Technical Search and Rescue (SAR) Capability Calculator ~ Technical Guide

Transcription

1 Technical Search and Rescue (SAR) Capability Calculator ~ Technical Guide About the SAR capability calculator... 2 Getting started your information... 4 By total population... 4 By user-defined scenario... 5 Next step Technical SAR team needs and costs... 6 Technical SAR team - needs... 6 Technical SAR team - costs... 8 Viewing results...12 Initial costs Annual costs Gap costs...14 References List of figures... 18

2 2 SAR Capability Calculator ~ Technical Guide About the SAR capability calculator This free tool estimates the number of Technical Search and Rescue (SAR) teams by factoring user-defined scenarios or by a jurisdiction s population. A SAR team is any organized group of people that searches for the lost, fugitives, and cadavers. A Technical SAR team adds specializations like high-angle rope rescue (for descending into trenches and collapsed buildings by a rope and pulley setup); collapse rescue (for working on collapsed buildings); canine rescue (using a dog trained in scent-finding and tracking); swift-water rescue (for extricating people from floods and rivers); and others. The tool allows you (the user) to input personalized jurisdictional data, which then drives the tool to generate individualized results. Upon opening the tool, the homepage entitled Search and Rescue Capability Cost Calculator will display. Figure 1 provides a snapshot of the homepage. Figure 1: Homepage and navigation bar Before proceeding, it is important to enable macros in Microsoft Excel so that the tool can function as intended. 1 You should also save a copy of the calculator before starting. Click on Save As from the Microsoft Office Icon or File Menu in the upper, left-hand corner and create a desired file name (e.g., SAR Calculator Jurisdiction Name ). 1 Upon opening the tool, if you are prompted by Microsoft Excel, please select Enable Macros. Otherwise, please consult the Microsoft Excel help file for instructions regarding how to enable macros.

3 3 SAR Capability Calculator ~ Technical Guide The tool is separated into the following pages: Your Info Technical SAR Team Initial Costs Annual Costs Gap Costs These categories are displayed at the top of the screen and will remain there to provide easy navigation while you use the tool. Collectively, this group of categories will be referred to as the navigation bar. Figure 1 indicates the location of the navigation bar, highlighted by a red square. At any point during the use of the tool, you can return to this homepage by clicking on the home icon, which is circled in Figure 1. In addition to these categories, the homepage has a menu bar positioned at the far right side of the screen. Figure 2 shows the menu bar in a magnified view. Figure 2: Menu bar If preferred, you can navigate the tool by returning to the homepage and selecting options from the menu bar. Both user input and results are accessible from this menu bar. You can see information about printing results from the menu bar by clicking on the blue button circled in red.

4 4 SAR Capability Calculator ~ Technical Guide Throughout the tool, fields with orange backgrounds indicate places where you can enter data to customize the tool. Fields with green backgrounds indicate output areas, where results are automatically generated based on the data you provide. You can access help features by clicking on the white help text boxes. A box will appear with further information. Click the white box again to close the pop-up. Getting started your information To start using the tool, click on the red arrow located in the menu bar or use the navigation bar. Once you click on the red arrow on the homepage, the calculator will redirect you to the Your Info page. You can choose to determine your suggested SAR capability by population or by a user-defined scenario. The approach using population will determine capability needs using scaling assumptions based on preparedness guidance from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Target Capability List (TCL). The user-defined scenario determines capability needs based team rescue capabilities presented in the TCL. 2 Figure 3 shows the section in which you can choose which approach to apply; the dropdown menu is marked by the red circle. Figure 3: Your information - options The calculator will automatically update to reflect your choice in the section below. By total population If you choose to determine capability requirement by using total population, then your first input is to identify the total population in your jurisdiction. Figure 4 highlights the orange cell where you can make your input, marked by the red circle. Based on your input, the calculator will generate the suggested number of Technical SAR teams in the green cell. 2 Department of Homeland Security. Target Capabilities List Edition. Last accessed 1 September 2011.

5 5 SAR Capability Calculator ~ Technical Guide Figure 4: Your information - total population option After entering your population, you should indicate how many times per year you expect to deploy the Technical SAR teams and how many days each deployment will last. These values impact the operational costs for your teams. The more often you deploy teams and the longer you deploy them for, the higher your operational costs will be. By user-defined scenario If you choose the user-defined scenario approach to determine capability requirements, the page will display the section illustrated in Figure 5. To create your expected scenario, you must fill in the orange cells in this section. These cells include the total number of rescues to perform, the percentage of those rescues that are in heavy or light construction structures, and the number of days to complete all the rescues. Also, you can customize the scenario to include assistance from FEMA US&R Task Forces, if appropriate. The data you enter will automatically generate the information presented in the green fields, including the suggested number of Technical SAR teams. You should also indicate how many times per year you plan to face this scenario. 3 Figure 5: Your information - user-defined scenario option 3 If you expect to face this scenario less often than once per year, you can enter a decimal into this field. For example, if you enter 0.25, that would be equivalent to indicating that you intend to face this scenario once every four years.

6 6 SAR Capability Calculator ~ Technical Guide Next step Technical SAR team needs and costs Technical SAR team - needs To access the needs input page, click on the needs tab located under the gray Technical SAR Team box, as shown in Figure 6. Figure 6: Navigation bar needs Clicking on needs will display a page that lists equipment, personnel, and training requirements and costs. Equipment needs are broken into categories including particular equipment items. A personnel category indicates the number of personnel composing a bomb team. Additionally, a training category shows a list of suggested courses for bomb team personnel. You can scroll up and down the page to view these different categories. Each equipment item and personnel position is structured in rows that are aligned with the following columns: Default Quantities Quantities 4 Unit Costs 5 Initial Costs Figure 7: Technical SAR team needs Figure 7 shows these fields (squared in red) and the orange cells in which you can enter your jurisdiction s specific data. Each major equipment category is broken down into subcategories, highlighted in blue. Also note that you have the option to hide and reveal the major equipment category sections, by clicking on the green button labeled Hide/Reveal this section (circled in red). This feature will simplify navigation on this 4 Quantity inputs reflect the amount a jurisdiction has on-hand or the desired amount for a particular equipment item, personnel member, or training course. 5 Unit cost reflects the cost of a single/individual equipment item, personnel member, or training course.

7 7 SAR Capability Calculator ~ Technical Guide page, given that the equipment list for Technical SAR teams is very extensive. Figure 8 provides a snapshot of the major equipment categories with each section hidden. Figure 8: Technical SAR team collapsed equipment categories As you scroll down the page, the header remains fixed on the screen to help you keep track of data. The default quantities are the suggested quantities appropriate to equip, staff, and train the calculated number of Technical SAR teams, based on your input from the previous section, Your Info. If you require no customization options for personnel, equipment, or training, then you are ready to view your costs results. If you would like to customize the tool to more precisely depict your jurisdiction s Technical SAR team structure and costs, you can learn how to do so below. The orange cells in the columns labeled Quantities and Unit Costs can be customized with data to reflect the realities and needs of your jurisdiction. Note that the number in each quantity box reflects the number of equipment items or personnel required for the total of all Technical SAR teams, rather than the number per Technical SAR team. When entering quantities, be sure to multiply the quantity you desire per team by the total number of suggested Technical SAR teams (indicated in the header section, to the right of the red arrow). If you want to restore the orange cells to default quantities and costs, click on the green buttons labeled Restore Default. These green buttons are within the red square in Figure 7. As you scroll further down the page, you will find the categories Personnel and Training. For these sections, the labels of the columns change. Figure 9 highlights the fields in the Personnel section of this page. There is one new field labeled Hours Deployed and two fields have changed: the Unit Costs field to Backfill Rate and the Initial Cost column to Operating Cost. Hours Deployed is calculated automatically by multiplying the number of days of operation by the assumed 12 hour shift length and the number of deployments expected. Backfill Rate represents the hourly cost of employing personnel (wages plus overhead). Given that personnel are only employed in the event of a deployment, the total costs are labeled as Operating Cost.

8 8 SAR Capability Calculator ~ Technical Guide Figure 9: Personnel section The field headers in the Training section can be seen in Figure 10. In this section, there is an additional field titled Course Hours and the Unit Costs field is replaced with Average Backfill. The Course Hours field is used to account for the time required to complete each training course. Quantities in this section reflects the total personnel who require the type of training. The Average Backfill field represents the hourly cost of sending personnel to training, averaged across different positions and pay scales. You can enter additional training requirements in the orange cells labeled User input training. Figure 10: Training section At the bottom of the page, you can enter equipment items that are not listed in the tool, in the section shown in Figure 11. The rows in this section are set up in the same way that equipment rows are set up on the page above, with one exception. To ease calculations, you can enter the quantity desired per team and the Default Quantity field will automatically calculate the total number required based on the number of Technical SAR teams suggested based on your entries on the Your Info page. If you require additional rows, click on the green button labeled Add Additional Row (circled in red). Figure 11: Adding equipment items Technical SAR team - costs Once you enter data into the orange cells of the needs page with your jurisdiction s quantities and unit costs, the tool generates initial costs for each item, as well as for each

9 9 SAR Capability Calculator ~ Technical Guide category under the Equipment, Personnel, and Training sections. In order to view the total initial costs for teams, you can scroll up to the navigation bar and click on costs under Technical SAR Team, as shown in Figure 12. Figure 12: Navigation bar costs This page includes the following four sections: Total Initial Costs Total Operational Costs Total Annual Costs Annualized Cost Summary Total initial costs for Technical SAR teams The costs page shows a pie chart of total initial costs, broken down by equipment, personnel, and training categories. Total initial costs are associated with the purchase of equipment and supplies, rather than the annual costs of maintaining and operating them. Total initial costs are associated with the purchase of equipment and supplies, rather than the annual costs of maintaining and operating them. To the right of the pie chart is the breakdown of the total initial costs, as well as the summation of those costs. Since costs for personnel are only incurred in operational situations, these costs are not represented in this section. You can also access the help feature in this section by clicking on the link that is identified in Figure 13. Click on the link a second time to close it. Figure 13: Technical SAR team initial costs Total operational costs for Technical SAR teams As you scroll below the total initial costs section, a second pie chart, seen in Figure 14, shows the total operational costs for personnel, which is separated into three categories: general personnel, heavy rescue specialists, and structural support specialists. Additionally, total operational costs of all categories are listed to the right of the pie chart.

10 10 SAR Capability Calculator ~ Technical Guide The costs on this page reflect one deployment of the Technical SAR teams suggested for your jurisdiction. If you entered multiple days of deployment in the page entitled Your Info, you will be able to view associated costs in the next page entitled Initial Costs. Figure 14: Technical SAR teams operational costs Total annualized costs for Technical SAR teams As you scroll below the total initial costs section, a pie chart summarizes annualized costs (see Figure 15). In this chart, equipment costs are broken down into the four major subcategories, as defined on the needs page. Note that this chart is also based on a single deployment and that again, the full cost of all deployments will be reflected on the Initial Costs page. Figure 15: Technical SAR teams annual costs Annualized cost summary Next, you can view the life-cycle cost calculations for equipment items (both standard and user input) and training. You can also adjust cost factor parameters as appropriate for your jurisdiction. Cost factor definitions can be displayed as a pop-up by clicking on the cost factors glossary link, seen in Figure 16. More information about cost factors can be found in Technical Search and Rescue Capability Calculator ~ Overview, available

11 11 SAR Capability Calculator ~ Technical Guide on the CNA website. You can customize cost factors in the orange cells circled in red in Figure 16. Figure 16: Life-cycle costs - header You can choose to hide the entire Annualized Cost Summary section by clicking on the green button labeled Hide/Reveal this entire section. By hiding this section, you can reduce the amount of paper required to print this page. Below the cost factors information, you can review life-cycle costs item by item for equipment and training. Figure 17 displays a sample of the equipment list as well as the entire training section. Note that you can choose to hide the equipment section and the training section individually for easier navigation. While equipment annualized costs are generally based upon the initial cost of purchase, vehicle costs are based upon mileage. You can edit the assumed mileage for vehicles in the orange boxes circled in Figure Figure 17: Life-cycle costs equipment and training For items entered in the User Input Equipment/Personnel section, the life-cycle costs section is shown in Figure 21. In this section, all cost factors are determined by user input, as indicated by the orange cells. As explained in the Technical Search and Rescue Capability Calculator ~ Overview document, not every cost factor applies to all types of 6 By default, the earth mover vehicle is assumed to be a rental, and therefore does not incur annualized costs that are based on mileage. You can change this assumption by assigning mileage to this vehicle as appropriate.

12 12 SAR Capability Calculator ~ Technical Guide equipment; for example, a hammer does not draw electricity, and therefore does not incur energy costs. You can enter cost factors as appropriate for each item. Figure 18: Life-cycle costs user input equipment Once you have finished entering your data, you can view your results. Viewing results Initial costs To view initial cost results, click on Initial Costs on the navigation bar, as shown in Figure 19. Figure 19: Navigation bar initial costs This page displays the summary of your input made in the page entitled Your Info. Figure 20 shows an example of the input summary for using population as the approach to determine capability needs. Figure 20: Input summary population If you selected the user-defined approach to determine capability needs, the input summary will look like the example in Figure 21. Figure 21: Input summary user-defined scenario This page has two additional sections that show total initial and operational costs for the number of Technical SAR teams recommended for your jurisdiction. Figure 22 shows the

13 13 SAR Capability Calculator ~ Technical Guide Initial Cost Breakdown pie chart of total initial costs separated into three categories: Equipment, Personnel, and Training. To the right of the pie chart is the breakdown of the total initial costs, as well as the summation of those costs. 7 Figure 22: Initial cost breakdown Operational Cost Breakdown displays a pie chart for personnel costs. The costs reflect the number of deployments (as indicated by the red circle in Figure 23) specified on the Your Info page. To the right of the pie chart is the breakdown of costs. Figure 23: Operational cost breakdown Annual costs You can view total annualized team costs by clicking on Annual Costs in the navigation bar, as shown in Figure This chart duplicates the Initial Cost Breakdown chart on the Technical SAR Team needs page. It is presented for consistency in format across all Capability Calculators presented on the CNA website.

14 14 SAR Capability Calculator ~ Technical Guide Figure 24: Navigation bar annual costs The first section on this page will reiterate the summary for data you entered on the Your Info page (see Figure 20 and Figure 21). Below the input summary, this page displays total annualized costs for Technical SAR teams. The first pie chart reflects annualized costs with no deployment costs included. The categories and the associated costs are listed on the right of the pie chart, as shown in Figure 25. Note that equipment costs are broken down by major category in the pie chart. Figure 25: Annual costs not including deployment Scrolling down the page reveals the second chart, displaying total annualized costs for Technical SAR teams including the number of deployments specified on the Your Info page. Figure 26 displays this chart, with the number of deployments circled in red. Figure 26: Annual costs including deployment Gap costs You can view costs associated with your current capability gaps by clicking on Gap Costs in the navigation bar, as shown in Figure 27.

15 15 SAR Capability Calculator ~ Technical Guide Figure 27: Navigation bar gap costs Two sections appear on this page, the first of which is the gap calculation section. It includes your suggested Technical SAR team capability, current Technical SAR team capability, and any gaps between these two. Figure 28 provides a snapshot of gap calculations. Figure 28: Gap calculation You can adjust your current Technical SAR team capability by clicking on the orange cell to modify the number to your jurisdiction s capability. When you enter your capability, the tool generates the difference between current and suggested team capability. If a gap exists, the cells located in the Difference Between Current and Suggested Capability table will highlight in red. The cell will remain green if current capability meets or exceeds the suggested capability level. Figure 28 highlights the cell that indicates the gap in capability, if applicable (circled in red). If there is no gap in capability, then the remainder of the page will not provide any additional information. However, if there is a gap in capability, then the next section on this page will present gap costs in the following three areas: Initial investment costs Additional annual costs without deployment Additional annual costs with deployment The pie charts and summation of categories provide the same type of information presented in earlier pages of this tool, but the costs on this page reflect only the additional costs associated with closing the capability gap. Figure 29 shows sample gap costs.

16 16 SAR Capability Calculator ~ Technical Guide Figure 29: Gap costs This is the last page in the calculator. The information from this tool can be used to inform long-term budget planning in order to meet your jurisdiction s needs.

17 17 SAR Capability Calculator ~ Technical Guide References Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). National Urban SAR Response System Task Force Equipment Cache List. Last accessed 12 October U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Federal Emergency Management Agency. Responder Knowledge Base: NIMS Resource Typing: Collapse Search and Rescue Update. Last accessed 1 September U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Federal Emergency Management Agency. Typed Resource Definitions, Search and Rescue Resources (FEMA 508-8), July pdf. Last accessed August 30, U.S. Department of Homeland Security. Target Capabilities List: A Companion to the National Preparedness Goal, Version 2.0. September Last accessed 4 May 2011.

18 18 SAR Capability Calculator ~ Technical Guide List of figures Figure 1: Homepage and navigation bar... 2 Figure 2: Menu bar... 3 Figure 3: Your information - options... 4 Figure 4: Your information - total population option... 5 Figure 5: Your information - user-defined scenario option... 5 Figure 6: Navigation bar needs... 6 Figure 7: Technical SAR team needs... 6 Figure 8: Technical SAR team collapsed equipment categories... 7 Figure 9: Personnel section... 8 Figure 10: Training section... 8 Figure 11: Adding equipment items... 8 Figure 12: Navigation bar costs... 9 Figure 13: Technical SAR team initial costs... 9 Figure 14: Technical SAR teams operational costs Figure 15: Technical SAR teams annual costs Figure 16: Life-cycle costs - header Figure 17: Life-cycle costs equipment and training Figure 18: Life-cycle costs user input equipment Figure 19: Navigation bar initial costs Figure 20: Input summary population Figure 21: Input summary user-defined scenario Figure 22: Initial cost breakdown Figure 23: Operational cost breakdown Figure 24: Navigation bar annual costs Figure 25: Annual costs not including deployment Figure 26: Annual costs including deployment Figure 27: Navigation bar gap costs Figure 28: Gap calculation Figure 29: Gap costs... 16