. ADMIRALDANFLEET HQ immediately started to plan for deploying the boomers and was ready for the deployment using a Danish C-130 Hercules on Day 4. The feedback received from ADMIRALDANFLEET HQ was that the SOP for counter maritime pollution assistance to JACMD was executed without any delaying factors or other complications and that no critical remarks needed to be included in this report.
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SAREX GREENLAND SEA 2013 Final Exercise Report Hot wash-ups: A hot wash-up lead by EXDIR and COs from TA was held on the 6th of September 2013 in Mestersvig. To supplement this, all Training Audiences were encouraged to conduct hot wash-ups within own organizations and units. A concept with a suggested content and format was distributed, in which TA were asked to answer hot wash-up questions individually and/or through group work and forward the answers to the Chief Analyst prior to Hot Wash-up via email. First Impressions Report (FIR): Was to be distributed on the 6th of September 2013. Draft Final Exercise Report (Draft FER). To be distributed to all stakeholders on the 1st of October 2013. Post Exercise Discussions (PXD). To be conducted on the 2223 of October 2013 in Nuuk, Greenland. The PXD will focus on the participants suggestions for adjustments and additions to the Draft FER text. Final Exercise Report (FER): Will be approved, published and distributed to all stakeholders on 01 November 2013.
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SAREX GREENLAND SEA 2013 Final Exercise Report The CONOPS allows the organic helicopters on board the Off Shore Patrol Vessels (OPVs) to, if necessary, be deployed forward to the Arctic OPVs in the far north as soon as the OPVs are in range, and provides the only SAR helicopter capacity to be able to reach the remote north within 24 hours. The exercise tested Air as the first response in the search operation, but also the ability to augment available platforms, to reinforce the search operation and to establish temporary forward bases to support the rescue and evacuation operations.
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SAREX GREENLAND SEA 2013 Final Exercise Report The TO achievement visualized: No. Training Objective 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Effective search operations and cooperation between all involved centres and units Effective rescue operations and cooperation between all involved units Effective evacuation operations and cooperation between nations and all involved units Effective medical support and cooperation between nations and all involved units Effective use of air for medical evacuation between nations and involved units Effective media and press management between nations and all involved units Effective planning for counter Maritime Pollution between Arctic authorities and organizations Event 1 Event 2
Stop-lights: Green (achieved), Yellow (partly achieved) and Red (not achieved). The OSEs Training Objectives have in general been met. What remains is to make the LI into LL by making the necessary adjustments and to see if the desired effects have been achieved.
6.1. Search Operations (Training Objective no. 1) 6.1.1. Means and methods of communication
Conclusion and Recommendation
When initiating a SAR operation it is important that the SMC have all available communication systems to alert all units in the area of the operation in order to get as many units/vessels as possible to assist, and to alert the wider SAR organization to the operation being initiated. Investigate if the SAR authorities in Greenland are setup to utilize all available distress communication systems, and if they have the necessary distress communication equipment to conduct SAR operations. Follow up on the question in the Arctic Contact Group to SAR in Greenland.
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SAREX GREENLAND SEA 2013 Final Exercise Report investigated if it is possible to deploy larger generators or attached fuel tanks for the Tetra-Flex relay stations which was tested and failed during SAREX 2013. As an alternative to internet SATCOM and Tetra-Flex the Greenlandic Police used HF making the lines of communication long and the risk of losing information higher. Another alternative could be the newest Iridium phones. It is possible to share data raw text messages using the newest Iridium pilot data connection (like the ATW-690 and the ICESAR solution) used on Ella Island and Mestersvig. The system could be useful for all actors as an alternative until having full internet coverage and Tetra-Flex running.
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6.2.4. Safety
Conclusion and recommendation
During the execution of SAREX13 an observation stated that the safety precautions related to the parachuting jumps were not given sufficient priority. During the PXD safety was discussed and the conclusion was that safety at all times is a national responsibility, however, safety related to parachuting jumps should have been included and clearly stated in both the EXPLAN and in the Exercise script. It was recommended that national representatives actively should submit national safety regulations to the Core Planning Team during the Planning Conferences, and acknowledge that national safety is included in the EXPLANs Safety Annex according the national regulations . Furthermore, representatives should inform the host nation about specific national safety precautions to be included in the planning to de-conflict and prevent misunderstandings.
6.3. Evacuation Operations (Training Objective no. 3) 6.3.1. Casualty assembly at Ella Island
Conclusion and recommendation
The conclusion from the PXD was that after a chaotic start at Ella Island things got well-organized and the evacuation was executed according to the Evacuation Plan. As a supplement to the Evacuation Plan it was recommended to establish a local emergency plan delineating responsibilities between all the engaged units at Ella Island e.g. to prevent the casualties from getting cold and to plan for special care.
6.4. Medical Support (Training Objective no. 4) 6.4.1. Coordination at higher level
Conclusion and recommendation
Lack of communication and coordination between Denmark-Greenland and Iceland had a negative effect on Icelands preparedness for receiving the casualties coming from Greenland. The nations should prioritize a formal cooperation agreement on situations like SAREX Greenland Sea 2013 in order to identify situations, priorities and responsibilities. It was recommended to work out a bi-lateral cooperation agreement between Denmark-Greenland and Iceland identifying situations, priorities and responsibilities and to establish a contingency plan with defined roles and responsibilities and processes for communication between involved authorities and agencies in each country.
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SAREX GREENLAND SEA 2013 Final Exercise Report At the PXD it was concluded that the use of Air for Medical Evacuation all in all was well planned and well executed. The PXD forum agreed that the decision of selecting naval units for minor injured casualties and air for severe injured casualties were right. The PXD also concluded that if a similar operation should take place in a more isolated area far from an airstrip, there is a need for more helicopters and Short Take Off and Landing (STOL) aircraft to enable transportation of casualties to the nearest airstrip, for further Medical Evacuation by large fixed wing transportation aircraft. It was also concluded and recommended to consider logistical aspects and the architecture of an Air Task Organization (ATO) for handling a large number of aircraft as a part of JACMD contingency plans.
o o
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SAREX GREENLAND SEA 2013 Final Exercise Report o o o Update bi-lateral and multi-lateral agreements and attach these to the JACMD SOP. Delineate operational guidelines to become more operationalized in the JACMD SOP. Develop JACMD environmental section to become a knowhow center of countering maritime pollution in the Arctic.
6.9.2. Need for Air Space Management and an Air Control Officer
During the exercise the lack of an air space separation between the Canadian C-130, the Navy helicopters and the Twin Otters delayed the operation and the drop of the Canadian SAR-Techs. The observation was also submitted in 2012 but the lack of Air Space Management and an Air Control Officer became crystal clear to all in 2013. During the PXD it was concluded and recommended to include Air Space Management and an Air Control Officer in the operation and to promulgate the decision in the EXPLAN.
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6.9.3. Do not run the Distinguished Visitors Day in parallel to the SAREX
The Training Audience was frustrated trying to handle the rescue operation on Day 3 in parallel to the execution of the Distinguished Visitors Day (DV-Day). The recommendation from the PXD was not to run both the Rescue Phase and the DV-Day in parallel. Add a special day for the DVs, and let them see all the units and let the units introduce themselves. This will probably satisfy the DVs but also allow the Training Audience to concentrate on doing their SAR job without interference and frustration. The PXD recommended having a special day running DV-Day Program and experimentations, not interfering with the Training Audience and the exercise play.
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Annex A: Distribution
SENIOR ARCTIC OFFICIALS (SAO) Canada MINISTRY OF NATIONAL DEFENCE CANADIAN JOINT OPERATION COMMAND MARLANTHQ HALIFAX JRCC TRENTON Denmark MINISTRY OF THE STATE MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS MINISTRY OF BUSINESS AND GROWTH MINISTRY OF JUSTICE MINISTRY OF TRANSPORT MINISTRY OF DEFENCE ARCTIC EMBASSADOR NATIONAL POLICE DANISH EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT AGENCY DANISH MARITIME AUTHORITY DANISH TRANSPORT AUTHORITY CHIEF OF DEFENCE ARMY OPERATIONAL COMMAND DENMARK ADMIRALDANFLEET TACTICAL AIR COMMAND DENMARK 1ST NAVAL SQUADRON NAVAL WARFARE SCHOOL DANISH TASK GROUP AIR TRANSPORT WING SQUADRON 721 AIR TRANSPORT WING SQUADRON 690 EXPEDITIONARY AIR STAFF CHIEF NAVAL HOME GUARD NAVAL HOME GUARD DISTRICT WEST Greenland GOVERNMENT OF GREENLAND MINISTRY OF HEALTH AND INFRASTRUCTURE MINISTRY OF NATURE AND ENVIRONMENT GREENLAND EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT COMMISSION THE HIGH COMMISSIONER TO GREENLAND CHIEF CONSTABLE TO THE POLICE, GREENLAND DANISH MARITIME AUTHORITY, GREENLAND AIR GREENLAND NAVIAIR FLIGHT INFORMATION CENTRE SONDRE STROM
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SAREX GREENLAND SEA 2013 Final Exercise Report AASIAAT RADIO Faroe Islands HIGH COMMISSIONER TO THE FAROE ISLANDS MINISTRY OF FISHERIES MRCC TORSHAVN Finland MINISTRY OF THE INTERIOR FINNISH TRANSPORT SAFETY AGENCY NAVY COMMAND FINLAND MRCC TURKU, FINLAND Iceland MINISTRY OF THE INTERIOR ICELANDIC COAST GUARD JRCC REYKJAVIK Norway MINISTRY OF JUSTICE AND THE POLICE NORWEGIAN NATIONAL JOINT HQ COMNAV JRCC BODOE AIRLIFT SVALBARD ROYAL NORWEGIAN AIR FORCE 333 SQUADRON ASSOCIATION OF ARCTIC EXPEDITION CRUISE OPERATORS Russian Federation MINISTRY OF TRANSPORT OF THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION MINISTRY OF TRADE MINISTRY OF THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION FOR CIVIL DEFENSE, EMERGENCY AND ELIMINATION OF CONSEQUENCES OF NATURAL DISASTERS RUSSIAN NAVY, NORTH FLEET Sweden MINISTRY OF ENTERPRISE, ENERGY AND COMMUNICATIONS SWEDISH MARITIME ADMINISTRATION NRINGSDEPARTEMENTET SJFARTSVERKET United States of America EUROPEAN COMMAND UNITED STATES COAST GUARD JRCC BOSTON UNITED STATES AIR NATIONAL GUARD 109TH AIRLIFT WING, NEW YORK
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SAREX GREENLAND SEA 2013 Final Exercise Report INTERNAL (HQ JOINT ARCTIC COMMAND): COM, COS, J1, J3, J4, J5, J7,
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