LOGISTICS SUPPORT

The Logistics Staff at NRC's Headquarters in Great River, NY plans and executes the rapid deployment of NRC response equipment, personnel, ICN Participants, and supplies to the location of a spill in the quantities requested by the responsible party's qualified individual or spill manager. They produce daily logistical summaries that furnish the spill manager the resources that have been deployed to date. Daily logistical planning reports provide the spill manager with information as to what additional resources are available and the time required for transport to the spill site.

At the spill site, field logistics personnel function as the focal point for the orchestration of all local support activities. They make arrangements for the delivery of consumables, food, water, portable toilets, personal protective gear, and other subsistence-type needs to clean-up crews in the field. They also track and record the qualities, types, and operational status of equipment in the field. These records provide valuable information to the spill manager for planning daily activities.

COMMUNICATIONS SUPPORT

NRC field operations are conducted from Mobile Communications Centers (MCC's) designed to accommodate a full range of communications transceiving capability. The systems are designed to provide the necessary equipment mix for communications with the corporate IOC in Great River, New York; vessels, aircraft, shore-based cleanup operations, and local logistics support agencies. NRC's Mobile Communications Centers (MCC's) built to NRC's specifications by Raytheon Corporation feature a full spectrum of communications capabilities including VHF-FM & UHF-FM (both phone patch capable), portable UHF & VHF repeaters, Air-band radios, high-frequency SSB, 24-line private branch exchange (PBX) telephone system, facsimile machines, cellular telephones and satellite voice/fax communications equipment. Fully programmable UHF & VHF radios operating on FCC authorized spill response frequencies are distributed to NRC Regional Managers, ICN crew supervisors, and representatives of the responsible party's spill management team.

The MCC's are designed for employment within various climatic environments relative to oil spill response operations. NRC has three MCC's located in Great River NY, Houston TX and Tampa, FL. Twenty feet in length, they accommodate a maximum of eight personnel (seating for two at operational work stations and six at a small conference table). They are capable of indefinite self sustained operations as well as exploitation of opportune hook ups and interfacing. Configured as standard loads for interstate highway transport on standard flat bed trailers as well as Hercules L-100 and Boeing 747 jet transport, the systems are designed for ease of staging, deployment, field activation, interconnectivity, and operation. The systems incorporate provisions for safe truck and aircraft tie down as well as forklift, crane, and helicopter handling.

International Operations Center (IOC)

The International Operations Center (IOC) in Great River, New York functions as the NRC focal point for translating client response requirements into asset sourcing and mobilization. This is the nerve center of NRC operations and the primary command and control cell for overall management of the response process. When the need arises for the International Operations Center to contact key employees, it can be accomplished by utilizing a Nationwide paging system. All key NRC personnel carry their personal pager at all times. Group pages have been established in the event several employees need to be contacted. The major group page is the "Spill" page, informing key employees that a spill has occurred. It is normally the responsibility of the IOC Duty Officer to complete these pages at the direction of appropriate authority.

Central to the effectiveness of this process is a highly responsive information management system. Fully integrated information processing, networking, and presentation provide key NRC staff members immediate access to essential client and contractor points of contact, location and status of response assets, estimated/actual arrival times of response resources, area unique characteristics, and other information critical to managing time-sensitive response activities. With immediate presentation of the right information in the right format, NRC executives stand well equipped to rapidly designate primary responders, formulate transportation strategies, select appropriate equipment, and make key response decisions quickly and accurately under extremely sensitive and demanding conditions.

Various communications including terrestrial phone, fax, and modem capability put key IOC personnel in direct contact with all aspects of the response process. Through these systems, key NRC managers link directly with clients, contractors, support agencies, response vessels, and NRC field operations personnel for purposes of command and control, process tracking, and bi-directional movement of critical information.

Upon discovery of a discharge, the Qualified Individual (QI) should notify NRC International Operations Center (IOC) in Great River, NY by telephone, facsimile, or telex. The IOC is manned 24 hours a day. The 800-899-4NRC number is a dedicated Spill Report Only telephone number. Once the Initial Spill Report information is received, an Authorization to Proceed (ATP) form is faxed promptly to the Qualified Individual by the IOC Duty Officer, for their completion and authorization of NRC to mobilize response resources.

Upon notification and authorization for oil spill response activities, NRC will commence mobilization of response resources. NRC's response organization includes: the International Operations Center (IOC) in Great River, NY; 120 plus Independent Contractor Network (ICN) and Marine Resource Network (MRN) participants . NRC's dedicated fleet of Oil Spill Response Vessels (OSRVs) include: self propelled OSRVs; & manned OSRBs (barges). Additional temporary storage comes from the Marine Resource Network and over 1000 tank barges, owned and/or operated by NRC client companies and available under established agreements. Spill response services require one or more ICN Participants to mobilize and deploy to the spill site and report to the Qualified Individual and/or on scene representative of the Responsible Party.

Notification Procedure

A client may initiate oil spill response activities for any size discharge, or threat of such a discharge, through NRC's International Operations Center (IOC).

REPORT SPILLS TO:
NRC INTERNATIONAL OPERATIONS CENTER
800-899-4NRC (800-899-4672)
TEL: (631) 224-9141 Ext 0 (or stay on line)
FAX: (631) 224-9086
TELEX: 496 173 80