• Outline the steps to installing a generator as part of the overall Temporary Emergency Power process.
• Identify roles and responsibilities of various governmental agencies in the Temporary Emergency Power process.
• Describe typical expectations that must be managed during a Temporary Emergency Power mission.

Audio Transcript

• The initial assumption is that a power outage has occurred and the local government has identified a facility that must be operational. This facility may be providing live saving, life sustaining, or other support to the impacted community. An appropriate “priority level” should be assigned to assist in obtaining support for this unmet need.
• Please note this process as follows is written assuming the Federal Government will eventually install the facility generator as part of a Stafford Act Disaster Declaration. However, in smaller scale events when FEMA is not deployed, or during events where the State has accepted the role to execute the Temporary Emergency Power requirements, the same process outlined herein should be followed by those executing the work in support of the unmet local requirements.

Audio Transcript

• First: Does the facility’s generator assessment information reside in EPFAT or can those assessment requirements be determined?
• Yes: Assign that task as appropriate and monitor progress.
• No: Forward the request upward through the existing resource request process. In many cases this would be to the State level.
• If your local Emergency Operations Center (EOC) has a local electrical utility Emergency Support Function, or “ESF #12” representative on staff, determine if they have an anticipated power restoration timeline for that facility. That could negate the need for any further support.

Audio Transcript

• Yes? Assign the task as appropriate, notify the sender of the status of their request, and monitor progress. The State EOC should have an ESF #12 representative from any major utility that provides electrical service in the impacted area. Determine if they can advise what the projected power restoration timeline is to that facility area. That may negate the need for any further action.
• No? Forward the request to FEMA.

Audio Transcript

• FEMA reviews the request to ensure it is a proper use of a federally supplied generator.
• If it is a proper use, FEMA tasks it to ESF #3 and monitors progress.
• If it’s not a proper use, FEMA returns the request to State with the reasons why FEMA cannot support the request.

Audio Transcript

• USACE enters the request in their process and determines if an existing assessment is on file for that facility. USACE personnel will also contact the facility Point of Contact to verify if the facility is safe to receive power. USACE personnel will also check with any ESF #12 representative, typically the Department of Energy (DOE), to determine if any power restoration timeline has been established for that facility area. That may negate the need for any subsequent action.
• Does the facility assessment data exist and is the facility safe to receive power?
• Yes: Assign a generator from inventory and task the USACE Contractor to install.
• No: Assign a 249th Engineering Battalion “Prime Power” assessment team to perform an assessment and review the overall facility.
• When the assessment data is obtained, USACE will assign a generator from the inventory and task the USACE contractor to install it. If a generator is currently not available in the inventory, USACE will request additional generators from FEMA.

Audio Transcript

• The USACE contractor prepares the available generator for installation and loads it onto a hauling vehicle. The contractor also obtains the cabling and other materials required to connect the generator to the facility, a.k.a. the Basic Order of Materials (BOM), contacts the facility POC to give them notice the generator is coming, and hauls the generator and delivers to the facility.
• The facility POC conducts a site visit with the installation crew.
• The installation crew will disconnect the facility from the power grid, off load the generator at the facility, document the environmental conditions at the generator placement site prior to the generator being placed (i.e. no existing oil spills, etc.), and then install the generator.

Audio Transcript

• As part of the installation process, the Facility POC should turn off all internal facility circuit breakers prior to the generator being started.
• A generator’s electrical power output will typically experience a surge during the initial startup and will take a few minutes to stabilize its electrical power output. Damage to electrical equipment in the facility will most likely occur if the facility’s circuits are not all turned off prior to generator start up. Every facility should have a documented electrical system “cold start” process and follow it to the letter. This is true even after a power outage when a generator is not installed.
• The facility POC signs a document indicating the receipt and the initial operation of the generator. From this point forward, until the generator is de-installed and removed from the facility, the facility POC assumes responsibility for the security of the generator.
• The USACE contractor will then schedule daily refueling and daily quality assurance checks on that generator.

Audio Transcript

• Conduct pre-event identification of potential critical facilities in your area. Provide those lists to the County and State EOCs, as applicable.
• Encourage/assist licensed electricians or other electrically technical and appropriate personnel to perform facility assessments. Ensure that data has been entered into the Emergency Power Facility Assessment Tool (EPFAT) database and appropriate local Emergency Management staff have reviewer account access into EPFAT.
• Encourage/assist with procurement of generators at critical response-oriented facilities.
• Encourage/assist with procurement and installation of manual transfer switches to ease generator installation requirements and reduce generator installation times.
• Investigate potential availability of generators from other local government departments and the local commercial market.
• Coordinate with local electrical utilities on their commercial power restoration plans. Try to ensure they initially concentrate on their repairs to infrastructure that feed the facilities that may become the most “critical” to your communities first.

Audio Transcript

• Identify a lead State “Emergency Power Czar” POC at the State EOC.
• Encourage and assist with any means to conduct pre-event identification of potential critical facilities and have that list available at the State EOC.
• Encourage and assist with any means to have licensed electricians or other electrically qualified personnel perform assessments and ensure that data has been entered into EPFAT. Ensure the appropriate State EM staff have reviewer account access into EPFAT.
• Encourage and assist with procurement of generators at critical response oriented facilities.
• Ensure the maintenance of generator units occurs in accordance with manufacturer’s recommendations.
• Encourage and assist with procurement and installation of manual transfer switches to ease generator installation requirements and reduce generator installation times.

Audio Transcript

• Encourage/assist with/procure a State contract for generator procurement and installations. This could be crucial for non-Stafford Act events.
• If National Guard units support the State in the execution of the Temporary Emergency Power mission, ensure training and exercise opportunities are incorporated into their respective annual training and exercise plans.
• If the State intends to have FEMA/USACE execute the Temporary Emergency Power mission under a Stafford Act Presidential Disaster Declaration, provide a workspace in State EOC or a location within easy reach for USACE Temporary Emergency Power Action Officer staff (2 PAX) to operate in close proximity to the State “Power Czar.”

Audio Transcript

• FEMA Logistics maintains the Federal inventory of emergency generators. The inventory contains approximately 800 units.
• CONUS locations (approximately 120 generators at each):
• Moffett Field, CA
• Atlanta, GA
• Ft Worth, TX
• Frederick, MD
• OCONUS Locations (approximately 90 generators at each):
• Hawaii
• Guam
• Puerto Rico
• FEMA procures additional generators to augment their inventory as/if required.
• The Defense Logistics Agency (DLA) is FEMA’s primary provider of additional generators when augmentation of the FEMA generator inventory is required.
• The General Services Agency (GSA) is a secondary provider.

Audio Transcript

• FEMA Regions promote EPFAT use at Regional Interagency Steering Committee (RISC) meetings to include:
• State/Local pre-identification of critical facilities
• State/Local conducted facility assessments
• FEMA issues Pre-Declaration Mission Assignments to USACE for pre-positioning of emergency power mission resources prior to an event (primarily hurricanes and for some forecasted ice storms).

Audio Transcript

• USACE executes the Temporary Emergency Power mission if so tasked by FEMA. They also can augment FEMAs inventory of generators if required.
• Maintain, train, and exercise seven Planning & Response Teams, and a cadre of power Subject Matter Experts, to execute the mission.
• Albuquerque, NM
• Honolulu, HI
• Memphis, TN
• Pittsburgh, PA
• Savannah, GA
• Tulsa,OK
• Walla Walla, WA
• Train and exercise with 249th Engineering Battalion “Prime Power” assessment teams, an element within USACE, for support to Stafford Act events.

Audio Transcript

• Procure and administer Advance Contract Initiative (ACI) contracts to provide resources for turn-key physical execution of the mission. USACE’s ACI contractors perform:
• Assessment of facilities
• Preparation of generators for use
• Hauling generators
• Generator installation
• Refueling and servicing
• De-installation of generators
• Preparing generators for FEMA storage

Audio Transcript

• Ensure any unmet generator requirements are forwarded upwards through the appropriate resource request process/system that jurisdiction and the State utilizes.
• If an assessment of a facility does not exist in EPFAT, the resource request needs to include, at a minimum:
• Name of facility
• Event use of that facility
• The priority for that facility to receive a generator
• Complete facility address
• A facility POC and their contact information.

Audio Transcript

• Have the State “Power Czar” at the State EOC.
• Prioritize install requests before providing them to FEMA/USACE.
• Ensure the required minimum facility information is on the request before providing it to FEMA/USACE
• If resource availability impacts the numbers of generators available for the event, please communicate any overriding install priorities to the affected jurisdictions.
• If a State elects to execute the Temporary Emergency Power requirements with internal assets, technical assistance is available from USACE.

Audio Transcript

• Deliver generators and BOM boxes to appropriate Staging Area locations near the event vicinity (for no-notice events).
• Transfer generators to executing entity, whether it be USACE or the State.
• Issue Mission Assignment (Pre-Declaration or Post-Declaration) to USACE for the Temporary Emergency Power mission execution upon State request.
• At the completion of the mission, FEMA Logistics accepts their generators back from the either USACE or the State and returns the generators to their respective storage location.

Audio Transcript

• Receive Emergency Declaration or Presidential Disaster Declaration Mission Temporary Emergency Power Assignment.
• Begin coordination of unmet power needs identified with FEMA and the State power POC.
• Ensure facility priority and minimum facility information is submitted with the request from the State.
• If an assessment is not required, i.e. the facility data already exists in EPFAT, initiate generator installation process and contact the facility POC.
• If an assessment is required, task 249th element to assess the facility.
• Execute the turn-key temporary emergency power mission. (Install - Refuel - Service - De-install Service)
• Upon mission completion perform “Return To Storage” service on generators and return them to FEMA.
• Provide hard and electronic copies of any facility assessments conducted during the mission to the State.

Audio Transcript

• An ESF #12 representative may actually be a staff member at multiple EOC levels depending upon the event and its impact on the commercial power supply. Sometimes, the representative is physically present at the EOC, and at other times, he or she will participate virtually via telephone.
• The primary role of the ESF #12 representative at the most local EOC level is to report on status of the commercial power restoration, but they can also coordinate any specific commercial power infrastructure restoration requests from the EOC back to the utility. Most utilities have developed and coordinated restoration plans with local EMs. Many of these plans initially concentrate on commercial power infrastructure restorations which feed critical community facilities such as hospitals. After those critical segments have been restored, they typically concentrate on restoration of the transmission and distribution segments that serve the largest numbers of “customers,” i.e. electric meters, first.

Audio Transcript

• One area that may impact a community is the electric grid segments that serve water and wastewater facilities. Many times these are on less populated areas that serve fewer customers. To ensure community recovery activities are not impacted significantly, restoration of commercial power to these areas may need to be closely coordinated with the ESF #12 representatives.
• The extent of the event’s impacts on the electrical infrastructure can be quite varied and impact the eventual restoration of electrical power to the affected area. At times, commercial power restoration estimates can be conservative. Constant coordination with the ESF #12 representative is recommended. Tying up resources delivering a generator to a facility whose power is then restored within a few hours of the generator being installed is a waste of limited resources.

Audio Transcript

• The ESF #12 representative(s) at the State EOC level are typically from the large electric utilities that serve the event impacted area of the State. They primarily report on their utility’s overall restoration progress, but can also assist with the coordination of any specific restoration request that may come to the State EOC.
• The ESF #12 representatives that support FEMA are normally Department of Energy personnel. They report primarily on the overall impacts of the event on the power systems but also address other fuel resource issues. They utilize a web-based platform entitled “Eagle-I” that presents visually the outages across the entire impacted region, although primarily in CONUS areas only. They can also coordinate directly with a variety of utilities in the impacted area.

Audio Transcript

• Many people do not have an awareness of the technical aspects of providing electrical power to a facility. They do not understand how the kilowatt (kW) output of a generator relates to where that generator might be able to be used.
• A generator that has an output of 60 kW can only be used on a facility that has a maximum electrical load of 60 kW. The same thing applies to the output voltage of a generator. If the output voltage on a particular generator is 120/208 Volts (single phase), then that generator can only be used on a facility that has that voltage requirement due to the manner in which that particular facility’s internal electrical distribution system was designed and constructed.
• Just because there may be a staging area that has 20 generators, it doesn’t mean that any 20 facilities can receive those generators. The generators may still be in the staging area because the facilities that are impacted may not be able to use those generators for an electrically technical reason.

Audio Transcript

• The geographic impact area of the event compared to the location of the generator staging area is also an important factor when managing expectations. The lack of assessment data prior to an event also impacts the timing and delivery of services. The timeline can also be lengthened when access into the impacted area is restricted or roads are clogged with debris or fallen trees.
• For example, during Hurricane Ike in 2008, the initial generator staging area was located near San Antonio, TX. The early forecast tracks of the hurricane had it moving westerly in the Gulf of Mexico and projected impact in the central southwest region of Texas. However, the storm shifted its track and instead impacted the Galveston and Beaumont areas of eastern Texas. As a result, it took the assessment and install crew an entire day to get from San Antonio to the Galveston/Houston/Beaumont area. That meant they could only install one (1) generator per day rather than 2-3 generators per day we expect when the travel distances are less than 100 miles from the staging area.

Audio Transcript

• Of course, the number and type of generators available compared to the numbers of those that have been requested also impacts the timeline.
• Larger urban areas typically demand larger kW output generators as compared to small rural areas. These are not as plentiful in the overall inventory, which can lead to resource shortages.

Audio Transcript

• Outlined the steps to installing a generator as part of the overall Temporary Emergency Power process.
• Identified roles and responsibilities of various governmental agencies in the Temporary Emergency Power process.
• Described typical expectations that must be managed during a Temporary Emergency Power mission.

Audio Transcript