EMSI Begins Work under a New Contract with DOE/NNSA

On July 1st, EMSI began work under a new contract with the U.S. Department of Energy/National Nuclear Security Administration (DOE/NNSA), awarded as a task order under the DOE/NNSA Technical, Engineering, and Programmatic Support (TEPS) Blanket Purchase Agreement (BPA). EMSI’s partners on this TEPS task order include Project Enhancement Corporation (PEC) and Mele Associates, among others.

The DOE/NNSA Office of Emergency Operations administers and directs the implementation and integration of emergency management programs across the DOE/NNSA complex. This program ensures that DOE and NNSA can respond promptly, efficiently, and effectively to any emergency involving or affecting DOE and NNSA sites and facilities or activities, or any emergency in which DOE and NNSA equities can assist, by applying the necessary resources to mitigate the consequences and protect workers, the public, the environment, and national security through the National Preparedness System and its associated Frameworks. The Office of Emergency Operations supports the development of an integrated departmental emergency management enterprise through planning, preparedness, readiness assurance, and response, and manages the Department’s Consolidated Emergency Operations Center.

The DOE/NNSA Office of Counterterrorism and Counter-proliferation is responsible for coordinating DOE and NNSA’s policy and strategic direction for these two mission areas. The Office of Counterterrorism and Counter-proliferation leverages NNSA’s unmatched expertise in nuclear science and security to provide the capability to respond to any nuclear or radiological incident in the U.S. or abroad by maintaining deployable teams at the DOE National Labs. These teams are capable of responding for preventative radiological and nuclear detection (PRND), radiological search, consequence management for radioactive material releases, stabilization and render safe, and technical nuclear forensics. The Office of Counterterrorism and Counter-proliferation trains equips and ensures the readiness of these response teams.

Directly assisting the DOE/NNSA Office of Emergency Operations and the Office of Counterterrorism and Counter-proliferation, the work scope under this award includes technical, operational, analytical, and programmatic support. EMSI will specifically be involved in:

  • Providing subject matter expertise in the areas of emergency management and emergency response, including nuclear and radiological incident management.
  • Assisting with the development of a DOE-wide emergency management enterprise program.
  • Identifying and analyzing training needs and requirements to support the DOE-wide emergency management enterprise.
  • Developing and delivering training, including incident management and emergency management training, for field teams and headquarters personnel.
  • Supporting exercise design, planning, control, and evaluation.

Since 2007, EMSI has provided similar support to DOE/NNSA through various contract vehicles and we are excited to continue supporting DOE/NNSA in this important mission. Previous support to DOE/NNSA has included:

  • EMSI has delivered highly specialized and customized incident management and Incident Command System (ICS) training to NNSA emergency responders from all response assets, as well as the Office of Secure Transportation (OST). This has included delivery of system-level ICS courses, such as Intermediate ICS (ICS-300) and Advanced ICS (ICS-400), as well as custom-designed courses tailored to the unique needs of the emergency response assets and NNSA mission areas. EMSI has facilitated workshops for the Senior Energy Official (SEO) cadre on various advanced incident management topics. The training work has also included advising on the design of a comprehensive training program for the headquarters Emergency Operations Center (EOC).

EMSI has provided extensive support to the NNSA emergency response exercises, including providing highly qualified subject matter experts to assist with exercise planning and execution. While contributing to the after-action process, EMSI incorporated lessons learned into future training deliveries. In July 2015, EMSI worked with DOE/NNSA on the Southern Exposure exercise, the largest nuclear power plant exercise in over 20 years.

  • EMSI has stood ready to provide nationally qualified incident management and emergency management experts to serve in advisory or coaching capacities during real-world responses. These experts, with decades of complex incident management and emergency management experience, are seasoned response experts with experience operating at the field and headquarters levels.
  • EMSI supported a number of initiatives by providing highly qualified subject matter experts to serve in advisory capacities and assisted with the development of incident management and emergency management plans, procedures, checklists, and job aids.

EMSI’s vast experience in complex incident management and hazardous materials response has helped inform some of the advanced incident management approaches to chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear (CBRN) incident management. EMSI personnel have been involved in the management of several complex hazardous materials incidents including Anthrax at the Capital (2001), the oil and hazardous materials response following Hurricanes Katrina and Rita (2005), the Deepwater Horizon oil spill (2010), the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Disaster (2011), and the oil and hazardous materials response following Hurricane Sandy (2012). Since 2007, EMSI has shared this expertise with DOE/NNSA, as well as incorporating lessons learned into various courses and exercises offered.

In March 2011, EMSI’s Director of Operations, Billy Haley, responded to Japan with DOE/NNSA as part of the U.S. Government’s response to Fukushima. For his contributions, Billy earned the DOE Secretarial Honor Award and the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) Meritorious Group Award. Recognized as an expert in nuclear and radiological incident management, Billy has worked with DOE/NNSA since 2006 and has presented at the National Radiological Emergency Preparedness (NREP) conference, Health Physics Society (HPS), and several government seminars on nuclear and radiological response.