Hampton Roads Incident Management Team

02/17/2025

The blended team worked today in Buchanan Co. setting up a POD. They are expected to demobilize tomorrow morning and be back in Hampton Roads by the afternoon.
The below pictures are from the POD setup today.

02/17/2025

Here are some pictures from the team as they moved around the area of SW Virginia. Last night and today they moved supplies into a POD for distribution to residents today.
** As the likelihood of another winter storm increases for later in the week, VDEM has requested assistance in the Region 5 Coordination Center in Suffolk. These members would assist the RCC personnel during the storm.
A rostering notification has gone out to team members this morning.

02/16/2025

Reports of flooding in Buchanan Co

Due to flooding, the Buchanan County Sheriff's Office is warning folks to stay off the roads until further notice.

02/16/2025

On Thursday, February 13, 2025, VDEM requested that the HRIMT deploy on a logistical support mission to Greyson County VA. The Governor of Virginia had deployed the National Guard to operate PODs( places of distribution) as needed in the Town of Independence VA. The HRIMT was requested to support these PODs with shelters, power, heat, etc. Because of the need for more personnel than HRIMT could supply on this quick deployment, Central Virginia IMT was contacted to provide some personnel. This makes the deployment a blended team response and is one of the reasons the COV teams train with each other.
Our team left the Chesapeake Public Operations Center (PSOC) at 1500 on Friday February 14, 2025. The HRIMT members met with CVIMT enroute at South Hill VA and traveled together to the designated reporting location. Approximately 2130 the team stopped enroute at a hotel designated by and paid for by VDEM.
On the morning of Saturday February 15, 2025, it was determined by VDEM and Greyson County that the blended IMT was no longer needed to support the National Guard mission in Independence. The blended IMT was then redirected to report to Marion VA.
While the blended team did not currently have a specific mission, they will be staging at the VDEM Regional Coordination Center (RCC) that is being established today in Marion VA. That area is forecasted to have a substantial winter storm this weekend and next week.

This morning, February 16th, our team was redirected to assist with severe flooding in Buchanan County. They are currently enroute.
Our initial response was to provide logistical support to the Virginia National Guard setting up PODs in Greyson County VA. For that deployment request we were part of a blended IMT with Central Virginia IMT. The initial staffing for that deployment consisted primarily of logistics support personnel.
While we do not have a confirmed role in Buchanan County yet, we anticipate the team’s role may include EOC and/or field support. In any event, there is a strong possibility that we may need to send additional IMT staff to support this mission change. We will not know that until the VDEM staff and our IMT reaches the location.
There is severe flooding taking place and numerous swift water and SAR teams are operating there. Depending on the situation we may need to survey our members for additional support this afternoon.
More information will be posted as it comes in from the team.

02/14/2025

The HRIMT has deployed to Grayson Co., Va. at the request of VDEM. This deployment is in response to a loss of power in the county. Four members of HRIMT left this afternoon taking a large portion of the equipment cache. They will pick up members of the Central Virginia IMT in the Richmond area. This blended team will continue on to Grayson Co. tonight. They are anticipating setting up several shelters to provide warming shelters and supply storage.

12/17/2024

Here are some more pictures from the Donation/Volunteer exercise. Thanks to Chesapeake FD Video Team.

12/12/2024

HRIMT/Volunteer &Donations Management Functional Exercise
Hurricane Chessie made landfall as a Category 3 hurricane and caused catastrophic damage to the East Coast of the United States. Hampton Roads area was hit with 120mph winds and severe flooding. Amid the damage and devastation, spontaneous volunteers have begun to self-deploy into the area. The efforts to organize the volunteers has overwhelmed the City of Chesapeake and they have asked for assistance from the HRIMT….
Such was the scenario for the 5 day exercise held last week at Chesapeake City Park. The team was asked to set up a base of operations and work with Chesapeake’s Volunteer and Donations group to manage the overwhelming response. The HRIMT set up the base on Monday, December 2nd and the exercise began on Tuesday. The exercise ran for 3 days and on Friday the team demobilized the base. We had over 80 participants playing and supporting the exercise. Some of the participants represented were from HRIMT, City of Chesapeake, United States Coast Guard, Port of Virginia, City of Virginia Beach, and whole host of volunteers.

11/08/2024

HRIMT attends the 2024 National Port Partner Emergency Response Summit
The HRIMT was invited to be part of the Command Village demonstration for the attendees of the 2024 National Port Partner Emergency Response Summit. This summit will focus on priority issues within our port communities to include recent events, protecting critical infrastructure, marine firefighting, emergency management and preparedness and protecting our first responders.
On the second day of the summit the attendees were bused to Norfolk International Terminal, on the Elizabeth River to tour the terminal and visit the Command Village set up outside the control tower. It was impressive to see some of the resources that can be brought to assist in an emergency in the Port of Hampton Roads. The equipment included two command vehicles with specialized equipment for the maritime environment. Overhead drones and underwater drones, high capacity fire pumps, and the HRIMT communications trailer.
The attendees were from ports around the country. We had several that were interested in our team equipment cache and communications/IT equipment on the trailer.

10/01/2024

Update on team deployment to Southwest VA
The team has been working out the VDEM Regional Coordination Center #4 in Abingdon, VA. A base camp has been set up for the responding Incident Management Teams and other responding agencies to work from. The HRIMT is working alongside the National Capital IMT and the Central Virginia IMT.
For the last couple of days, the HRIMT has worked in the Town of Galax, VA doing windshield assessments and then damage assessments. While there they also supported the EOC and conducted Critical Lifeline Assessments for the town.
Today the team was split to cover different missions. Four members were sent to do damage assessments in Carroll and Washington Counties. Two members are working in the RCC #4 in the Finance and Liaison sections. And one member is assisting the EOC in Carroll County.

09/28/2024

HRIMT deploys to Southwest Virginia to support the search and rescue efforts.
The team is sending 6 members and taking the equipment cache.

09/19/2024

The HRIMT is assisting VDEQ
The HRIMT has deployed two members to assist the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) regarding medical waste washing up on the Eastern Shore of Virginia. The deployed members are participating virtually. ONe member is assigned as the Deputy Planning Section Chief (DPSC) and another is serving as a Situation Unit Leader (SITL).
The incident has a Unified Command (UC) structure. Some of the participants include but are not limited to.

DEQ
VDEM
Stakeholders (property owners)
VDH
VDFP
USCG
And many others
The medical waste has been reported being found in Delaware, Maryland, and Virginia. Virginia is coordinating with Delaware and Maryland in a multistate response. Because this incident is just unfolding the basic Virginia UC structure is getting organized and responsibilities are still being assigned.

The HRIMT staff is monitoring, participating in virtual meetings, and standing by should the incident need any further support.

08/20/2024

HRIMT members attend USCG IMT workshop and exercise
Two members of the HRIMT had a chance to attend a 3-day IMT workshop and exercise sponsored the USCG. Besides USCG and HRIMT, members from VDEM and CVAIMT also attended. This event provided valuable training and position task book signoffs.
Thank you USCG for this opportunity!

08/09/2024

HRIMT deploys to assist VDEM Region 5
On Thursday August 8, 2024, the three HRIMT members left the Chesapeake Public Safety Operations Center (PSOC) at 0700 and arrived at the Virginia Department of Emergency Management (VDEM) Region V office located in Suffolk VA shortly thereafter. After receiving a briefing by the VDEM Regional Coordinator the HRIMT team established IT equipment support using the HRIMT printers, 5G cellular access points (Plum Case), etc.

The HRIMT position specific go-boxes were used to supply various position specific supplies and position vests to each member staffing the positions within the VDEM Regional Coordination Center (RCC).

The HRIMT members supported the RCC with various activities throughout the day including participating in three conference calls between the RCC and the Virginia Emergency Operations Center (EOC). HRIMT members also created various contingency plans and position specific documents if the RCC went from a standby operation to a fully functional unit needed to support the region.

The plan for Friday August 9, 2024, is to continue to support to the RCC as long as required. Although a formal Incident Action Plan will not be required our team members will be assembling an After-Action Report (AAR) and creating position specific documentation for their assigned roles. It is unknown if the RCC will run the full 12-hour planned operational period or will be demobilized early.

05/05/2023

The HRIMT deploys to VB for tornado recovery efforts.
On Thursday, May 4, 2023, the HRIMT actively deployed to assist the City of Virginia Beach. The Team deployed four shelters complete with a generator, tables, chairs, galley cart, and other related support equipment. The shelters will serve as an on-site Base of Operations (BOO) during the city’s response and recovery to an EF-3 tornado that struck the Great Neck area of the city on Monday, May 2, 2023.
Assistance was received from the VBFD and Virginia Task Force 2 USAR. Several of the team members were able to receive sign offs in their task books, which is a great help on getting these members credentialed. It is expected that this base will stay in place for up several weeks.

02/21/2023

FEMA Supplemental Response Team Training
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) was in Hampton Roads last week evaluating and training the Hampton Roads Incident Management Team (HRIMT). The group could soon be one of around a handful of agencies nationwide named a federal Supplemental Response Team (SRT).
The Hampton Roads Incident Management Team was selected for the SRT pilot program in 2022. At the time it was one of just one of two teams selected in the Commonwealth and one of only four in the country. Currently, Virginia is the only state that has two Type III incident management teams asked to become an SRT. The HRIMT and the National Capital Region Incident Management Team (NCRIMT) are both in the process of being trained and qualified.
Though the team is largely comprised of members from Hampton Roads, the roster of about 60 members includes firefighters, EMTs, law enforcement officers, emergency management officials, public utilities employees, Virginia Department of Emergency Management employees, and others. A typical regional, statewide, or national deployment could be as small as six to eight people or as many as 20, depending on the type of incident and the need.
Once qualified, the team’s expenses when deployed as an SRT will be paid for by FEMA, not local taxpayers, when it is tasked as part of a federal response.

11/29/2022

HRIMT deployed to Walmart shooting.
The team was asked to provide logistical support to law enforcement agencies at the Walmart mass shooting incident. The team was asked to set up shelters for use by the investigators. The team maintained a presence on site for the maintenance of the equipment. The team was on site 11/23 to 11/26.

11/17/2022

What is this?
The pie chart shows the break down of the missions the team has been on since 2012.
Go to the HRIMT website for a list of the missions and a brief description of the missions. (hrimt.org)

09/27/2022

The team assisted Sentara at the NAS Oceana Airshow 2022 by setting up a shelter to be used as a medical tent. Logistics unloaded one the the trucks that are preloaded with equipment for deployment during hurricane season. Team members stayed on site during the show to maintain the tents. Sentara personnel manned manned the tents for the medical mission.