Fort Liberty’s EFAC Exercise Strengthens Emergency Preparedness

By Lauren RehoOctober 25, 2024

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Fort Liberty recently tested its Emergency Family Assistance Center to assess the installation’s ability to mobilize agencies and deliver critical services to Soldiers and their families during emergencies. The exercise scenario simulated a tornado striking Fort Liberty, causing significant damage to the installation’s housing areas and barracks. The mission to stand up the EFAC was briefed to Col. Chad Mixon, the garrison commander at Fort Liberty, who approved the operation, thus initiating a coordinated response from multiple agencies at the EFAC.

The EFAC acts as the installation’s central hub for providing comprehensive support to Soldiers and military families, offering services, such as information, referrals and case management. This exercise coordinated key directorates, including Casualty Assistance, Child and Youth Services, Corvias Housing, the Red Cross, Army Community Service, Transportation, Legal, Behavioral Health, Chaplain’s offices and more. The goal was to ensure these organizations are fully prepared to respond timely to a natural or man-made disaster.

“The garrison commander wanted to assess these capabilities in the event we need to react to a disaster,” Byron Shelton, Mobilization, Deployment and Stability Support Operations Program Manager at the EFAC, said. “He wanted to test the bottom line to see if we can mobilize agencies upon notification to deliver services. But more importantly, identify any shortcomings that need to be addressed at a higher level, so we can fix them.”

The exercise, which was planned back in June 2023, focused on the recovery phase of an emergency, ensuring families received the necessary resources to return to normalcy. By identifying gaps in equipment, staffing and processes, the EFAC can refine its emergency response capabilities for future real-life scenarios.

As the primary coordination point for Soldiers and family members during emergencies, the EFAC provides critical process management services. These include determining whether on-site resources can meet immediate needs or if referrals to external agencies such as hospitals or local facilities are required. Additionally, the EFAC offers respite services, including food, water, and essential items from the Army Community Service’s lending closet.

While the EFAC does not provide emergency medical care, it does offer robust emotional support. Behavioral health specialists and military family life counselors are available to help families cope with the emotional impact of traumatic events. The center also collaborates with external partners, such as the Cumberland County Department of Social Services, and it maintains a satellite office on-site for additional support.

“This is the hub. All emergency services are being coordinated here,” Shelton said. He emphasized the importance of communication and collaboration among all organizations involved. “The goal is to make sure everybody is going in the same direction, at the same time, and to have a structured approach starting with a basic plan that’s regularly improved through these exercises.”

Exercises like this are not only about testing the EFAC’s response but also about reinforcing Fort Liberty’s overall readiness. Col. Mixon highlighted the importance of maintaining preparedness.

“As a power projection platform, readiness is our number one priority. We never know what’s going to happen, but having these processes in place will allow us to quickly return to full readiness,” Mixon said.

By assessing and refining the EFAC’s emergency procedures, Fort Liberty can ensure it can continue to support its Soldiers and families effectively during future emergencies.

“Ultimately, we do this to ensure our families are ready for anything that might come their way, and that the installation is prepared to react quickly and efficiently,” Shelton said. “It’s imperative that we conduct these exercises at least once a year and continue working on them quarterly to address any issues and keep everyone aligned.”

Fort Liberty’s commitment to emergency preparedness is evident in the coordination and attention to detail in exercises like today’s EFAC simulation. By continuously improving its processes, the installation ensures that it is always ready to support its military community during times of need. For Soldiers and their families, the EFAC remains a vital resource—ready to provide assistance when it matters most.